3D printing questions responses

3D printing questions responses

Cody Longenbaugh

7/25/2014

Just a quick look at responses I have received so far. I will post more as I
receive more information.

 

ORIGINAL POST: Having read the recent article in OandP Edge, along with the
countless stories surrounding the technology, I have become very interested
in 3D printing. I have questions regarding appropriate application of 3D
printing in O&P. Does anyone have specs on the types of plastics and how to
best apply them? Specifically, which plastic type would best be used to make
a foot orthosis? Which plastic would be best for a semi-flexible vs. rigid
foot orthosis? Which plastic would best be used for a prosthetic socket?
Which printer size do I want for just foot orthoses and which do I want for
prosthetic sockets? Does anyone have a supplier for this technology that is
affordable and familiar with our industry? If you have used 3D printing, was
there a significant cost savings to you? I would apologize for all the
questions, but I believe more information is better. I would appreciate any
feedback.

 

 

 

Hi Cody,

I'm kind of new to the list, but we have been using 3D printing at ToughWare
for a while now, in both stainless steel and plastic. Plastic parts can
achieve very complex shapes, perfect for thin shell shapes or complex
curves. We have not, at present, found any plastic materials that handle
fatigue and high cycle life under flexion, like a foot keel. They can
handle some mechanical loading but parts need to be designed with care. In
short, our experience is that 3d parts are great for cosmetic things like
covers, etc. but the technology has not quite arrived for robust loaded
parts like prosthetic shells and structural parts. We have had excellent
results with printed stainless steel, and are using it in several of our
commercial products. I would be delighted to discuss it with you more if

interested and to provide a source.

Bradley D. Veatch, PE

 

 

 

Cody,

We have been doing a lot of research as well. So far the process is still
pretty expensive and it takes a long time to make anything so mass
production may not yet be an option. The printers that can do anything
significant are going to run you between $75,000 and $150,000. We have
investigated getting a CubeX which comes with its own design software. You
can get into it for about $2500-$3500 bucks. If you wanted to start with
something to get an idea of what the capabilities are this may be a good
route to go. They have more expensive versions that can do a lot more. The
CubeX is also compatible with solidworks which is cad engineering software,
so you would be able to integrate more than just devices and possibly work
on components or even other niche markets.

If you want the info we have collected let me know and I can send it to you.

Justina S Shipley CO, MEd, BOCP, FAAOP

 

 

 

Hi Cody,

This is a very good question . We have started with 3d printing in a
beginning phase, here in Copenhagen. There is a lot of technical problems
and we actually don’t know where to start or begin.

At this time we are printing in ABS, but is not a strong method, and only
for playing and learning.

If you get some good information's , please share with me :-)

Kind Regards / Mit Freundlichen Grüssen / Med Venlig Hilsen

Jan Nielsen

CPO

 

 

 

Cody,

My name is David Trevisan and I am a second year student with Eastern
Michigan University's MSOP program. During my first year, I was lucky
enough to be a part of the student group that was provided funding for two
low cost 3D printer kits. We worked on a project that utilize 3D printing
in anaplastology, which was presented at this years academy meeting (poster
attached). It was a great project that taught us a lot about how the
printer worked and where it's strengths lie.

3D printing is truly taking off, and I don't see the technology going away
anytime soon. The technology really shines when you are making one to very
few of a particular model, so obviously it has huge implications for O & P
because so much is custom made. There are two main plastics that people are
using, ABS and PLA. We have capabilities to use both, but I strictly
utilize ABS. It is stronger, turns out cleaner, and is modified easier when
necessary (grinder, etc.). While we haven't had the capability to build
patient specific orthoses or prostheses thus far, I am embarking on a
project to build our own custom printer during the next year, that could be
used to build prosthetic sockets. As of right now, the only one I have
heard of that is doing this is Tracy Slemker (mentioned in the article). To
be honest, I think we are a little early for specific O & P 3D printing
products. It will get there, but those doing it currently are the early
adopters that will solve many of the problems for those following later.

Please let me know if you have any other questions, or if there is anything
else I can do for you.
Thanks,
David Corin Trevisan

 

 

 

Thanks for the responses so far, I am also collecting information from
outside the list and compile as much as I can so that a good decision can be
made about this kind of investment.

 

Cody Longenbaugh C. Ped.

Baker O&P

810 Lipscomb

Fort Worth, TX 76104

(817)332-7313