New Research Underway in South Korea on Advanced 3D Printed Medical Devices

The adoption of additive manufacturing within the medical sector is a headline that has become more and more common as researches and companies around the world look for innovative and efficient ways to help and heal. Among the frontrunners, South Korea has often been in the spotlight as a hub of research and development for combining medicine and 3D printing. Recently, the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) entered into a joint collaboration agreement with the Pusan National University Hospital (PNUH). Their goal? Research and development into advanced 3D printed medical devices.

More precisely, the agreement between the organizations involves two specific centers perfectly suited to the task. The UNIST 3D Printing Convergence Technology Center has been active for several years and actively seeks to promote the research and use of additive manufacturing across a broad range of industries by seeking out various partnership opportunities such as their current project. They will be working in conjunction with the PNUH Medical Device Usability Evaluation Center, the first of its kind as a specialized testing and evaluation facility to be located in a non-metropolitan area.

Pusan National University Hospital (Photo credits: PNUH)

Located within the largest comprehensive medical cluster in the country, the teams will have access to specialized facilities and medical experts to run the most comprehensive and rigorous tests possible. While so far there is no information about the exact research projects or printing methods the teams will be using, the location and amount of expertise on hand suggests a wide range of applications including metal powder bed fusion 3D printing.

Along with 3D printed medical equipment R&D, the collaboration will also include focus on support for the commercialization of domestically developed 3D printed medical devices. If fruitful, the study could see the country begin to utilize large-scale additive manufacturing for private and public sector use in the near future.

Director Ji-Uk Yoon of the PNUH Medical Device Usability Evaluation Center hailed the partnership as the two groups met at the UNIST Industry-University Convergence Campus to sign a memorandum of understanding to officially seal the agreement. He hopes the joint study into 3D printed medical devices will build greater understanding of the medical 3D printing field and advance the industry in the entire region. Namhun Kim, director of the UNIST 3D Printing Convergence Technology Center echoed those sentiments and added his excitement at the prospect of expanding the 3D printing process out of experimentation and testing, and into mass production. For more information about the joint venture announcement, you can read more HERE.

Signing of the memorandum of understanding took place between the divisions of UNIST and PNUH (Photo credits: UNIST 3D Printing Convergence Technology Center)

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*Cover Photo Credits: UNIST 3D Printing Convergence Technology Center