3D-printed ankle-foot orthosis: a design method

Additive manufacturing offers several advantages when compared to conventional manufacturing technologies, especially where large scale customization is requested. In this article, a procedure for the design of a fully-customized 3D-printed ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) is described, with reference to a case study regarding a 21-year-old woman with an injured ankle. The first step is the acquisition of the geometrical data from the patient's foot: this is done using photogrammetry. The second step is the data conversion and import in a CAD modeler; SolidWorks (TM) is chosen for this purpose. The AFO is modelled parametrically around the foot mesh and optimized in order to resist the predicted mechanical stresses. Finally, the device is 3D-printed on an FDM printer and tested on the patient. An excellent geometrical correspondence between the AFO and the patient's foot is highlighted: this leads to great comfort and enhances medical functionality. The described procedure can be easily automated, further reducing the lead time and costs of the whole process. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.