Volumetric Assessment for Quality Control in 3D Printed Bone Models: a Preliminary Investigation

The use of 3D printing (3DP) in biomedical applications, such as pre-operative planning, personalized medical devices and surgical implants, enhances procedural accuracy and reduces recovery times and costs. However, the lack of standardized quality control (QC) regulations for 3DP in healthcare presents challenges in ensuring consistency and reliability. This study aims to contribute to QC protocols by assessing the volume of six clavicle models 3D printed by Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology. Two different computed tomography (CT)-based measurement methods were employed. Data was acquired by a diagnostic CT (CT-D), scanner typically used in hospitals for medical imaging and already available at the point-of-care, and an industrial CT (CT-I) scanner, designed for high-precision metrological analysis. CT-I was assumed as the reference to quantify the accuracy and uncertainty of CT-D in the context of 3D printed anatomical models. From the comparison of the experimental results, a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 0.65% was found between CT-D and CT-I. Furthermore, a maximum volumetric discrepancy of 2% was observed between the bone replicas, suggesting that discrepancies exceeding this value could require a reassessment of the printing process.