[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/it\/article\/modal\/5948\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n        \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n  \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EMade-to-measure glasses could save time and money\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s one example of how 3D printing is being used to improve medical equipment by tailoring it exactly to the requirements of each patient. Researchers are also working out how to print insoles made for each person\u2019s feet, and how to print surgical equipment for each operation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe idea behind the EU-funded Optician2020 project is to develop on-demand manufacturing of customised spectacles in printing centres located close to opticians\u2019 surgeries, explained Joan Guasch, projects division manager at Ascamm, a Spain-based research centre which is part of the project consortium.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We are just starting \u2013 we are communicating with retailers, setting up the automated designs and defining the protocols of the supply chain for manufacturing,\u2019 Guasch said. \u2018Six months from now, we should have the first prototype or pilot product to be tested within the project.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the second half of the three-year project researchers plan to carry out more than 200 tests on anonymous users.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We know the technologies are there, but integrating them with user requirements, design and fashion, all these personalised concepts, is a challenge, to make the dream come true to have locally produced customised glasses whether you are in Paris, Brussels or London,\u2019 Guasch said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe glasses are printed on demand near the optician\u2019s surgery, and the project estimates that they will cost 40 % less than normal glasses.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBecause 3D printing involves a build-up of layers calibrated to form exactly the right dimensions, there are no wasted materials as there would be in traditional manufacturing that involves shaving off excess material from a large starting piece, and the technology should cut the environmental footprint in half, the project believes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInsoles for diabetics\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe fact that devices can be made on site is one reason why researchers are also turning to 3D printing technology to help diabetes patients. \u003Cblockquote class=\u0022text-center text-blue font-bold text-2xl w-full lg:w-1\/2 border-2 border-blue p-12 my-8 lg:m-12 lg:-ml-16 float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022text-5xl rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022font-serif italic\u0022\u003E\u2018Make the dream come true to have locally produced customised glasses whether you are in Paris, Brussels or London.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022not-italic font-normal text-sm text-black\u0022\u003EJoan Guasch, from the Optician2020 project\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESufferers of diabetes are susceptible to foot ulceration because of a lack of normal sensation and poor circulation. It is important to prevent, heal and stop recurrence of these ulcers because they can lead to infection and \u2013 if not treated correctly \u2013 even amputation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENormally treatment involves producing custom-made orthotic insoles, which are personalised to fit individual feet and redistribute pressure away from sites vulnerable to ulceration. But this technique is time-consuming as it requires casts of the patient\u2019s feet to be made and sent off to a manufacturer, a process that can take many weeks.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat\u2019s where the EU-funded D-Footprint project comes in. Researchers are working on a way to 3D print insoles in the doctor\u2019s surgery, reducing cost and cutting down painful waiting time.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018In layman\u2019s terms, the idea is to create a desktop 3D printer that could be used by clinicians who would take measurements and then do the 3D printing of the insole there and then,\u2019 said Mark Anderson, the director of the Europe Office at Glasgow Caledonian University, where the project is based.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe fact that the insoles can be printed wherever doctors can take a 3D printer makes the technology available to a much wider range of patients. \u2018There\u2019s no reason why we can\u2019t go into a remote or poor rural area with a 3D printer in kit form, build it there and use solar to power it \u2013 orthotics could be made in situ,\u2019 Prof. Woodburn, a researcher on the project, said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s a concept that\u2019s also being exploited by the EU-funded CassaMobile project. The project is developing special 3D printing units that can be placed near hospitals to print surgical guides \u2013 moulds made specifically for each patient that show doctors exactly where to drill into bones.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Currently, every time a patient needs a bone drill guide for surgery, it takes about a week,\u2019 said project coordinator Raphael Adamietz. \u2018There is a lot of potential improvement, for example if someone has been through a trauma or accident and needs the surgery fast. Having a container close to the hospital could cut the time from a week to a couple of days or even a couple of hours.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECassaMobile has now been running for about six months, and it expects to have a first version of its bone drill guide manufacturing container ready after two years, with a final version after three. It could also extend the idea to other types of medical equipment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We could also think about using the applications in a container on a hospital train such as the ones that travel around India treating patients, or an NGO hospital ship,\u2019 Adamietz said. \u2018It cannot replace a complete hospital, but by using different containers or several containers combined, it could certainly provide several functions.\u2019\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n            \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n      Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-oitjpxnx-1ixqllawnvfdxitz7rtxw4l1f6abk-j88s\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-OitjpxnX_1IxQlLaWnVFDxITZ7RtxW4l1F6abK_j88s\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]