3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer control, with material being added together, typically layer by layer.

1. 3-D PRINTING AND ITS
APPLICATION IN PHARMACY
SUBMITTED BY: PRACHI PANDEY, RAHUL PAL SUBMITTED TO: MR. ARSH CHANANA
M. PHARM (PHARMACEUTICS), IInd SEM.
DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACEUTICS, NIMS INSTITUTE OF PHARMACY, NIMS UNIVERSITY JAIPUR,
RAJASTHAN INDIA

2. 3- D PRINTING (3DP)
 Drug delivery is the main technology which is used to efficiently transport a pharmacologically active
compound in the body to achieve therapeutic efficiency in a safe manner.
 Three D (3D) technology has high potential in individualized dosage form.
 3D printing is a versatile tool for precise manufacturing of various devices. This technology is now been
used for developing novel dosage form and engineering of tissues and organs (1,2).
 It also been utilized for developing of models for a particular disease.
 ISO(International standard organization) has defined 3D printing as fabrication of objects through the
deposition of material using a print head, nozzle or another printer technology

3. HISTORY
 The 3D-Printing posed as a possible platform for personalized medicine in the 1990s(5).
 Inkjet printing was the 1st 3D printing technique.
 This technique was invented in the early 90’s at the Massachuset Institute Technology and further
patented by Sachs et al (6)
 The first 3D printed drug was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the year
2016.
 Approval of first 3D printed pill was in August in the year 2015 by FDA.

4. ADVANTAGES OF 3-D PRINTING
 3D printing has high loading ability in comparison to conventional dosage form.
 3D printing has an important advantage of minimal space and they are affordable for pharmaceutical
industries
 3D printing is used to reduce the cost of production because of lesser wastage of material
 It is difficult to formulate active ingredients which has poor solubility, poor water solubility
 Tailoring of drug dose. It allows drugs to be printed in various layers thereby allow making of drug
combination to treat multiple to single pills
 Unique dosage form
 It enables researcher to understand how a drug is broken release when it is administered to patient.

5. Figure. 01 3-D Printing (3DP)Techniques

6. TYPES OF 3-D PRINTERS
 Inkjet 3-d printer
 Laser based writing system
 Stereolithographic 3D printing
 Nozzle based deposition system
 Selective laser sintering 3D printing
 Powder based 3D printing

7. INKJET 3-D PRINTERS
 Inkjet printing is a type of 3D printing technique used in
personalized medicine.
 Its concept originated from the operated inkjet printing.
 It was modified for pharmaceutical application by the
replacement of ink with pharmaceutical solutions which
comprised drugs and normal paper with edible sheets as
substrates.
 The liquid which is used in inkjet printing is directed
through an orifice of 50-80 µm.
 The liquid is caused to flow and break into drops at a
specified speed and size at regular intervals using a
piezoelectric crystal.

8. LASER BASED WRITING SYSTEM
 It is a type of 3D printing technique which runs
on the principle of photopolymerization.
 In this, free radicals are released after
interaction between Photo initiator and UV
light.

9. STEREOLITHOGRAPHIC 3D PRINTING
 This technique shows the involvement of
photosensitive material to produce a 3D project.
 In this technique focused Ultraviolet (UV) laser
is scanned over the top of a photopolymerizable
liquid in a layer by layer fashion.
 SLA printers are composed of an ultraviolet
light beam, in the form of a laser, which is used
to transfer the energy into a liquid photo
polymerizable resin.

10. NOZZLE BASED DEPOSITION SYSTEM
 It is a type of technique which is used for mixing the
solid components with the binder prior to 3D printing
and directly deposit the mixture through a nozzle to
create a 3D object. This method can be divided into
two subtypes, named fused deposition modeling
(FDM) and pressure-assisted microsyringes
 FDM is one of the most commonly used 3DP
techniques and has been well-studied in many fields,
including pharmaceuticals, foods, and
bioengineering.
 PAM(pressure assisted microsyringe) is another
nozzle-based deposition system. In PAM, viscous and
semi-liquid materials are extruded from a micro
syringe. PAM technology allows producing
microstructure of 5–10 µm or less.
Levetiracetam and Pseudoephedrine HCl are
examples of nozzle based systems.

11. SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING 3D PRINTING
 This is a type of 3D printing technique. It
involves powder bed being spread as thin layer
laser radiations assessed to liquefy and fuse the
powder layers. A lesser used method due to
chemical degradation. The laser beam sinters
the powder and binds it in layer by layer
fashion.

12. POWDER BASED 3D PRINTING
 Powder based 3D printing uses powder jetting
or powder bed to spread thin layers of powder
and simultaneously apply liquid binder drops
with the help of inkjet printers.
 The ink (binders and APIs or Binder solutions)
is sprinkled over a powder bed in two
dimensional fashion to make the final product in
a layer by layer fashion(12).

13. CHALLENGES FACED DURING 3D PRINTING
There are some challenges which are faced during 3D printing technique
 Raw Material Selection:
Printability, physiochemical characteristics, thermal conductivity are important factors. Print fluid
characterization and viscoelastic property has to be carefully analysed with safety of raw material for
human use.
 Nozzle Selection:
Nozzle mechanism is used for the dosage form during 3D printing. Some problems faced during this
level are dogging of nozzles in printer head, scraping, migration of binder, bleeding and improper
powder feeding.
 Surface Imperfection In finished Product:
Arrangement of plastic beads or large sized powder on top of each other requires drying time for the
dosage form with powder based techniques and hence there is more possibility of surface imperfection

14. APPLICATIONS OF 3-D PRINTING

15. APPLICATION OF 3DP TECHNOLOGY TO
PHARMACEUTICAL DOSAGE FORMS
3DP technologies such as IJ(inkjet printing), FDM(fusion deposition modelling), and SLS(selective laser
sintering) are currently available for manufacturing adequate pharmaceutical dosage forms
 Tablets
Tablets and capsules are examples of solid oral dosage forms. Tablets have been extensively
examined for the feasibility of 3DP technologies in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Tablets produced by 3DP methods can be categorized into two groups: Single API tablets and Multiple
API tablets.
 Single API tablets
3DP technology was applied to fabricate simple immediate release (IR) tablets comprising a single.
For example, a thermoplastic polyurethane-based dosage form loaded with 60% drug was successfully
developed via the FDM(fusion deposition modeling)

16. APPLICATION OF 3DP TECHNOLOGY TO
PHARMACEUTICAL DOSAGE FORMS
 Cellulose (EC/HPC/HPMC)/Eudragit L100,
Ethylene vinyl acetate, hydroxypropyl cellulose,
ethyl cellulose.
 Multiple API tablets
To combine complex medication regimes into
one, multiple APIs can be loaded in a single
tablet, called a poly pill
The tablet is composed of three components,
such as a surface-eroding polymer with the
drug, surface-eroding polymer without the drug,
and an impermeable polymer that forms a
protective coating
Figure 2- Polypills containing multiple
active ingredients (APIs). a Polypill with
three APIs, b polypill with five APIs

17. APPLICATION OF 3DP TECHNOLOGY TO
PHARMACEUTICAL DOSAGE FORMS
 Microneedles:
 Microneedles are a class of transdermal drug delivery systems, which has arrays of micron-sized
needles on the surface of a matrix to enhance the skin penetration of biologically active molecules.
 Microneedles may be more effective to deliver through the skin than traditional patches, due to its
microstructure.
 For eg: polymeric microneedles of complex geometries, by coupling 3DP with hydrogels
casting/shrinking techniques

18. NEED OF 3D PRINTING IN PHARMACEUTICALS
3D printing is used for personalized medicine and improvements in clinical trials, benefitting patients and
manufacturers in pharmaceutical industry
 Controlled Release:
In controlled release systems, 3D Printing is used because of their tendency to change shape during
digestion or operate for extended times, is growing as patients’ desire for convenience expands.
Paediatric care is a key application area for extended-release pharmaceuticals.
Extended release is an example of controlled release systems
 Enhanced productivity:
3D printing technology is much faster than traditional method of drug manufacturing their tendency to
change shape during digestion or operate for extended times

19. NEED OF 3D PRINTING IN PHARMACEUTICALS
 Short-Run Medicines:
The short-run medicines which are used for 3D manufacturing themselves to patient-specific drugs
3D printing cans also use for clinical trial process through speed and flexibility and its ability to
produce small batches of drugs with different compositions. With 3D printing, companies can create
multiple versions of a drug for variant populations and produce them in short-run batches.

20. CONCLUSION
 3D printing technology is used for pharmaceutical manufacturing style and formulation techniques.
 It is an important tool for pharmaceutical sector and health care sector. It is used as a personalized
medicine which focused on the patients.It has high potential in individual dosage form.
 3D printing is a possible platform for personalized medicine. Such techniques are also involved in 3D
printing in pharmaceuticals for e.g. inkjet printing, powder based technology, etc.
 Some need for 3D printing in pharmaceuticals. It can increase the cost. It is also used for enhancing
productivity.
 It is used for controlled release of drug, for enhancing productivity, and also for short run medicines

21. REFERENCE
 Norman J, Madurawe R, Moore C, Khan MA, Khairuzzaman A. A new chapter in pharmaceutical
manufacturing: 3D-printed drug products. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews.2017; 108:39-50.
 Dingo JH. 3D Printing of Pharmaceutical Drug Delivery Systems. Archives of Organic and Inorganic
Chemical Sciences.2018; 1(2).AOICS.MS.ID.000109.
 Food and Drug Administration, 2017. Guidance for Industry: Technical Considerations for Additive
Manufactured Medical Devices. Center for Devices and Radiological Health Center for Biologics
Evaluation and Research, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
 https://www.fda.gov/http://cbm.msoe.edu/markMyweb/printResources/documen
ts/historyOf3DPrinting.pdf 7. Wang, J, Goyanes A, Gaisford S, Basit AW. Stereolithographic (SLA)