Additive manufacturing of biomaterials

Biomaterials are used to engineer functional restoration of different tissues to improve human health and the quality of life. Biomaterials can be natural or synthetic. Additive manufacturing (AM) is a novel materials processing approach to create parts or prototypes layer-by-layer directly from a computer aided design (CAD) file. The combination of additive manufacturing and biomaterials is very promising, especially towards patient specific clinical applications. Challenges of AM technology along with related materials issues need to be realized to make this approach feasible for broader clinical needs. This approach is already making a significant gain towards numerous commercial biomedical devices. In this review, key additive manufacturing methods are first introduced followed by AM of different materials, and finally applications of AM in various treatment options. Realization of critical challenges and technical issues for different AM methods and biomaterial selections based on clinical needs are vital. Multidisciplinary research will be necessary to face those challenges and fully realize the potential of AM in the coming days.