Moulding over foam TLSO models

Rajiv Kalsi

Description

Title:

Moulding over foam TLSO models

Creator:

Rajiv Kalsi

Date:

2/5/2021

Text:

Hello List. I received many responses from practitioners to my question about effective techniques for moulding TLSO's over carved foam models. Here are the most common response:

  1. We use foam blanks from OKM.
Our layup is as follows:
2 layers of Tubifast which we wet and then wring out as much excess moisture as possible <URL Redacted>
< <URL Redacted> >2 layers of thin nylon - spray with silicon.
We then mould our plastics directly over this. Nil issues with shrinkage or nylon sticking and a nice smooth finish. Bleed the suction off to 20psi on larger models/thicker plastics after a vacuum seal gained/excess plastic trimmed if you are having trouble with nylon sticking.

  2. We have been moulding over foam carvings for a couple of years
with great results - no TLSOs though!! After a few months of trials this
is how we do it - no shrinkage / no spreading - just exact fitting moulds!

- 1 x nylon stocking over carving (dry)
- 2 x DAMP Otto Bock COTTON Stockinette (623T1= ) - This is the only
stockinette that we have found that works well - you must use this!!!
- 1 x feather stretch (dry)

The trick is to let the moisture leave the cotton stockinette so it is just
damp to the touch - - never wet.

Pull your plastic - get a good vacuum - as soon as the plastic starts to
change colour (cool) turn off the vacuum and remove - this is important -
leave overnight and then cut off as normal.

  3. What we have done is put a thin coating of plaster over the foam model, buff this smooth with some stockinette, put two layers of thin stockinette over the cast and pull 1/8 co-poly over this as our definitive brace.

We have also tried a few techniques:


4. Wrap model in cling-wrap, apply 1-layer featherstretch nylon, mould 3 mm polyprop to seal model, cut off top and bottom ends of plastic, apply 1-layer featherstretch and mould definitive brace. Oven temp. 200 C. Both layers of plastic are cut off the model and edges finished before separating the two layers of plastic. Don’t cut any “windows” in the brace until both layers of plastic are separated. This method gave us the best finish, inside and out, of the TLSO, with no shrinkage. It also worked well with our TLSO design, which is like the Rigo-Cheneau with anterior overlap.


5. We had heard a recommendation that oven temperature be kept below 180°C when moulding over foam. While polypro will eventually cook at this temperature, it takes much longer, and the sheets of plastic required for a TLSO are so large that we found the edges never sufficiently 'cooked.' A lower oven temperature is not recommended, in our experience.


We tried to get as close as we could to attempting the list serv responses 1 and 2. The difference is that we used accucast instead of tubifast or Otto Bock stockinette, because we didn't have those kinds of stockinette. The result was a good, useable product.


I hope this information is helpful. Please contact me if you have any questions.




Rajiv Kalsi, C.O.(c)

Certified Orthotist, Prosthetics/Orthotics Service

Orthésiste Certifié, Service de prothèses et d'orthèses

The Ottawa Hospital Rehabilitation Centre
Centre de réadaptation de l’Hôpital d’Ottawa
505, ch. Smyth Road, Ottawa ON K1H 8M2

T: 613-737-7350, 75314 | F: 613-523-1571

<Email Address Redacted>


[cid:593c728d-6c86-4cc3-9d80-12a30ac352a4]

[cid:fdfbb2a3-838a-43b2-a992-3e58ef69961d][cid:fbe526af-04ea-484a-b698-d86cb3c88b04][cid:39f167f1-3774-4832-adb3-8fb26607631a]

[cid:c33c6d2a-1bb6-4eff-aa40-d749e122dbb2]


________________________________

Confidentiality Statement - The contents of this e-mail, including its attachment, are intended for the exclusive use of the recipient and may contain confidential or privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, you are strictly prohibited from reading, using, disclosing, copying, or distributing this e-mail or any of its contents. If you received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender by reply e-mail immediately or the Information and Privacy Office ( <Email Address Redacted> ) and permanently delete this e-mail and its attachments, along with any copies thereof. Thank you.



Avis de confidentialité – Ce courriel, y compris ses pièces jointes, s’adresse au destinataire uniquement et pourrait contenir des renseignements confidentiels. Si vous n’êtes pas le bon destinataire, il est strictement interdit de lire, d’utiliser, de divulguer, de copier ou de diffuser ce courriel ou son contenu, en partie ou en entier. Si vous avez reçu ce courriel par erreur, veuillez en informer immédiatement l’expéditeur ou le bureau de la protection de la vie privée et de l’information ( <Email Address Redacted> ), puis effacez le courriel ainsi que les pièces jointes et toute autre copie. Merci.

________________________________

                          ********************
To unsubscribe, send a message to: <Email Address Redacted> with
the words UNSUB OANDP-L in the body of the
message.

If you have a problem unsubscribing,or have other
questions, send e-mail to the moderator
Paul E. Prusakowski,CPO at <Email Address Redacted>

OANDP-L is a forum for the discussion of topics
related to Orthotics and Prosthetics.

Public commercial postings are forbidden. Responses to inquiries
should not be sent to the entire oandp-l list. Professional credentials
or affiliations should be used in all communications.

Citation

Rajiv Kalsi, “Moulding over foam TLSO models,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 23, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/255296.