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REVIEW article
Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Biomaterials
Volume 13 - 2025 |
doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1542179
Innovative 3D Printing Technologies and Advanced Materials Revolutionizing Orthopedic Surgery: Current Applications and Future Directions
Provisionally accepted
Bo Cong 
Haiguang Zhang *- Yantaishan Hospital, Yantai, China
Three-dimensional (3D) printing has rapidly become a transformative force in orthopedic surgery, enabling the creation of highly customized and precise medical implants and surgical tools. This review aims to provide a more systematic and comprehensive perspective on emerging 3D printing technologies-ranging from extrusion-based methods and bioink printing to powder bed fusion-and the broadening array of materials, including bioactive agents and cell-laden inks. We highlight how these technologies and materials are employed to fabricate patientspecific implants, surgical guides, prosthetics, and advanced tissue engineering scaffolds, significantly enhancing surgical outcomes and patient recovery. Despite notable progress, the field faces challenges such as optimizing mechanical properties, ensuring structural integrity, addressing regulatory complexities across different regions, and considering environmental impacts and cost barriers, especially in lowresource settings. Looking ahead, innovations in smart materials and functionally graded materials (FGMs), along with advancements in bioprinting, hold promise for overcoming these obstacles and expanding the capabilities of 3D printing in orthopedics. This review underscores the pivotal role of interdisciplinary collaboration and ongoing research in harnessing the full potential of additive manufacturing, ultimately paving the way for more effective, personalized, and durable orthopedic solutions that improve patient quality of life.
Keywords: 3D printing, Technology, material, challenge, FGM
Received: 09 Dec 2024; Accepted: 22 Jan 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Cong and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Haiguang Zhang, Yantaishan Hospital, Yantai, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.