Printing a new future: How Dr. Rentor Cafino is transforming surgery with 3D innovation

Dr. Rentor Cafino’s journey has taken unexpected turns and has had a remarkable impact, from toy prints to changing skull surgeries. A long-deferred robotics ambition has made its way into surgical innovation, blending engineering and medicine to benefit patients, trainees, and the entire healthcare system. “I never planned to be here,” he says. “But maybe this is where I was meant to be all along.”

Early Beginnings

“Being a doctor wasn’t my dream,” Dr. Rentor Cafino says with refreshing candor. “I actually wanted to be a robotics engineer.”

But in the early 2000s, robotics programs were nonexistent in the Philippines. “The closest option was Japan, but their academic calendar didn’t align with ours,” he recalls. Faced with limited options, he turned to his mother—who promptly gave him a choice: engineering, education, or nursing.

In classic Filipino fashion, she added, “You’re not allowed to just sit around for a year. You have to go to school.”

“Naturally, I chose nursing—at least that way I had the option to work abroad,” he says. What was supposed to be a one-year detour became something more. “I didn’t want to be left behind, so I finished the degree out of pride.”

He earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Western Mindanao State University. Although he had little interest in the profession—citing the challenging culture surrounding nursing in the Philippines—he later took the medical school entrance exam on a whim and passed. He completed his Doctor of Medicine at Ateneo de Zamboanga University in 2014, followed by a Master’s in Public Health in 2015.

“I was a pretty mediocre med student,” he admits. “I didn’t really want to be there.” Everything changed during his residency. There, he met a like-minded junior resident, Dr. Maria Monique Soliven.

“We had the same mindset: if we see a problem, we try to fix it. How can we make this better?”

That question led them somewhere unexpected—into the world of 3D printing.

“In a way, I get to live out my dream of becoming a wannabe engineer.”

Today, Dr. Cafino is not only a practicing ENT-HNS specialist, but also the founder of the Zamboanga City Medical Center ENT-HNS Medical Makerspace—a groundbreaking initiative that integrates innovation, collaboration, and 3D printing into the surgical field.

A Hobby Turned Healthcare Breakthrough

The 3D printing project began in the most unassuming way: printing toys.

Dr. Cafino bought a 3D printer online out of curiosity and started out by printing toys. But the hobby took a turn when they discovered how to convert CT scans into 3D-printable files. With their knowledge of facial anatomy, they printed models of skulls—and it worked. That breakthrough sparked a bigger idea: what if this could be used for surgery?

Just as they began to explore, the pandemic escalated. It was at this point that Dr. Cafino's wife, Dr. Sarah Lizette Aquino-Cafino, connected him to her childhood friend, Mr. Archie Velasco, thus starting their journey with the FabLab network. They linked up with the Philippine FabLab network, which connected them to makerspaces across the country. With guidance from Mr. Velasco of MSU-IIT, they shifted their efforts toward producing personal protective equipment (PPE). Their work evolved from toy-making to lifesaving support. “That’s when we saw the real potential of 3D printing in healthcare,” Dr. Cafino reflected.

Bringing Precision to the Operating Room

Today, their 3D lab manufactures anatomical models customized from patients' CT scans. These are not generic props—they’re exact replicas, allowing patients to see the size, shape, and location of tumors or injuries. It’s been a game changer for both education and consultation.

For residents, the models offer immersive, hands-on learning. “When you’re dealing with bone structures near the eye or maxillary area, it’s intimidating,” says Dr. Cafino. “With 3D-printed models, trainees can now practice in a safe and risk-free environment, allowing them to build confidence and refine their skills before performing actual procedures.”

One key application is ear surgery simulation. This challenging procedure involves drilling into bone near critical areas such as the facial nerve and brain. The team now uses 3D-printed resin models for surgical simulation—significantly reducing risks to actual patients. A 2021, the team conducted and published a study even confirming resin’s effectiveness in mimicking human bone.

“Here in the Philippines, many patients delay treatment to save for a CT scan,” Dr. Cafino explains. “By the time the implant arrives from overseas, the tumor has already changed. That may make the implant unusable. Localizing the process is crucial.”

The lab seeks to address these difficulties by exploring the use of 3D printed implants. to Their facility remains the only one in the country producing 3D-printed mandible and skull implants.

Beyond training, the lab is pushing the envelope by designing 3D printed implants for patients with cranial defects.

Learning, Sharing, and Building a Movement

Though trained in medicine, the team had to learn 3D design from scratch. Early on, they used animation software not intended for medical use and watched YouTube tutorials late into the night.

“We didn’t even know what ‘Boolean subtract’ meant,” Dr. Cafino laughs. “We were calling friends at 2 a.m. just to figure things out.”

Eventually, they adopted 3D Slicer, an open-source tool for medical image processing, and began upgrading to licensed surgical-grade software. Through the FabLab network, they found a community of engineers, IT professionals, and designers willing to mentor and collaborate.

This spirit of open knowledge led to FabHealth, a virtual initiative launched during the pandemic to train other FabLabs in medical 3D printing. Now, labs across Visayas and UP Cebu are working with local hospitals to print models and devices.

But innovation in government hospitals didn’t come easy. Procuring high-tech tools like 3D printers wasn’t part of traditional workflows. “It’s like asking an office to buy a tractor,” he says. “People ask, ‘Why do you need that?’”

So they bought their first machines out of pocket. Only after proving the technology’s worth did institutional support arrive—most notably from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) through its Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD).

Collaborating Toward the Future

Dr. Cafino credits much of the lab’s growth to collaborative support. Mr. Velasco encouraged him to pursue research, leading to a ₱200,000 seed grant from Mindanao State University. With help from DOST Region 10, they later secured a national grant worth ₱4.9 million, which allowed them to acquire a specialized 3D printer.

Their latest project explores the use of polyether ether ketone (PEEK)—a strong, lightweight plastic used in aerospace—as a material for implants. “PEEK is biocompatible, but it doesn’t integrate with bone,” he says. That’s why he teamed up with physicist Dr. Candidato, who is developing surface coatings to make PEEK osteoconductive.

This ongoing project, aptly named “PEEK into the Future,” is their most ambitious yet.

“We’re learning as we go. Handling grants like this is new to us—but the impact makes it all worth it.”

Beyond the Lab

“Honestly, this is what I do in my free time,” says Dr. Cafino. “Surgery and patient care take up most of my day. Research is my break.”

Outside work, he keeps life simple. “I bond with my wife and daughter. I don’t really have hobbies—I’m not into sports, I don’t do art, and even my love for music faded during med school. Medicine takes so much from you—your youth, your interests, your choices.”

“But these research projects? They’ve become my way of reclaiming a part of myself.”

The first mandible implant surgical application

“Our first case was a patient with a massive jaw tumor, recalls Dr. Cafino. “The jaw has a unique contour for each person, so after removing the tumor, shaping the implant to fit perfectly is incredibly difficult.”

To solve this, the team used virtual reconstruction to 3D print a model of the patient’s jaw, allowing them to pre-bend the implant before surgery. “Normally, shaping the implant freehand takes around an hour and a half in the OR. With this method, we saved that time and improved accuracy,” he explains.

The patient returned a year later—well beyond the usual six-month lifespan of such implants in resource-limited settings. With help from a Manila-based team, they performed a follow-up surgery using 3D planning tech again. “Now he’s back home, healthy, and eating solid food again. It’s one of our happiest cases—and our landmark one,” Dr. Cafino says.

Message to the Youth

“To the youth: research is simply solving a problem,” says Dr. Rentor Cafino. “It’s not as difficult as it sounds—you have tools like YouTube, Reddit, ChatGPT, and AI to guide you. But before thinking about writing a paper, focus on developing an idea.”

He encourages young people to start small and local. “There are many problems in the country, but don’t get overwhelmed. Solve what you can, where you are.” He shares the story of a 12-year-old girl in Japan who invented a foldable hanger to save space—a simple idea that earned her a patent and made her one of the country’s youngest self-made millionaires.

“You don’t need to go into rocket science or medicine to do research,” he says. “Find a problem. Solve it. That’s research.”