In the last few years, 3D printing has gained widespread use in archaeology and cultural heritage fields, from research and conservation to enriching museum experiences. This study focuses on Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology to assess the quality of printed replicas of archaeological human remains. A cranial model was 3D printed (3DP) from Computed Tomography (CT) data of an 8-year-old patient to simulate the remains of an archaeological skull. Eight copies were then printed and subjected to CT scanning to compare them to the original model through an objective measurement method based on image analysis. The proposed method investigates print variability and considers potential sources of error to assess the dimensional compatibility of the model before and after printing. Results showed an increasing error, up to 15 %, with higher levels of model detail. These results are discussed with reference to a metrological approach, highlighting the need for further research into optimizing 3D printing quality control, including through the definition of a standardized protocol to obtain archaeological replicas faithful to the originals.

The integration of three-dimensional (3D) printing into point-of-care (PoC) settings enables the fabrication of patient-specific medical devices such as anatomical models, surgical guides and personalized prostheses. Additive manufacturing technologies, including Fused Deposition Modeling, Stereolithography, Selective Laser Sintering and Material Jetting, offer benefits like reduced operative time and improved patient outcomes. However, this decentralized manufacturing introduces ambiguities and regulatory uncertainties regarding design control, process validation, documentation and the requirements for safety and performance. This narrative review examines how the current regulatory vacuum constrains the safe and standardized implementation of PoC 3D printing, focusing on quality assurance (QA). It maps international regulatory and standardization frameworks relevant to decentralized production and synthesizes quantitative verification through measurement methods adopted for dimensional accuracy and mechanical performance of both rigid and soft-tissue–mimicking materials. The analysis reveals heterogeneous QA practices across institutions, with inconsistent metrics, tolerance thresholds, sampling plans and limited validation of post-processing and sterilization. Ensuring safe and reproducible PoC manufacturing, therefore, requires adapting established quality and risk-management principles into practical, auditable protocols tailored to hospital workflows. Convergence on shared metrics, acceptance criteria and sterilization-aware verification is essential to transition PoC 3D printing from local best practice to a standardized and regulated clinical manufacturing process.

In the absence of standard procedures for testing 3D-printed soft polymers, an experimental protocol was proposed to assess the suitability of Flexible 80A Resin for a pediatric trachea anatomical 3D model for surgical simulation. Eighteen specimens printed via stereolithography are involved, including anatomical, cylindrical, and dog-bone shapes, to investigate the geometry effect on measured properties. Static tensile tests revealed that using standardized dog-bone specimens as a reference for the material’s Young’s modulus leads to a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) up to 50% compared to anatomical specimens. Measurement uncertainty combined repeatability with input errors, and the ANOVA test confirmed the need for dedicated mechanical measurements when evaluating complex 3D-printed geometries. The study concludes the suitability of selected material: the average elastic modulus of anatomical specimens was 4.75 MPa, closely matching values reported for tracheal tissue in the literature, with a MAPE of only 2%. Dynamic mechanical tests showed trachea-like viscoelasticity: anatomical specimens were consistently stiffer and more dissipative than cylindrical ones. Creep tests confirmed the viscoelastic behavior simulating airway time scales. The anatomical specimens exhibit faster local relaxation, while cylindrical ones show slower long-term relaxation, both modeled by a two-element generalized Maxwell model (R² = 0.99 and 0.98).

Hemifacial Microsomia (HFM) is the second most common craniofacial malformation after clefts and it is characterized by mandibular hypoplasia and facial asymmetry. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate mandibular morphology in growing HFM patients using three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CBCT), focusing on volumetric asymmetries. A total of 26 patients aged 5-13 years with unilateral HFM were analyzed. They were stratified into two age groups (5-8 and 9-13 years) and classified according to Pruzansky-Kaban system in two severity categories (mild/severe deformity). CBCT data were processed to reconstruct 3D mandibular models, segmenting the condylar, coronoid and gonion regions. Volumetric differences between affected and unaffected sides were compared across age and severity subgroups. Results showed that all the three functional units were significantly smaller on the affected side, especially in severe HFM cases. However, no statistically significant differences were found between the two age groups, suggesting that mandibular asymmetry remains substantively unchanged over the two consecutive time points examined. Multivariable regression confirmed that HFM severity was strongly associated with condylar and gonial volume discrepancies. This study highlights the value of CBCT-based 3D reconstruction for precise assessment of mandibular morphology and supports its role in individualized diagnosis and treatment planning for HFM patients.