advertisement
Facebook
X
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Reddit

3D Printed casts make broken bones look cool

For those who’ve ever broken a bone and needed a cast you may soon never have to deal with the smelly, heavy irritation that is the traditional plaster cast. Victoria University of Wellington graduate Jake Evill has designed a 3D printable cast made of polyamide (nylon plastic) which he promises will be  lightweight, ventilated, washable and strong. The design calls for a 3D scan of the broken bone to be done at the same time as the x-ray so that the cast can be customised to fit the patient with increased density around the area of the break so that it can be further protected. The case would be printed in pieces and  joined together on the patient. The materials can even be recycled to be reused. The biggest flaw in the design at the moment is the speed of 3D printers which means that the cast would take somewhere in the region of 3 hours to print as opposed to the 3 – 9 minutes it takes for a regular plaster cast to be applied.

advertisement

About Author

advertisement

Related News

advertisement