DiscoverMarketplace All-in-One3D printing was supposed to disrupt prosthetic costs. It hasn’t.
3D printing was supposed to disrupt prosthetic costs. It hasn’t.

3D printing was supposed to disrupt prosthetic costs. It hasn’t.

Update: 2025-12-09
Share

Description

Prosthetic limbs can be expensive, costing thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. So the industry seemed ripe for disruption when 3D printing came along. The technology requires little labor and uses economical materials. But the reality of 3D printing prosthetic limbs isn’t that straightforward, according to writer and University of California, Berkeley, lecturer Britt Young, who uses a prosthetic arm.


Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Young about why 3D printing has yet to bring down prosthesis costs.

Comments 
00:00
00:00
x

0.5x

0.8x

1.0x

1.25x

1.5x

2.0x

3.0x

Sleep Timer

Off

End of Episode

5 Minutes

10 Minutes

15 Minutes

30 Minutes

45 Minutes

60 Minutes

120 Minutes

3D printing was supposed to disrupt prosthetic costs. It hasn’t.

3D printing was supposed to disrupt prosthetic costs. It hasn’t.

Marketplace