Case description: Conventional methods for producing custom prosthetic fingers are time-consuming, can be uncomfortable for the patient, and require a skilled prosthetist. The subject was a 40-year-old male with congenital absence of the thumb and related metacarpal bone on the right non-dominant hand, anomaly of the lengths of individual upper limb segments, and contracture of the elbow joint. This hand presentation made it impossible for him to perform thumb opposition, which is a very important function for common daily activities. Objective: The goal was to design an individual passive thumb prosthesis using free open-source software, 3D scanning technology, and additive manufacturing methods (i.e., fused filament fabrication). Study design: Case report. Treatment: Artificial thumb prostheses with two types of bases and fastening interfaces were designed and manufactured. One combination was chosen as the best alternative. Outcomes: The shape, positioning, firmness, and fastening of the prosthesis were compliant enough for the patient to be able to hold objects with his healthy fingers and artificial thumb. This innovative approach to fabrication of a custom thumb prosthesis provided considerable advantages in terms of custom sizing, manufacturing time, rapid production, iteration, comfort, and costs when compared to conventional methods of manufacturing a hand prosthesis. Conclusion: The methodology of designing and manufacturing a prosthetic thumb using 3D scanning and additive manufacturing technologies have been demonstrated to be adequate from a practical point of view. These technologies show potential for use in the practice of prosthetics.
The aim of this study was to design, manufacture and verify orthoses using innovative methods. 3D scanning, additive manufacturing and CAD/CAM software are applied during the development process. Target group of the study are subjects with insufficient gripping and manipulating functions of the arm and forearm. Positives are obtained using a hand-held 3D scanner Artec Eva. Specific 3D scanning methodology is applied during this process. Individual orthoses are designed in an open-source CAD software Meshmixer and manufactured by FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) additive technology from a biocompatible plastic material. All models are inspected and verified in an analysis software VGStudio MAX. Given methodology can be used not only for this specific purpose, but also for orthosis development in general.
The paper deals with the separation of the third cervical vertebra using the software VGStudio MAX, Mimics, and inVesalius. During the separation, various parameters of the threshold were used to determine the effect. The comparison of models from Mimics and inVesalius to VGStudio MAX showed that the cumulative variance distribution for 95% surface coverage is less than 0.935 mm. When comparing medically oriented software, Mimics and inVesalius, the deviation was less than 0.356 mm. The model was made of polylactic acid (PLA) material on a low-cost 3D printer, Prusa i3 MK2.5 MMU1. The printed model was scanned by four scanners: Artec Eva, 3Shape D700, Steinbichler Comet L3D, and Creaform EXAscan. The outputs from the scanners were compared to the reference model (standard tessellation language (STL) model for 3D printing) as well as to the scanner with the best accuracy (3Shape). Compared to the publications below, the analysis of deviations was evaluated on the entire surface of the model and not on selected dimensions. The cumulative variance distribution for comparing the output from the 3D scanner with the reference model, as well as comparing the scanners, shows that the deviation for 95% of the surface coverage is at the level of 0.300 mm. Since the model of the vertebra is planned for education and training, the used software and technologies are suitable for use in the design and the production process.
Conclusions The required and important segments of the hand and forearm have been successfully scanned with Artec Eva 3D scanner and were used for the CAD designing of an individual rehabilitation hand orthosis. This orthotic device can later be manufactured with additive manufacturing technology.
Nowadays prosthetic fingers provide not only a cosmetic solution to the problem, but mainly they provide function. 3D printing is an ideal technology for the manufacturing of low-cost prostheses, especially the upper limb prosthetics. The advantages offered by this technology make it possible to increase the level of creativity, personalization and at the same time provide space for new variants of control mechanisms regarding movement efficiency. The aim of the paper is to present variant design of a finger prosthesis manufactured by 3D printing, which have been developed and tested at the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Measurement, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Košice. Those variants can flex in specified areas and copy the function of a real finger as much as possible. To ensure flexion in the joints, and at the same time achieve sufficient gripping force is a very current problem. This article offers the possibility of solving this problem, and gives evaluation of individual print variants. The results are very useful in the hand prostheses designing process and provide suitable economical solutions without reduction to the effectiveness of the prosthesis.
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