CAD CAM Conundrum Continued

CAD CAM Conundrum Continued

Dear Colleagues:

I have received a few more responses and will post them when I receive
permission, but please respond to the whole list if it is a technical
response or question.
Some have asked about the CAD CAM Society. It is essentially a society
within the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists. It has its own
private list serve
but there has not been much activity on this list. Perhaps with discussions
such as these it can be rejuvenated.

Some have suggested that if you have to cast then it doesn't seem to be worth
having CAD CAM

The essential question is, what gives you the best shape to begin with.
Garbage In, Garbage Out.

And, what about the learning curve involved?

Does the system allow for immediate production as you develop your own
sophistication with the manipulating software?

Is the system accurate and stable in its calibration?
This is a problem many had with Shapemaker,( not that this was everybody's
experience).

Which systems allow for measurement based approaches when appropriate?
When are measurement based approaches most appropriate? i.e. which areas of
orthotics and prosthetics lend themselves easily to measurement approaches.

If measurements work well with templates, we could soon have all the
prosthetists and orthotists the world needs. That would be a ray of hope for
the needs of the world.

And to those of you who say , What is the point of CAD CAM if you have to
cast?,
maybe you should also be thinking , What's the use of CAD CAM if you have to
actually pull plastic or laminate?.

If you do think that way, then the work of Dr Childress of Northwestern Univ.
in Chicago IL-USA, will be interesting because he is working with
SquirtShape which is a machine that lays down a progressive bead of plastic
to create the socket without
a plaster or foam carved model.

With a good image of a residual limb covered with a gel liner or gel sock, or
increasing the socket fit to accommodate socks, one could have relatively
instant sockets depending on the speed of the Squirter.

Once again, how can we give it the most workable image.

Also, just to make it clear, when I speak of casting, I am only speaking of
taking the cast, not filling the cast with plaster.

Once again, please post technical responses to the whole list. It will be
easier for me and make it a more interactive forum.

Mark Benveniste CP