Here’s why 3D Printing through reverse engineering can revolutionize how prosthetics are made!

In India itself, over half a million prosthetics are required every year. This number is on the rise due to a large number of accidents at construction sites, agricultural fields, mishaps in sports, and amongst people born with physical disabilities. With a large proportion of demand for such prosthetics coming from a disadvantaged background, 3D printing can prove to be a life-transforming solution with its advantages over cost, time, and convenience.

The story of how Conventional Prosthetics are made

A conventional prosthetic is a time-consuming process. It takes anywhere from 3-6 weeks to make comfortably fitting prosthetics right from taking the mold of the residual arm/leg to manufacturing the final product. Here’s how the process works.

Once the patient gets a prescription from a doctor suggesting the use of artificial limb/arms, the patient approaches a prosthetist who first gives her a temporary socket and takes a cast of the residual limb (say, the patient needs an artificial limb). Several parameters are checked as to where the patient is feeling the pressure, whether she can walk or stand. The technicians working with the prosthetists then make the final socket and limb separately using a range of fabrics and assemble it thereafter.

Post which the patient uses them and the prosthetists make the necessary changes if any.

Why Reverse Engineering through 3D Printing is a promising Technology for Prosthetics

As discussed, the conventional manufacturing process is not only time consuming but an expensive one. In India, high-quality prosthetics from top hospitals can cost lakhs of rupees. Moderately reasonable ones may cost in thousands but this may still be unaffordable to a vast number of people.

Time-efficient

Reverse Engineering through 3D printing makes the manufacturing of prosthetics highly time-efficient. The process involved is hugely simplified where 3D scanning of a patient’s residual limb through DICOM images is converted into a file format that is readable by 3D printers. With the help of 3D Printing filament, this readable file is then 3D printed through carbon fiber. While the traditionally made prosthetics take anywhere from a couple of weeks to even months, a 3D printed prosthetics can be made just in a couple of days!

Cost-efficient

Not just that, the cost of making an artificial body part using the principles of reverse engineering and 3D printing’s additive manufacturing is almost 1/10th of the traditionally made ones. Now, that is a huge saving to many amputees who struggle to earn the bare minimum.

The cost affordability is not just an advantage to the economically less privileged but also to children who regularly need new prosthetics to pace with their growing physique. There is a greater risk of breakage or cracks due to their careless playfulness. Less expensive prosthetics for them, therefore, is a suitable alternative.

High on Comfort

Apart from savings on time and cost, 3D printing of artificial body parts is far more convenient. 3D scanning and reverse engineering enable the production process to integrate customized requirements to reduce pressure and discomfort. One more plus to this revolutionary technology is the ability to design iteratively to arrive at the best possible fit ergonomically.

This is exactly why even hospitals have embraced efforts to push the frontiers of 3D printing to tackle the problems of amputees far more rigorously. The department of Orthopedics in Kasturba Hospital under the initiative ‘Hasta Centre for Congenital Hand Differences’ in Manipal has been using 3D printed prosthetics for its patients.

Across the world, several NGOs such as e NABLE, Aaron Westbrook’s FORM 5 Prosthetics based out of Ohio, and a pool of startups internationally are working with 3D printing facilities to bring ease and convenience to the amputees.

At Tesseract too, we have witnessed first-hand the magical application of this revolutionary technology to prosthetics. The ability to craft a human body part to precision and make a difference in patients’ lives in small and big ways is personally rewarding to us. With the help of expert doctors and medical practitioners, we bring to the table the real gift to humanity – the gift of empowerment!

You can get in touch with us at contact@onetesseract.com for any inquiries related to prosthetics and we’ll be happy to help!