Increasing its activities with various investments, South Korea announced a very important material research. It is stated that this innovation where silk based material was manufactured for 3D printing would offer many advantages.
Asian market raised investments of 3D technology. Coming to the forefront with technology investments, developed a new material for 3D printing. This silk based material is said to be very effective in implants.
Silk protein is made up of 75% fibroin, a protein frequently used to make medical equipment thanks to its biocompatible properties. Such materials can be incredibly useful in the medical world, since devices made from biocompatible materials are less likely to cause problems for the human body. Recognizing the utility of biocompatible materials and the growing potential of 3D printing technology for creating precise shapes, the RDA and Hallym researchers decided to develop a silk 3D printing material for orthopedic implants such as plates, screws, and clips.
In addition to being biodegradable, durable, and stable, the 3D printed silk devices are also relatively cheap to produce, at roughly half the cost of a synthetic polymer device. Polymer devices can also be biodegradable, but often lack stability, whereas the 3D printed silk devices exhibited adequate strength and stability. The 3D printing process also allows medical professionals to create fully customized medical devices for individual patients, while implants can even be manufactured for curved areas like the skull and cheekbones, as well as for inosculating bones without causing inflammation or foreign body reactions.