Materials for 3D printing in medicine: metals, polymers, ceramics, and hydrogels

Additive manufacturing is used to engineer complex topography into materials with specific chemical, physical, and mechanical properties. In this chapter, we discuss 3D printed materials currently in clinical use and those under research and development for use in medicine, in particular implants for tissue repair and regeneration. This chapter is broadly organized into metallic, ceramic, and organic (polymers and hydrogels for bioinks) biomaterials; with a further divide based on whether the material is bioinert or biodegradable.