AMS 2025: Enabling & Scaling 3D Printing in Healthcare, Part 1 – 3DPrint.com

There were many reasons to be excited about this year’s Additive Manufacturing Strategies in New York City, from panels on venture capital, private equity, and M&A to the popular CEO roundtable. But I was most looking forward to the session on healthcare, which was absent from AMS 2024. According to AM Research, the 3D printed medical device market is expected to reach $16.5 billion in revenues by the year 2034. The technology has had a major impact on healthcare, from improved accessibility to prosthetics and lower development costs to more innovation in advanced medical devices and enhanced patient outcomes. So I was eager to hear from the experts at the event.

In part one of my healthcare write-up, I look at how 3D printing is impacting assistive technologies, as well as how AM is scaling in the medical sector.

Assistive Technology in AM Strategies

The session’s keynote speaker was Satish Mishra, the Head of Global Programmes for ATscale, The Global Partnership for Assistive Technology. Hosted by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), ATscale is a cross-sector partnership launched to help overcome the gap in access to appropriate, affordable, and high-quality assistive technology (AT). Based in Geneva, it supports people in 35 countries, to help ensure that 500 million more people around the globe are reached with AT by 2030.

“Most of us will need assistive tech at some point in our lives, whether it’s hearing aids or mobility aids,” Mishra said. “Significant scale is required, and the market is ripe for disruption. This is my call for action.”

First, Mishra gave us an example of what AT can really do for people. Mohammad lost both of his legs in a land mine incident, but because he was able to access prostheses near his refugee camp in Bangladesh, he was able to return to work and help get his family out of poverty.

“This had an immediate impact on him and his family,” Mishra said. “That’s what assistive technology does for people.”

AT includes assistive devices and products, as well as related services and systems. These can be anything from a cane or magnifier to a wheelchair or walker. Depending on the user’s needs, a custom design may be required. Mishra said that 2.5 billion people around the world, of all ages, need AT, from those with physical disabilities to others suffering from mental health conditions like dementia, and that it will increase to 3.5 billion in less than 20 years.

AT is part of what’s known as essential health services, and can be transformative for the user. Like the story Mishra mentioned with Mohammad, people can get their lives back with AT. There are financial benefits as well: he said that with every dollar invested in a hearing aid, $16 is returned to society, and there were other similar examples. But, despite these benefits, only one in ten people have access to the AT they need, which, as Mishra said, “definitely needs to change.”

Mishra said some powered wheelchairs can be just as expensive, or even more so, than cars, “so something is going drastically wrong here.”

“If you dig, it is the business models and manufacturing models for assistive technology which are not fit for purpose.”

A significant scale-up is needed, and innovation, evidence, service delivery models, and investments will help AT get to where it needs to be. Mishra said that new technology, like 3D printing, is making large-scale manufacturing possible, which makes it “exactly the kind of technology enabler we need to bring assistive products to everyone who needs them.” Several standards have already been developed to cover assistive products, and many countries already have their own national minimum requirements and regulatory standards for these products.

Beyond standards, Mishra shared that assistive products need to be tailored to the specific needs, preferences, and cultural contexts of users, and readily available to those who need them. Additionally, AT needs to be accessible, with distribution channels and support services that will accommodate all users. Finally, the price needs to be within reach of all socioeconomic groups.

“Because these products are life-changing, their quality, availability, accessibility, and affordability is extremely important,” he said.

Mishra concluded his talk by noting that many parts of the world are still AT deserts, which makes this particular field “ripe for innovation.”

“We need more innovation, real life experiences, and products which can help us, and together go to the service providers and users. This needs leadership and investment from the whole AM community.

“My plea and request is to join the global movement. We need collaboration and partnership from all of you.”

Enablers to Scale AM in Healthcare

After Mishra left the stage, the attendees at AMS 2025 were treated to something which shouldn’t be special in 2025, yet somehow still is: an all-female panel.

“Satish gave us the call to action, and this panel will explain how to scale,” said moderator Naomi Nathan, the Head of Medical for Mobility/Medical goes Additive (MGA).

Healthcare is a very complex field, with lots of stakeholders, and we still need to convince many of them that AM is a worthwhile technology in which to invest. How do we do it?

Amy Alexander, Unit Head of Mechanical Development and Applied Computational Engineering within Mayo Clinic’s Division of Engineering (DOE), also leads its 3D printing initiatives. She recalled a set of conjoined twins who were brought to the hospital in 2006. The medical team used a “home-grown software” to segment the liver, 3D printed a model, and then drew on it with a marker to better visualize which twin would get which organs. Other surgeons in the hospital were impressed with the model and wanted to know how they could get their own. That’s how the Mayo Clinic got started with the technology – sometimes you just need a physical example of what 3D printing can really do!

Brigitte de Vet-Veithen, CEO of Materialise, noted that positive peer pressure can really help sometimes, but that “it all comes down to demonstrating that value” of personalized products. This can be done through clinical studies, research papers, journal articles, and more, like exhibiting at events. Unfortunately, money is still an issue.

“That’s also what we will need to scale the adoption even further, because at the end of the day we’re still funding this technology in different ways,” she said.

Nathan asked neuroradiologist Jenny Chen, founder and CEO of the 3DHEALS network, how we can encourage startups. Chen, a startup mentor and advisor who also created the Pitch3D program to connect early-stage startups to fundraising strategies and investors, had a simple answer.

“You give them money! No, I’m just kidding,” she said. “You give them a space to be visible, and hopefully you help them to find resources, from mentoring or networking, and capital.”

Alexander agreed on this point, noting that “with scaling, you have to invest in people.”

“It’s impossible to grow anything without a dedicated staff. We have a workforce development issue,” she said.

She reminded everyone that it’s important to keep attending industry events, like AMS and RAPID and AMUG, because the network of people you meet will help hiring managers find the right people for the right jobs. We hear this time and again, in many industries: the talent gap with AM is still a significant issue. In fact, de Vet-Veithen said that having skilled people is “still the biggest challenge we see to our growth” at Materialise.

“We need to do a better job at collaborating as an industry to better prepare people for the jobs to come,” she said. “It’s a huge challenge, and it will get easier over time, but we’re not there yet. Collaboration is key.”

Collaboration can help drive innovation and adoption, and the panelists shared some ideas on building bridges with industry, academia, researchers, and healthcare providers, such as joining initiatives like the RSNA special interest group and the MGA network.

Stay tuned for part two, where I look at patient-centric devices and the policy landscape for AM in healthcare.