Additive manufacturing (AM) is a collection of technologies based on the layer-by-layer manufacturing. Characterized by its direct manufacturing and rapidity, it has been regarded by the Economist Journal as one of the key techniques which will trigger the third industry reformation. The present article, beginning with a brief introduction of the history of AM and the process of its major technologies, focuses on the advantages and disadvantages and medical applications of the technique.
The interaction between medical instrument and target tissue during the surgery occurs in instrument-tissue interface. The reliability research on the interface is directly related to the safety and effectiveness of medical instrument in the clinical application. This paper illustrates the necessity of reliability research on instrument-tissue interface. Two main contents are synthetically reviewed the present paper: (1) reliability research on medical instruments; (2) biological tissue properties and its mechanical response.