There are new Digital Anatomy (DA) materials on the market that mimic the material configurations of soft organ, subcutaneous tissue and myocardium. These new DA materials, developed by Stratasys, promise to mimic the mechanical performance of biological tissue and allow for lower cost and quicker development of models. The use of 3D anatomical models promise to be beneficial because it doesn’t require regulatory ethical requirements (or a facility to handle the biohazards and sterilization) and offers longevity and reduced cost compared to ex-vivo and in-vivo cadaveric animal testing. In addition, 3D technologies also address constraints of conventional manufacturing that require fabrication processes like moulding and casting, which is not ideal for the creation of patient-specific models because of high tooling costs and process time.
