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Tamil Nadu Students Use Plastic Bottles To Devise Cost-effective Alternatives To 3D Plasters – News18


Last Updated: October 05, 2023, 15:40 IST

The plastic extracts from the bottles were used to design the 3D fillers.

They embarked on this innovation, keeping in mind the concept of ‘Waste to Wealth’

The market for 3D printing in the healthcare sector is witnessing a massive demand. This is because of less waste generation during the production of medical devices and implants. This technology, however, proves to be highly expensive in some aspects. Students from the Sri Ramakrishna Engineering College, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu have made a major breakthrough in this technology’s disadvantage. According to the Local 18 report, students have used old plastic bottles as an alternative to 3D plaster, used in the medical field. These students extracted the plastics from the old plastic bottles and made 3D fillers. They embarked on this innovation, keeping in mind the concept of ‘Waste to Wealth’. Gayathri, the teacher in charge of these students said, “Using plastic bottles instead of 3D plaster will save money. 3D plasters cost around Rs 1,500. Now, the price has been reduced to less than half. Four students, including me, have made it together.”

3D-printed splints weigh around 100 grams and are much lighter than conventional plaster casts. With 3D-printed casts, patients with broken bones no longer have to deal with uncomfortable plaster casts. Industrial design engineer Raquel Serrano Lledó co-founder of FIIXIT Orthotic Lab had a word about it in an interview with Wipo Magazine. “Our 3D printed splints are used for common fractures in legs, arms, hands, and fingers. They improve the patient’s quality of life,” says Serrano Lledó, adding that her 3D-printed splints are adapted according to the patient’s anatomy and pathology. “The 3D printed splints are also submersible, so patients can use them when they go to the pool or the beach on vacation,” she noted.

The downside of the 3D printing technology, however, remains that it is exceedingly expensive. According to information published in the POLITICO newsletter, the cells for a heart can cost $100,000 (Rs 8,32,5000). Researchers also face other crucial challenges while using this technology such as integrating blood vessels in tissue, etc. Mark Skylar-Scott, an assistant professor in bioengineering at Stanford, told POLITICO that clinical trials in this technology should start within a decade. He, however, said that the objective of full organ engineering is about three decades away.



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