Applications of 3D Printing in Veterinary Neurosurgery

3D printing (3DP), also known as additive modeling, is the practice of joining or fusing materials by an automated process in a 3D envelope. The two commonplace 3DP technologies currently available are Fused Deposition Modeling and Stereolithography (STL). Other 3DP techniques include powder bed fusion techniques that have recently entered the general consumer space. These printers are historically expensive but have the advantage of novel materials including metals such as titanium. The STL format is the most common and despite have the same name as a type of printing is used in all 3DP models. The additive manufacturing file format is the least commonly used, though it is expected to overtake the others in utility. 3DP can be created based on skin contours with a 3D scanner or computerized tomography. This application has been used to create external coapative devices temporarily worn by domestic animals.