There has been a fair amount of experimenting and actual use of 3D printing for medical and prosthetic devices. Neither the machines nor the materials have much similarity to the ones getting all the press.

The method has been around for decades - it's not really new. The useful things just arent' sensational enough for the news to try to blow them up.

If you're tuned into the right sources, you're likely to have seen at least one or two medical applications every month or two for the past couple of years. (But as with anything "medical" not all of them work as well - or as long - as predicted. There's still a need for better knowledge of what works best for each case.)

John