A Critical Analysis of a Hand Orthosis Reverse Engineering and 3D Printing Process

Gabriele Baronio, Sami Harran, Alberto Signoroni, Gabriele Baronio, Sami Harran, Alberto Signoroni

Abstract

The possibility to realize highly customized orthoses is receiving boost thanks to the widespread diffusion of low-cost 3D printing technologies. However, rapid prototyping (RP) with 3D printers is only the final stage of patient personalized orthotics processes. A reverse engineering (RE) process is in fact essential before RP, to digitize the 3D anatomy of interest and to process the obtained surface with suitable modeling software, in order to produce the virtual solid model of the orthosis to be printed. In this paper, we focus on the specific and demanding case of the customized production of hand orthosis. We design and test the essential steps of the entire production process with particular emphasis on the accurate acquisition of the forearm geometry and on the subsequent production of a printable model of the orthosis. The choice of the various hardware and software tools (3D scanner, modeling software, and FDM printer) is aimed at the mitigation of the design and production costs while guaranteeing suitable levels of data accuracy, process efficiency, and design versatility. Eventually, the proposed method is critically analyzed so that the residual issues and critical aspects are highlighted in order to discuss possible alternative approaches and to derive insightful observations that could guide future research activities.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The 3D acquisition phase.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The 3D modeling phase.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The 3D printing phase.

References

    1. Negi S., Dhiman S., Sharma R. K. Basics and applications of rapid prototyping medical models. Rapid Prototyping Journal. 2014;20(3):256–267. doi: 10.1108/rpj-07-2012-0065.
    1. Hieu L. C., Sloten J. V., Hung L.T., et al. Medical reverse engineering applications and methods. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Innovations, Recent Trends and Challenges in Mechatronics, Mechanical Engineering and New High-Tech Products Development (MECAHITECH '10); September 2010; Bucharest, Romania. pp. 232–246.
    1. Palousek D., Rosicky J., Koutny D., Stoklásek P., Navrat T. Pilot study of the wrist orthosis design process. Rapid Prototyping Journal. 2014;20(1):27–32. doi: 10.1108/RPJ-03-2012-0027.
    1. Paterson A. M., Bibb R. J., Campbell R. I. Evaluation of a digitised splinting approach with multi-material functionality using additive manufacturing technologies. Proceedings of the 23rd Annual International Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium; August 2012; pp. 656–672.
    1. Paterson A. M., Bibb R., Campbell R. I., Bingham G. Comparing additive manufacturing technologies for customised wrist splints. Rapid Prototyping Journal. 2015;21(3):230–243. doi: 10.1108/rpj-10-2013-0099.
    1. Jacobs M. A., Austin N. M. Orthotic Intervention for the Hand and Upper Extremity: Splinting Principles and Process. 2nd. Philadelphia, Pa, USA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2014.
    1. Andringa A., van de Port I., Meijer J.-W. Long-term use of a static hand-wrist orthosis in chronic stroke patients: a pilot study. Stroke Research and Treatment. 2013;2013:5. doi: 10.1155/2013/546093.546093
    1. Bonarrigo F., Signoroni A., Leonardi R. Multi-view alignment with database of features for an improved usage of high-end 3D scanners. EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing. 2012;2012(1, article 148) doi: 10.1186/1687-6180-2012-148.
    1. Bonarrigo F., Signoroni A., Botsch M. Deformable registration using patch-wise shape matching. Graphical Models. 2014;76(5):554–565. doi: 10.1016/j.gmod.2014.04.004.
    1. Centin M., Signoroni A. RameshCleaner: conservative fixing of triangular meshes. Proceedings of the STAG: Smart Tools & Apps for Graphics; 2015;
    1. Paterson A. M. J., Bibb R. J., Campbell R. I. A review of existing anatomical data capture methods to support the mass customisation of wrist splints. Virtual and Physical Prototyping. 2010;5(4):201–207. doi: 10.1080/17452759.2010.528183.
    1. Bibb R., Freeman P., Brown R., Sugar A., Evans P., Bocca A. An investigation of three-dimensional scanning of human body surfaces and its use in the design and manufacture of prostheses. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine. 2000;214(6):589–594. doi: 10.1243/0954411001535615.
    1. Tzou C.-H. J., Artner N. M., Pona I., et al. Comparison of three-dimensional surface-imaging systems. Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery. 2014;67(4):489–497. doi: 10.1016/j.bjps.2014.01.003.
    1. Izadi S., Kim D., Hilliges O., et al. KinectFusion: real-time 3D reconstruction and interaction using a moving depth camera. Proceedings of the 24th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST '11); 2011; pp. 559–568.

Source: PubMed

Patrocinadores e Colaboradores

Condições médicas

Intervenções de drogas

3
Se inscrever