When most people hear “3-D printing,” they think of polymer-based technologies. But 3-D printing can reach beyond polymers. Because of the advancement of additive manufacturing technologies since the mid-1980s, numerous applications have benefited from faster product development with minimal use of specialized tools.

What intrigues me is the potential of 3-D printing to bridge the gap between biomedical technology and engineering to make biomedical devices. The ability to build interconnected porous scaffolds with designed shapes, sizes, and modulated chemistries makes 3-D printing fascinating, yet challenging. Most 3-D-printed biomedical objects are designed for drug delivery, so they are biodegradable and consist of many biomolecules. But it is challenging to create a smart combination of biomolecules that can be designed and printed into a 3-D object.