The Belarusian Institute Of System Analysis And Informational Support Of Scientific And Technical Sphere

Medicine and industry: how 3D printing is used in Belarus
Document address: http://www.belisa.org.by/en/news/c8535d16cf8c1387.html

13.11.2024

On November 12-13, 2024, Moscow will host the 6th "Leader Forum. Additive Technologies — the Reality of Technological Leadership" — a key event in the field of 3D printing in Russia. The large-scale event is not only an effective discussion platform, but also an exhibition of the latest achievements in the field of 3D printing, which this year is held in the format of an art gallery. The organizers of the forum are the Association for the Development of Additive Technologies and the state corporation "Rosatom" with the support of the Zelenograd Development Corporation.

As noted by the Chairman of the State Committee on Science and Technology of the Republic of Belarus Sergei Shlychkov, in modern conditions, economic development is impossible without the introduction of new technologies. Today, additive technologies are one of the main drivers of industrial development in the world. In all technologically developed countries, active research and development work is underway to create methods, materials and equipment for 3D printing. Currently, there are more than 1 thousand types of 3D printers in the world: from those used at home to 3D bioprinters for the production of tissues that can be used for surgery and transplantation.

In Belarus, much attention is also paid to this area. "The main advantages of additive technologies are the reduction of production time and cost, the production of uniquely shaped products that cannot be produced in any other way, and the ability to quickly produce single samples. Unlike traditional production, additive technologies can produce products with unique properties, without seams or joints," said Sergei Shlychkov.

It is generally accepted that the practical development of additive technologies in the world began in the 1980s. At the same time, the development of additive technologies began in Belarus. According to the Chairman of the State Committee on Science and Technology, the pioneer of this direction in our country was the Department of Mechanical Engineering Technologies of the Vitebsk State Technological University.

"An important indicator of the level of development of additive technologies is the scale of their development in the industrial sphere. Currently, there are more than a dozen Belarusian manufacturing enterprises that use additive technologies (mainly these are technologies for the purposes of rapid prototyping). Among them, it is worth noting our leading enterprise for the production of household appliances "Atlant", which has been actively carrying out 3D printing of plastic products since 1993," noted Sergei Shlychkov.

At the present stage, the development of additive technologies in Belarus and their implementation in various sectors of the economy is being implemented at the Institute of Powder Metallurgy, the Institute of Applied Physics, the Institute of Mechanics of Metal-Polymer Systems, the Institute of Chemistry of New Materials of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, the Belarusian National Technical University, the Belarusian State Agrarian Technical University, the Belarusian State Technological University and other scientific and innovative organizations of the country.

In the state register of scientific research, experimental design and experimental technological works of our country on the subject of "additive technologies" about 40 works are registered. Their results are used in production.

Additive technologies have found wide application in our country in the field of medicine. Thus, the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Pediatric Surgery has developed and implemented a method of surgical treatment of congenital heart defects in pediatric patients using 3D printing technology. Scientists from the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Traumatology and Orthopedics have proposed a method of preoperative modeling using 3D design and prototyping technology for practical use in planning surgical treatment of patients with injuries and congenital deformities of the spine. The Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Cardiology is working on developing a method of surgical treatment of patients with obstructive diseases of the left ventricle using 3D-printed models of the interventricular septum of the heart. Scientists from the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus have developed and implemented a method of 3D printing of parts from layered and cellular materials for small-sized pumps, which include cardiac pumps for auxiliary blood circulation.

An important element in additive technologies is raw materials. Powders are subject to increased requirements for shape, granulometric composition and purity. The Institute of Powder Metallurgy of the National Academy of Sciences produces spherical powders not only from standard materials (nickel superalloy, steel), but also complex-alloyed powders used as one of the components in obtaining high-temperature radio-absorbing materials. Work is underway to obtain spherical powders of aluminum and alloys based on it. There are developments in obtaining promising powder materials, heat-resistant alloys based on cobalt, which can find wide application in the aerospace, energy, mechanical engineering industries, in the field of precision mechanics.

A group of specialists from the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus has developed a post-processing technology that solves the problems of stress relief, reducing porosity and increasing the plasticity of finished products. The Institute of Applied Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus produces 3D printers for FDM printing according to the orders of enterprises with the required dimensions of the working area and high productivity. There are also other projects for the production of 3D printers. "The availability of domestic equipment and filaments allows us to create large-sized products from polymeric materials," noted Sergei Shlychkov.

Much attention in our country is also paid to the training of personnel in the field of additive technologies. For example, Vitebsk State University trains students in the specialty of "production of products based on three-dimensional technologies", within the framework of which 3D printing technology is studied. There are also other universities that train specialists in this field.

Belarus' cooperation in the field of additive technologies with the state corporation Rosatom deserves special attention. "We are currently actively working to create a Republican Center for Additive Technologies of General Access in our country. The center will develop new methods and materials for 3D printing, conduct research and train specialists for various industries," said the Chairman of the State Committee on Science and Technology.

He also noted that due to the constant development and increased availability of equipment, additive technologies continue to demonstrate high growth rates and successfully realize their potential in various sectors of the economy. Belarus is ready to further develop this area, including in cooperation with Russian partners.

Source: belta.by, polymerbranch.com