• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.72-78
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• 2024

Background: Clinical outcomes after fixation of distal humerus intraarticular fractures are directly related to the quality of reduction. The use of three-dimensional (3D)-printed fracture models can benefit preoperative planning to ensure good reduction. This review aims to determine if surgery performed with 3D printing assistance are faster and result in fewer complications and improved clinical outcomes than conventional methods. We also outline the benefits and drawbacks of this novel technique in surgical management of distal humerus fractures. Methods: A systematic literature search was carried out in various electronic databases. Search results were screened based on title and abstract. Data from eligible studies were extracted into spreadsheets. Meta-analysis was performed using appropriate computer software. Results: Three randomized controlled trials with 144 cases were included in the final analysis. The 3D-printed group had significantly shorter mean operating time (mean difference, 16.25 minutes; 95% confidence interval [CI], 12.74-19.76 minutes; P<0.001) and mean intraoperative blood loss (30.40 mL; 95% CI, 10.45-60.36 mL; P=0.005) compared with the conventional group. The 3D-printed group also tended to have fewer complications and a better likelihood of good or excellent outcomes as per the Mayo elbow performance score, but this did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: Three-dimensional-printing-assisted surgery in distal humerus fractures has several benefits in reduced operating time and lower blood loss, indirectly decreasing other complications such as infection and anemia-related issues. Future good-quality studies are required to conclusively demonstrate the benefits of 3D printing in improving clinical outcomes.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.117-124
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• 2020

3D printing is a technology that has significantly grown in recent years, particularly in the aerospace, defense, and medical sectors where it offers significant potential cost savings and reduction of the supply chain by allowing parts to be manufactured on-site rather than at a distance supplier. In nuclear industry, 3D printing technology should be applied according to the manufacturing trend change. For the application of 3D printing technology to the nuclear power plant, several problems, including the absence of code & standards of materials, processes and testing & inspection methods etc, should be solved. Preemptively, the improvement of reliability of 3D printing technology, including mechanical properties, structural performance, service performance and aging degradation of 3D printed parts should be supported. These results can be achieved by collaboration of many organizations such as institute, 3D printer manufacturer, metal powder supplier, nuclear part manufacturer, standard developing organization, and nuclear utility.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.343-350
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• 2021

3D printing technology is an additive manufacturing technology produced through 3D scanning or modeling method. This technology can be produced in a short time without mold, which has recently been applied in earnest in various fields. In the medical field, 3D printing technology is used in various fields of radiology and radiation therapy, but related research is insufficient in the field of nuclear medicine. In this study, we compare the characteristics of traditional nuclear medicine phantom with 3D printing technology and evaluate its applicability in clinical trials. We manufactured the same size phantom of poly methyl meta acrylate(PMMA) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene(ABS) based on the aluminum step wedge. We used BrightView XCT(Philips Health Care, Cleveland, USA) SPECT/CT. We acquired 60 min list mode for Aluminum, PMMA and ABS phantoms using Rectangular Flood Phantom (Biodex, New York, USA) ^99mTcO₄ 3 mCi(111 MBq), 6 mCi (222MBq) and ⁵⁷Co Flood phantom(adq, New Hampshire, USA). For the analysis of acquired images, the region of interest(ROI) were drawn and evaluated step by step for each phantom. Depending on the type of radioisotope and radiation dose, the counts of the ABS phantom was similar to that of the PMMA phantom. And as the step thickness increased, the counts decreased linearly. When comparing the linear attenuation coefficient of Aluminum, PMMA and ABS phantom, the linear attenuation coefficient of the aluminium phantom was higher than that of the others, and the PMMA and ABS phantom had similar the linear attenuation coefficient. Based on ABS phantom manufactured by 3D printing technology, as the thickness of the PMMA phantom increased, the counts and linear attenuation coefficient decreased linearly. It has been confirmed that ABS phantom is applicable in the clinical field of nuclear medicine. If the calibration factor is applied through further research, it is believed that practical application will be possible.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.151-157
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• 2023

The purpose of this study was to develop an assist device that could correct and support patient position during biopsy on computed tomography (CT) using 3D printing technology. The development method was conducted in the order of 3D design, 3D output, intermediate evaluation for product, final assist device evaluation. The 3D design method was conducted in the order of prior research data survey, measurement, primary modeling, 3D printing, output evaluation, and supplementary modeling. The 3D output was the 3D printer (3DWOX 2X, Sindoh, Korea) with additive manufacturing technology and the polylactic acid (PLA) materials. At this time, the optimal strength was evaluated to infill degree of product as the 3D printing factors into 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80%. The intermediate evaluation and supplementation was measured noise in the region of interest (ROI) around the beam hardening artifact on the CT images. We used 128-channel MDCT (Discovery 75 HD, GE, USA) to scan with a slice thickness of 100 kVp, 150 mA, and 2.5 mm on the 3D printing product. We compared the surrounding noise of the final 3D printing product with the beginning of it. and then the strength of it according to the degree of infill was evaluated. As a result, the surrounding noise of the final and the early devices were measured at an average of 3.3 ± 0.5 HU and 7.1 ± 0.1 HU, respectively, which significantly reduced the noise of the final 3D printing product (p<0.001). We found that the percentage of infill according to the optimal strength was found to be 60%. Finally, development of assist devices for CT biopsy will be able to minimize artifacts and provide convenience to medical staff and patients.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.423-431
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to present objective information in applying 3D printing technology for PET/CT (Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography) performance evaluation and use it as a basic research that can be applied to various purposes in the future. Phantoms were manufactured with step wedge of ABS(Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) and ACR(Acrylic acid) material. The counts for each ROI(Region of Interest) were analyzed through image acquisition in PET/CT. And the variation rate of counts and CNR(Contrast Noise Ratio) was evaluated. In the counts analysis, the effect of thickness occurred. In addition, in the variation rate analysis, the thickness setting of steps wedge 4 to 5 levels should be considered first. These results minimize quantitative and qualitative changes in the phantom manufactured based on 3D printing, and enable more stable PET/CT performance evaluation. Based on 3D printing in PET/CT, various phantoms are expected to be produced in the future. If the characteristics of each material are considered and applied through the basic research such as this research, the result of the phantom manufactured through 3D printing can be more meaningful and will be used in a wide range.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.1-13
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• 2018

3D printing technology, which is expected to play a leading role within the Fourth Industrial Revolution, is becoming distinguished not only in the space, automotive, medical and engineering industries, but also in the area of design. The fashion and textile structures created by 3D printing technology were classified into three types - basic structure, unified structure, and a new physical structure. When traditional weaving, knitting, and stitching was reinterpreted through 3D printing, there were apparent limitations in reproducing the characteristics of fabric structures due to differences in the materials and structures of traditional textiles. New physical structures are being developed to break away from merely reproducing traditional textile structures, and to bring out the characteristics of 3D printing technology. As examples of new physical structures, there are the kinematics structure which utilizes the hinge method, mesostructure cellular material, and the N12 disk structure. Such techniques potentially open a new paradigm of fashion and textile structures. Some innovative aspects of 3D printing technology may result in changes in the methods of collaboration, manufacturing, and distribution. Designers are receiving help from specialists of various backgrounds to merge 3D printing technology to create original works. Also, 3D printing not only makes personalized custom designs available, but shortens the distribution channels, foretelling a change within the fashion and textile industry.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.55-61
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• 2019

Recently, various researches on materials and equipment have been actively conducted to overcome the limitations of conventional output methods due to the increase of diversity of 3D printing materials and to adopt an output method suitable for the characteristics of each material. As the range applicable to outputable materials is expanded, manufacturing of medical devices applied to patients is in a more rapid growth trend than other fields. In this study, we investigated the suitable materials for fabricating 3D printer using photocurable resin. As a result, one suitable material was selected through biological safety experiment and thermal stability experiment. Next, to optimize the output of the selected materials, we have developed a system that optimizes the equipment according to the characteristics of the material. The results of this study enabled the implementation of personalized medical implants that could not be made from 3D printer dependent materials, thereby overcoming the limitations of existing 3D printer output conditions and dedicated materials.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.23-31
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• 2015

With the expiration of main patent of printing method, public interest now has shifted to 3D printing. In this, it needs to shine a light on the negative effects, particularly in the socio-economic aspect of 3D printing. By analyzing the existing research findings, policy reports and press releases, the negative effects of 3D printing and its countermeasures were derived. The main drawbacks of 3D printing includes the following: It might cause 3D printing-related crimes(e.g. printed weapons, intellectual property infringement, etc.) and it poses a big threat to other related business sectors.(e.g. potential job loss in molding and medical equipments manufacturing industries) What's more, the nature of 3D printing that it is easy to operate attracts lots of people, which then leads to serious social and environmental problems-product liability, ethical issues, environmental pollution, and finally government's blindly excessive investment in 3D printing. To avoid such potential risks, the government should establish and enforce the institutional law, and guidelines. Government's rational investment decision is also inevitable for the short-term and long-term sustainability of 3D printing.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.169-176
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• 2020

Interventional radiology is performed under real-time fluoroscopy, and patients are exposed to a wide range of exposures for a long period of time depending on the examination and procedure. However, studies on radiation protection for patients during an intervention are insufficient. This study aims to evaluate the doses exposed during the intervention and the applicability of 3D printing materials. The organ dose for each intervention site was evaluated using a monte carlo simulatio. Also, the dose reduction effect of the critical organs was calculated when using a shielding device using 3D printing materials. As a result, the organ dose distribution for each intervention site showed a lower dose distribution for organs located far from the x-ray tube. It was analyzed that the influence of scattered rays was higher in the superficial organs of the back of the human body where x-rays were incident. The dose reduction effect on the critical organ using the 3D printing shield showed the highest testis among the gonads, and in the case of other organs, the dose reduction effect gradually decreased in the order of the eye, thyroid, breast, and ovary. Accordingly, it is judged that the 3D printed shield will be sufficiently usable as a shielding device for the radiation protection of critical organs.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.31 no.12
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• pp.1067-1076
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• 2014

To date, biomedical application of three-dimensional (3D) printing technology remains one of the most important research topics and business targets. A wide range of approaches have been attempted using various 3D printing systems with general materials and specific biomaterials. In this review, we provide a brief overview of the biomedical applications using 3D printing techniques, such as surgical tool, medical device, prosthesis, and tissue engineering scaffold. Compared to the other applications of 3D printed products, the scaffold fabrication should be performed with careful selection of bio-functional materials. In particular, we describe how the biomaterials can be processed into 3D printed scaffold and applied to tissue engineering area.