Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : 3D Printing in Orthopedics

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

3D Printing in Orthopedics: Why Are We Still Pretending the Future Isn’t Here?

A week ago, I visited Swiss M4M, a true center of excellence for 3D printing in MedTech. And let me say it bluntly:

I walked out inspired — and shocked.

Inspired by what is possible.

Shocked by how far behind our industry still is, by choice!

I remember the 2012 hype:

“Hospitals will have 3D printers.”

“Implants will be printed on demand.”

“This will transform everything.”

Thirteen years later, do you know what has transformed?

Almost nothing.

Other industries—Aerospace. Automotive. Formula 1.—are pushing boundaries with additive manufacturing.

And orthopedics?

We are still polishing stainless steel like it’s 1995, an mill implants from large seize material blocks!

Here’s the uncomfortable truth:

The technology works. The capabilities exist.

What’s missing is courage.

Courage to redesign implants instead of recycling old geometries.

Courage to rethink instruments instead of machining blocks of metal.

Courage to challenge teams who say, “We’ve always done it this way.”

During my visit, I saw patient-specific solutions, titanium structures, integrated functionalities—and all at a level of maturity we should have embraced years ago. And guess who is pushing the limits?

Not the big players.

Not the ones with the multi-billion-dollar budgets.

It’s the small companies.

The hungry ones.

The ones who can’t afford inefficiency.

The paradox is almost embarrassing:

Big MedTech talks innovation, publishes innovation, markets innovation…

but often refuses to implement innovation, because the risks to timelines are to high.

And before anyone claims surgeons won’t accept 3D-printed implants—

I actually asked them.

They don’t care.

If it works, they use it. End of story.

Meanwhile, our old manufacturing model forces us to maintain SKUs where:

20% drive revenue, and 80% fill warehouses.

This is absurd in 2025.

3D printing was practically created to solve this low/ no volume problem.

So, let’s stop pretending.

Let’s stop hiding behind excuses like “risk,” “timeline,” or “validation workload.”

If aerospace engineers can trust 3D-printed structural parts at 30,000 feet,

we can trust a printed plate or instrument in an operating room.

My message to senior leaders:

Either you push your organization to adopt this technology — or someone smaller, faster, and braver will eat your lunch.

Additive manufacturing is no longer “the future.”

It is the present.

And our industry is running out of reasons not to use it.

source : Urs Wigger

#Orthopedics #3DPrinting #AdditiveManufacturing #healthcare