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Direct Production for Prosthetic Sockets using Rapid Prototyping
Shigeru Hagihara**, Shin'ichi Kasai*, Masafumi Ishida*, Seiji Shimizu**, Kazuhiro Kijima** and Katsuhiko Oshiba**
*Regular member, Yamanashi Prefectural Industrial Technology Center, 2094, Ohtsu-cho, Kofu, Yamanashi, 400-0055 Japan
**Yamanashi Prefectural Technology Center
Received:February 28, 2002Accepted:August 20, 2002Published:December 20, 2002
Keywords:rapid prototyping, artificial limb, CAD/CAM
Abstract
The number of people of having legs amputated due to traffic accidents or diabetes is increasing. To solve problems of artificial limb supply, CAD/CAM is starting to be used for creating artificial limb components. Many parts of the manufacturing process for the prosthetic industry remain to be automated, however Rapid prototyping technology may be useful in producing prosthetic sockets. We tested the ability of laser lithography in manufacturing prosthetic sockets, detailed as follows: (1) Construction of the production system for prosthetic sockets, (2) Material testing (tensile strength, bending strength, impact test), (3) Environmental test (humidity test, solar radiation test), (4) Structural load test (repeated load test, breaking test, wear test, field test), and (5) Allergic reaction test. Experiments confirmed the practicality of this system.
Cite this article as:S. Hagihara, S. Kasai, M. Ishida, S. Shimizu, K. Kijima, and K. Oshiba, “Direct Production for Prosthetic Sockets using Rapid Prototyping,” J. Robot. Mechatron., Vol.14 No.6, pp. 581-588, 2002.Data files:
Copyright© 2002 by Fuji Technology Press Ltd. and Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers. All right reserved.
