LIFE SCIENCES/MEDICAL


FRONTIERS PHOTONICS


350 3D-printed hands were delivered to Ukraine in 2022


of the defect area in a patient. For multiple, standard parts, a CAD file is used. When a part or implant is ready to be built, the polymer powder is loaded into the laser sintering machine and successive layers of part geometries are lased to produce a solid part. Other organisations have taken


advantage of 3D printing benefits to supply much-needed medical devices to Ukraine. Indian technology company Vispala produced and donated 350 prosthetic hands in 2022 using a design developed by TU Delft researchers. The prosthetic limb, known as the


‘Hundred Dollar Hand’ was designed by biomechanical engineer Gerwin Smit to be easy and inexpensive to create, using a standard 3D printer in combination with laser cutting. The use of laser cutting allows the addition of a robust metal mechanism that makes the hand more durable and sustainable than other 3D-printed devices, Smit says. The limbs are already being produced


by Vispala for use in India, and Smit and his team are monitoring how they are being used, to identify future design improvements.


Also helping to aid victims of the war in


Ukraine is Limber Prosthetics & Orthotics, a Califor nia-based startup company. Although Limber uses filament-based 3D printing to produce complete one-piece


prosthetic limbs, it uses a preliminary 3D scan of the residual limb to start the process.


It begins by using the time-of-flight


VCSEL technology in an iPhone’s facial recognition camera to construct a model of the limb. A certified prosthetist then takes manual dimensions to supplement the scan and then designs the prosthetic leg. Limber intends to sell its personalised


prostheses in developed countries while providing its services for developing countries at discounted prices or for free. It aims to be selling 3D-printed prosthetic limbs in the US in Q1 2024.


Sterelithography in prosthesis manufacture When Psyonic was developing its Ability Hand, a highly functional prosthetic device designed to incorporate cutting-edge technologies such as advanced sensors and intuitive control systems, it wanted a prosthetic limb that would increase affordability and access from 10% to 75% of patients. It also wanted to utilise new, durable and impact-resistant materials to create longer-lasting parts. One of those materials was carbon


fibre, which is strong, durable, rigid and lightweight. However, the traditional, machined molds used to form it are expensive, making it difficult for Psyonic to iterate and to create moulds for small-


“Stereolithography allows for the production of highly detailed and smooth surfaces, making it particularly suitable for the creation of intricate prosthetic components”


batch production. So instead of machining moulds, it used stereolithograpy to make them from high-temperature resin, which the carbon fibre was then formed around. Stereolithography, or SLA, is an


AM process that uses a vat of liquid photopolymer resin and a UV laser to create solid objects layer by layer. This technology allows for the production of highly detailed and smooth surfaces, making it particularly suitable for the creation of intricate prosthetic components such as fingers, hands, and cosmetic covers. One such cover is available for The Hero Arm, produced by Open Bionics in Bristol, UK. Thanks to partnerships with Disney, Marvel and LucasFilm, children with limb differences can choose cover themes including R2-D2, Iron Man and Frozen. The Hero Arm itself is a medically


certified and FDA-registered Class 1 medical device. All of the 3D-printed parts in the hand are laser sintered from Nylon 12. l


Photonics Frontiers 2023 15


Ministry of Health Ukraine


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