Komparativna studija kosti dobivene 3D printanjem i njezinog originalnog modela

3-dimensional printing, which appeared in the 1980s and has been constantly evolving since, is an innovative and very promising technology. It is a tool with wide-reaching applications in the field of osteology and anatomy and also in the world of education. Thanks to its qualities, it is possible to print entire anatomical parts in numerous copies. This experimental study examined the dimensions of 3-dimensional printing of the right femur of a sheep in comparison with its digital and printed models. A 3D scanner was used to design the digital model and a 3D printer to produce the scanned bone using polyamide (PA12) as the material. Nearly all the original anatomical features of biological bone were well resolved, except for the depth of the nourishing foramen. The measureddimensions of the 3D printed model and the digital model were compared to those of the original biological specimen, and showed no significant difference. Regarding the results obtained and the slight error of 1 mm, 3D printed models can be used as an aid inanatomy lessons and can serve as reliable alternatives to classical anatomical parts in the study of the veterinary anatomy. To the extent of our knowledge, this is the study on the use of 3-dimensional printing in veterinary medicine in Algeria.