Why these Penn researchers are 3D-printing animal skulls

Researchers at the Penn School of Veterinary Medicine recently 3D-printed a dog skull.

It was part of an effort to improve training and animal care, according to an article on Penn’s website. With 3D printers often used by fine arts students and faculty at PennDesign’s Fabrication Lab, students and faculty are printing exact models of  animal injuries and deformities.

The technology was just used to replicate the skull of a dog patient named Millie, who suffers from a cranial deformity. The 3D replica of Millie’s skull helped veterinarians better understand the animal’s condition before they went into surgery.

PennDesign’s Stephen Smeltzer and Dennis Pierattini partnered with Penn Vet’s Evelyn Gablan and veterinary neurology residents to make this collaboration possible.

Read more and see photos here.