Overview of In-Hospital 3D Printing and Practical Applications in Hand Surgery

Table 1

Overview of different 3D printing techniques and their characteristics (SLA: stereolithography; SLS: selective laser sintering; DMLS: direct metal laser sintering; FDM: Fused deposition modelling; UV: Ultra-violet [3–5]).

Type of printing	Build material	Material distribution	Binding technique	Color printing	Material combination	Postprocessing			Material costs (US$ per kg, nonprofessional use)
						Remove excess	Increase strength	Remove support
Photopolymerization (SLA)	Photopolymer (resin)	Vat	Light (laser)	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	50
Directed energy deposition (SLS, DMLS)	Powder	Bed	Heat (laser or welding)	No	No	Yes	No	No	45-75 (nonmetal); 350-550 (metal)
Material extrusion (FDM)	Filaments of plastic, food, paste, etc.	Extrusion	Heat (most often)	No	No	No	No	Yes	20-70
Binder jetting (BJ)	Powder	Bed	Jet adhesive	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	300-1000
Material jetting (Polyjet)	Photopolymer (resin)	Jet	Light (UV)	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	300-1000