Open-source tech enables 3D-printed surgical table

The cost of a surgical fracture table generally costs more than $250,000. A Western Engineering-led team has designed and developed a new 3D-printed prototype using open source hardware. Illustration submitted by Joshua Pearce. A collaborative project between Western Engineering and Michigan Tech University was successful in building a 3D-printed, functional surgical fracture table at a fraction of what it would normally cost. Their work was published in the high-impact journal PLOS ONE, outlining innovative, step-by-step, techniques to build a functionally comparable operating table using open-source hardware and 3D printing. The study could have significant impact in the developing world, where the financial burden of medical equipment is a significant barrier to universal access to health care. The capital cost of a surgical fracture table, for example, would generally cost more than $250,000.