Science Wednesday: Creating Prosthetics With 3D Printing; Who Is Killing South Africa's Great White Sharks?

This week in Benzinga’s Science Wednesday, we visit with a 3D printing company involved in the manufacturing of prosthetics for the U.S. health care industry, and we consider environmental concerns involving great white sharks off the South African coast and at-risk species in southern Georgia. A 3D Solution: The global prosthetics market is estimated to register a compounded annual growth rate of 6% by 2027, according to data from Transparency Market Research , which forecasted the market share for the prosthetics market to reach a value of $15 billion in the next five years. Within the U.S., creating domestically manufactured prosthetics rather than taking a chance on supply chain hiccups has increased the focus on 3D printing. One of the companies that has experienced an increase in the level of orders for 3D-printed prosthetics is 3DX Industries (OTC: DDDX ), headquartered in Ferndale, Washington. According to Roger Janssen , the company’s president, orders for 3D-printed prosthetics accounts for 20% of its business, with the potential for greater share. “Yes, I do see it growing,” he said. “I don't want to put a number on it right now, but I know there's going to be more.” Janssen’s company works with suppliers for the health care industry who have specific requests for manufacturing. “Although we do some engineering for our customers, we mostly build what they design,” he continued. “We manufacture parts where some medical companies are participating in prosthetics, including the different types of hip joint pieces and bone braces.” 3DX is now celebrating its tenth anniversary in business and Janssen stated that he’s observed a growing reliance on 3D printing to serve the customized needs of prosthetics, ranging from hand and limb replacements to dental procedures. “That's been driven by people understanding the printing more and the different technologies in the plastic world and the metal world,” Janssen said. Janssen credited his company’s location as helping to raise its visibility within this sector. “We have a lot ... Full story available on Benzinga.com