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Medical Devices 2021: Market Opportunities for 3D printed Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Audiology devices

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Published on Jun 17, 2021 SKU SMP-AM-MD2021-0621 Category Tags ,

3D printing is beginning to show true signs of disruption within the healthcare industry in varying degrees across different fields, and allowing for greater levels of digitization, customisation and automation, all leading to improved patient outcomes, as well as new innovation and cost reduction for device OEMs and healthcare providers.

Whereas the use of 3D printing has become well established in the production of advanced orthopaedic implants, the production of dental aligner tools and models, and increasingly in pre-surgical planning and more so within surgical training, there remains scope for major innovation within the medical field through the adoption of 3D printing.

A burgeoning area of opportunity lies within the prosthetic device segment, with 3D printing set to trigger major disruption, innovation and growth across a number of discreet device segments. This report examines the opportunities for 3D printing across three distinct areas within prosthetics; hearing aids, upper and lower limb prosthetics and orthotic braces and insoles.

Within the audiology industry, 3D printing has established itself as a core production technology for custom in-ear hearing aid devices, with the near entirety of such hearing aid shells being directly manufacturing using 3D printing. With the demand for such devices however trending downwards, the potential for new innovations in metal devices and behind-the-ear devices has increased, setting the stage for a new wave of innovation within this well-established 3D printing market.

Conversely, the use of 3D printing within the orthotics and prosthetics industries is on the cusp of moving out of the R&D lab and into full scale commercialisation, with multiple prosthetic device and orthotic insole start-ups beginning to scale-up in partnership within industry incumbents to deliver innovative, customised and superior functioning corrective devices.

This report explores the value propositions for 3D printing across the selected device segments, assessing the benefit, insertion points and stakeholder impact of technology adoption. Additionally, a review of the current state-of-the-art of 3D printing technologies in these areas showcases which technology solutions are positioned for future penetration. Finally, a ten year forecast for each device segment alongside technology adoption, material revenue and part printing forecasts provide a clear future outlook.