CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- 3D printing technology is leading to new healthcare methods, some innovated right here in North Carolina.

3D-printed prosthetics are a reality, custom made by companies like Uniq Prosthetics in Charlotte. Doctors are using printed organs to practice complex surgeries, and the Wake Forest Research Center has already transplanted 3D-printed tissue into animals. It’s hoping to bring the technology to soldiers in the next five years.

“It’s just another tool in the toolbelt. And it’s a great one,” product design and development engineer at Enventys Partners, TJ Root said. “It’s definitely taken hold and has a big market with medical.”

In some cases, 3D printing could save some patients up to 70 percent in medical costs, according to Forbes.