Efficacy and safety of 3D printing-assisted percutaneous nephrolithotomy in complex renal calculi

This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of 3D printing technology combined with percutaneous nephrolithotomy in the treatment of complex renal calculi. Ninety patients with complex renal calculi were randomly divided into a 3D printing group (45 patients) and a control group (45 patients). In the 3D printing group, a patient-specific 1:1 3D printing model was established based on the patient's thin-layer CT scanning data. A 3D printing model was used for preoperative communication between doctors and patients. Preoperative puncture training, channel design, residual stone prediction, and percutaneous nephrolithotomy were performed under the guidance of a 3D printing model and B-ultrasound. The control group was treated with the conventional B-ultrasound-guided puncture method. Results suggest that there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.05). The overall score of the doctor-patient communication objects in the 3D printing group was 19.32 ± 1.57 points, and in the control group, it was 14.51 ± 2.13 points. The operation time of the 3D printing group was 103.21 ± 13.49 min, and that of the control group was 126.12 ± 25.87 min. The calculi clearance rate of the 3D printing group was 96%, while that of the control group was 80%. The incidence of postoperative complications was 6.67% in the 3D printing group and 22.22% in the control group. Compared with traditional percutaneous nephrolithotomy, 3D printing technology combined with percutaneous nephrolithotomy can significantly enhance the effectiveness of doctor–patient communication, shorten operation time, reduce operation bleeding, improve the stone clearance rate, reduce the incidence of complications and shorten the length of hospital stay. The proposed method is thus a safe and effective method to treat complex renal calculi.

Analysis and Optimization of UAV Frame Design for Manufacturing from Thermoplastic Materials on FDM 3D Printer

Thermoplastic materials have great usage through FDM 3D printing technology. Today, FDM 3D printer is available to the broad population, and some of the thermoplastic materials is widely used due to their small price and availability. Such thermoplastic materials are ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) and PLA (Polylactic acid). In this paper the possibility of drone frame design optimization that can be made from ABS and PLA plastics using FDM 3D printing technology is analyzed.

3D Printing and Shaping Polymers, Composites, and Nanocomposites: A Review

Sustainable technologies are vital due to the efforts of researchers and investors who have allocated significant amounts of money and time to their development. Nowadays, 3D printing has been accepted by the main industry players, since its first establishment almost 30 years ago. It is obvious that almost every industry is related to technology, which proves that technology has a bright future. Many studies have shown that technologies have changed the methods for developing particular products. Three-dimensional printing has evolved tremendously, and currently, many new types of 3D printing machines have been introduced. In this paper, we describe the historical development of 3D printing technology including its process, types of printing, and applications on polymer materials.

Overview of 3D-Printed Silica Glass

Not satisfied with the current stage of the extensive research on 3D printing technology for polymers and metals, researchers are searching for more innovative 3D printing technologies for glass fabrication in what has become the latest trend of interest. The traditional glass manufacturing process requires complex high-temperature melting and casting processes, which presents a great challenge to the fabrication of arbitrarily complex glass devices. The emergence of 3D printing technology provides a good solution. This paper reviews the recent advances in glass 3D printing, describes the history and development of related technologies, and lists popular applications of 3D printing for glass preparation. This review compares the advantages and disadvantages of various processing methods, summarizes the problems encountered in the process of technology application, and proposes the corresponding solutions to select the most appropriate preparation method in practical applications. The application of additive manufacturing in glass fabrication is in its infancy but has great potential. Based on this view, the methods for glass preparation with 3D printing technology are expected to achieve both high-speed and high-precision fabrication.

A prototype of 3D-printed permanent magnet generator for low power applications

Recently, there has been a growing interest in the field of using 3D-printing technology for electrical machine manufacturing. However, almost research works have been done majorly on the 3D-printing technology of individual working parts for various electrical machines. This research presents a study of design, fabrication and testing of the protopype of permanent magnet generator using 3D-printing technology. The major parts of proposed generator are fabricated though 3D-printed materials. The stator winding of designed generator consists of 12 slots. The stator coil is designed to have 250 turns per slot and 12 pieces of neodymium magnets are used in to generate magnetic field in the rotor core. The prototype generator is tested under different condition; no-load and loaded-test. The experimental have been shown that in the no-load condition, this generator is able to generate output voltage of 3.3-64.5 V, when rotated at speed of 100-2,500 rpm. In the loaded-test, the output voltage and output current are also generated. Furthermore, it can be seen that a proposed generator can generate the output power of 4,245.28 mW, when rotated at speed of 2,500 rpm.

Recent Advance and Perspective of 3D Printed Micro-Supercapacitor: From Design to Smart Integrated Devices

3D-printed micro-supercapacitors (MSCs) have emerged as the ideal candidates for energy storage devices owing to unique characteristics of miniaturization, structural diversity, and integration. Exploring the 3D printing technology for various...

3D-printed swab with cover for precision diagnosis

The collection capacity of common nasopharyngeal swabs and irregularities of medical personnel limit the accuracy of PCR testing. This study describes a newly designed 3D-printed swab that is combined with a 3D-printed cover to prevent the extraction of undesired nasal secretions. This swab improved the accuracy of PCR test results. The results of a series of experiments showed that, because of the mucus extraction effect, 3D-printed swabs can replace ordinary cotton swabs. The crisis of the worldwide medical supply shortage can be ameliorated to a certain extent by applying 3D printing technology.

A survey of 3D printing technology applied to paper microfluidics

This critical review describes efforts to apply 3D printing technology to the advancement of paper microfluidic device development.