Smallest 3D-printed medical device

Researchers around the world are trying to find pain-free alternatives to needles so as to make injections less unpleasant for the recipient. One example is the 3D-printed micro-needle – an array of needles measuring 1 mm across. Each needle tip is only 20 μm wide, which is a fifth the width of a human hair. There are 25 needles in the array, each made from propylene fumarate.

The medical world has found many uses for 3D-printing – prosthetic hands, facial implants and even organs can be printed, as well as devices such as hearing aids and surgical tools.