rapid prototyping is a technology that was originally developed thirty years ago for fabrication of machine tool prototypes. this term is used to describe fabrication of three-dimensional structures through selective joining of materials in an additive layer-by-layer manner. recent studies have shown that rapid prototyping techniques may be used to create patient-specific medical devices and artificial tissues. data obtained from magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, or other imaging techniques may be employed in order to create patient- specific medical devices. these customized implants possess suitable features, including geometry, size, and weight, for a given medical condition. many advances have been made in rapid prototyping of materials for prostheses and other implants in the past decade, yet this information is not readily available to scientists and students. printed biomaterials: rapid prototyping in medicine and surgery provides the biomaterials scientist and engineer, as well as fourth-year undergraduate or graduate students with a comprehensive discussion of contemporary medical device research and development. rapid prototyping is multidisciplinary, and includes concepts traditionally associated with engineering, medicine, and surgery. this text highlights these important topics in these core fields, in order to provide the fundamentals necessary to comprehend current rapid prototyping technologies and develop new ones. the book starts with an overview of the materials used in rapid prototyping, the fabrication techniques used in rapid prototyping, and the imaging techniques used in rapid prototyping. an integrated approach, as suggested in a recent whitaker foundation summit, provides the researcher and student with an understanding of the medical device fabrication process. several case studies are presented. finally, future developments in the field is discussed. the text is organized in a sequence that allows the materials scientist, engineer, or student to be gradually exposed to typically unfamiliar biology-related information.
