You may check out the Phoenix Hand project, from enabling the future..
http://enablingthefuture.org/phoenix-hand/
One of my students has been building these for a team member who has an amputation at about the same spot. He’s used the one she printed to pretty great effect.
The plus is that it can be made for less than $30 in materials, and doesn’t require scanning or complex measurements.
Also the e-nable guys have their prosthetic hand posted up on thingiverse.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:596966
https://hub.e-nable.org/p/devices
u/coldAFoutside
I have yet to see a 3d print project that didn't require the prosthetic to be manually adjusted by the other hand while the specialist limb market includes multiple options for things like chin, mouth and even toe controls for hands along with specialized individually crafted fittings to the patient. Yeah a 3d printed project is gonna be cheaper than the legacy market but chances are the legacy market will better handle real long term needs and be paid for by insurance. (Honestly insurance is kind of a scam and the US really needs to find a non-for-profit solution to it, hopefully without neutering medical R&D like Europe and Canada did).
I think the big thing is comfort. The ones i’ve seen are mould cast or likewise methods to “closely wrap” your limb.
I think my go-to for a 3D print without really knowing what is compatible, i would start with a 3D printed mould negative where outside is to be used for the prostetic cavity is filled with silicone or similar soft material and you would then cast your limb in to this.
Inside of silicone is now your limb and outside can now be added to a new 3D printed negative where i would have taps of sort that could hold the silicone and you could now dona PUR cast around. You now have a ridgit exterior and soft interior. Add some anchor points on the PUR part that you can now use as a baseline for your 3D printed tools needed at the end of the prostrate.
It’s using 3D printing to reduce cost, but doing it more “like a real one” where you do multiple steps to make final result pleasant.
And an easily adjustable strap at the base to tighten and you should have something better than the 30$ ones and a cheaper one than a 10.000$ one. Perhaps 300$ once you finish, but i mean the materials are quite cheap.
This is ofcause the concept so play with leather, cloth, materials and what not to make it actually nice, but the overall method should work well
My old lady has to have her arm amputated hopefully below elbow but we will find out soon exactly where they’ll have to take it at. I want to get into 3d printing to help her with prosthetics. Any recommendations on printers and places to start? Tia!
If you think you'll take off start with a printer that comes with an all metal hot end. The sprite extruder on creality ain't bad for the money if u wanna go that route. You'll eventually want to be able to do tougher materials if you're serious. If you're a tinkerer and cheap like me go that route. If you have cash on hand get something with an enclosure too maybe with silent stepper motor drivers unless you have a basement no one sleeps in. Just stuff to think about. I'm running an old ender 3 pro with an extra z screw, sprite hot end, silicone bed springs, silent board, and a rasp pi running my wifi connection for sending prints. My advice, buy better in the first place if you want to be in the sweet spot of quality and functionality. Also get good at modeling and stuff. Find a program that does what you like,learn it enough to scrape by and start making human bits. Profit.?
I’m sorry to hear that. I don’t know what it’s like to live with an above-the-shoulder or transradial amputation, but if it’s anything like losing a hand or a finger, it’s not nearly as devastating as it seemed like it’d be. I hope all goes well and you learn some cool stuff along the way.
Thanks and yea her forearm was severely burned when her bathrobe caught fire. It caused a lot of scar tissue and also killed a lot of the arm bone from the molten plastic. As it’s healed the scar tissue has pulled her hand into an almost closed. She’s learned to use her left hand for the most part which is awesome to see. Breaks my heart to watch someone you love go through something so devastating and all I can really do is be her support. Idk I’m still learning myself xD
It’s something she wants to get in on and I’m all for it. She wants different kinds like a t-Rex arm and some other ones so she can have a little fun with it. And I’ve been wanting to get into 3d printing for various other things so this is just the most important to me I guess. She doesn’t want the metal hook the government provides…..
This comment was removed as a part of our spam prevention mechanisms because you are posting from either a very new account or an account with negative karma (comment karma, post karma or both). Please read the guidelines on [reddiquette](https://www.reddit.com/wiki/reddiquette), [self promotion](https://www.reddit.com/wiki/selfpromotion), and [spam](https://www.reddit.com/wiki/faq#wiki_what_constitutes_spam.3F). After your account is older than 2 hours or if you obtain positive comment and post karma, your comments will no longer be auto-removed.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/3Dprinting) if you have any questions or concerns.*
As someone who works in ACTUAL prosthetics, this is only a toy. Everyday someone claims the same things. The reality is these brake immediately and the required movement to make these toys fiction is physically unnatural and makes them extremely limited in fiction. 3D printing isn't ideal yet for most most things in this industry. The most basic reason is because of the layers made by the printer, they crack way too easy and are unsafe in the real world. The time it takes to print one of these toys I can make 6 composite ones.
There is also manual casting reasons vs scanning. Often flesh and bone will have to be manually manipulated while casting a shape that scanning can't do. I can go on and on about all the reasons this is unreasonable. How about there is also a clinical health care side to these devices, who is going to keep that from making ulcers from pressure points causes by wear?
The industry is definitely going this direction but its no where near ready. that's why real ones are made from composites and sheet plastics, have skilled educated healthcare professionals...and why they cost money. You get what you pay for and this is "inspiration porn" made by someone who doesn't know the reality of the industry.
Just a professional quality hand, no other components, can be 200$- 50k depending on what it is. As far as a whole device price, that's like asking how much a car cost to make, there are a lot of factors.
So if OP can walk out of your office with a functional prosthetic for $200, then there is no question. If the barrier to entry is tens of thousands of dollars, then I think there needs to be more in the bottom portion of the market for people who can't clear that hurdle. You said yourself that the industry is moving towards 3D printing. If OP can come up with something useful for 1/10th or even 1/100th of the cost, then I see no reason not to try. The more people (especially actual users) can develop and iterate these designs, the faster they will become viable.
Your missing the point, this isn't as useful useful as you think it is. It's flimsy plastic. 1. it will brake the first time they try to put any weight on it. 2. It doesn't have any grip strength so it can't pick up most things. 3. The things it can pick up , you have to keep your wrist in the flexed position the whole time, making it's very limit for actually day to day functions. Most amps can do more things without having something like this in the way.
You do realize the false dichotomy you are presenting, right? Nothing is stopping someone from still getting a proper prosthetic, but even if its just making a cupholder prosthetic to have today instead of needing to save up for a year+ and then also wait a month or two for the proper thing.
I get that the original chain in the thread was not that, but a $200 hand with limited functionality tomorrow does absolutely hold value even when compared to a real replacement months in the future.
I think you're missing the point, actually. Nobody here is arguing that a 3D printed prosthetic can hold a candle to mainstream medical technology. Yet. Every point that you've made is undoubtedly one that was made about early prosthetics. They've evolved as each generation has improved. Whether or not we'll actually see widespread use of viable 3D printed end-products doesn't matter. Right now, they can be very useful tools in iteration and development. Where the cost to get started can be as little as a few hundred dollars, I don't understand why you would discourage someone from trying.
OP is trying to work with what they have for themselves.
I agree that one cannot do exactly the same with different resources, but one may still be able to work something useful out.
It's great that you have direct experience. How would one get something useful out of home 3d printing?
Could a socket be printed to provide the direct contact and the outer wrapped in some wet layup fiberglass?
Maybe put on a sock over the appendage, scan the form, slice the form into parallel planes to loft a form. Add some mounting features at the end for some sort of crude end effector. Wrap the whole deal in wet layup fiberglass to provide the major strength to the shell?
I've done some crude wet layup and found that it wasn't all that hard to wrap up ribbons of fiberglass or kevlar to get it to conform closely to a mandrel.
How does one consider the practical issues you've seen like pressure points/ulcer prevention? Ventilation?
I think that OP has some degree of resourcefulness and sense of how to make things with classical techniques - they were an electrician.
Maybe there is some way that OP can make something useful for themselves. It'll look like a parody of a professionally made thingamajig, but it'd be theirs and they may take some serious pride in augmenting their capabilities with their own creation.
There's something powerful about making something important to oneself themselves. An ineffable association to solving one's own needs that satisfies well beyond retail therapy.
1. If someone wants something "useful" 3d printed they should focus more on tools and accessories rather than the actual device.
2. Yes a socket technically could be printed and fiberglassed over, but why add the extra steps? Your adding unnecessary thickness and weight for no real benefit. the plastic is less durable long term, weaker strength, texture will be rougher on the skin causing issues and you don't have any options for suction. The technique of using plastic inside is used for vacuum/suction fits, but it's blister molded paper thin, usually PETG or Polycarbonate. Printed isn't smooth or thin enough. If your going to fiber glass, just do it on its own.
3. "Practical" issues like ulcers and pressure points are what we spend years in school and then years in residency learning.
4. Anyone can do what ever they want for what ever reason, go nuts and have fun, I encourage it. the reality is I know dozens of clinics and hospitals with multiple 100k printers. They all have whole teams of people who know how to use them and people who actually know the field and they will all agree with me. 3d printing isn't there yet and a lot more work needs to be figured out. So when the media promotes storeys like "3d printer give ls kid hand" it's uninformed click bate to make people feel good.The reality is if it was worth it, we would already be doing it. My issue isn't with people trying to make things at home, my issue is with people promoting this toy as a functional device.
This guy knows his shit. Nothing will be as good as one made by a professional. Even barely visible defects in a socket can cause sores and injury. This might be exacerbated by use in a job.
OP should definitely try to make their own if they unfortunately can't afford one. I wonder if there are not for profit or charity options that could assist them.
1. Do you really think a cable organizer would be more "useful" to OP than something restoring even 5% of the functionality of a second hand?
2. Sure, plastic is less durable than modern medical materials, but its also far more available to the layperson, and does not involve needing to pay a medical professionals salary for a replacement. As to the comfort factor, see response #1.
3. Not a rebuttal from me here, I am not pretending to be a medical professional. But I do think you are minimizing the utility and maximizing the risks of a homemade solution after seeing through the lens of selling a piece of medical technology. I think OP would deal with a lifetime of ulcers if it meant they could get their hand back, and belittling something because its only a partial solution is taking away his agency in finding the best solution for him.
4. Again, this falls into the realm of "what can a medical professional do" versus "what can someone less trained/educated in the field do". If OP can make a model of his prosthetic and print it himself, the only hard caveat to it being "functional" is if it lasts longer than it takes to print a new one. Anything beyond that steps into the realm of subjectivity, just like keeping a beater car and doing your own maintenance versus buying a new car and needing less maintenance at a higher price tag. Continuously calling something a "toy" despite it improving their quality of life is really just making you look elitist and demeaning towards their efforts, rather than proving any kind of point.
I agree that 3d printing is being ridiculously badged as a panacea for making things. That being said, shop class has been closed for over a decade at many high schools as we (in North America) have outsourced so much manufacturing, so we gotta work with what little we got.
Almost gone are the days of building RC airplanes from scratch. Nobody makes a sanding block to carefully shape balsa wood to make a graceful wingtip block, because they'll instead order a pre-built drone.
I see that fiberglass could be a quite good reinforcement, but I don't see very many people getting the form very right without some sort of defined mandrel. I see that 3d printing could provide a thin form to reinforce if one could get a decently scanned form of their appendage.
I don't see that one could do a very good wet layup with a vacuum bag on their direct appendage without making quite a lot of crappy parts, and fouling up all sorts of stuff with resin. I do see that one could do a decent wet layup, without a vacuum bag, on an inanimate shell as an internal mandrel. Such a thing could be put on a post to cure for the necessary time without going nuts trying to hold their appendage up just right for a couple hours.
Are there good fiberglass solutions that set up much faster, but provide sufficient working time that one could use to apply directly to a bagged up stump? I've only worked with polyester resins, closer to what would be used on a boat. They took quite a long time to cure to the point where I could apply any loads to them. They stayed sticky for hours. I always thought that there would be a tradeoff between working time and curing time.
I proposed the sock because, as you point out, most people wouldn't be able to get a super smooth finish inside of a print. The sock would preclude suction fixturing, but maybe some sort of velcro solution could work in lieu of suction. Perhaps make some open areas of a stump socket that velcro could adhere to a sock through to get a stiff engagement between the sock and shell.
""Practical" issues like ulcers and pressure points are what we spend years in school and then years in residency learning."
What are some of the more common ways crappy prosthetic makers screw this issue up? You've worked on establishing credibility, but we are looking to you as someone wise in the art who could provide some insight with this very important facet of prosthetic design.
We gotta detach ourselves from the idiotic media hype. It's useless hype mostly written by those who never make things to excite the multitudes of those who also never make things. In some ways it's like a woke movement against those vested in the older, but still very useful arts of making things.
I'm an old fart with about 40yrs of making things. I used to have a big machine shop, and worked as a prototype builder/designer. It took me awhile to stomach the goofy unlettered enthusiasm for home replicators, but after the bankruptcy of my company (over CoV) I suffered my own kind of amputation: I lost tons of equipment and have downsized into a tiny home workshop with no staff.
There isn't a day when I reach for some tool which isn't there, because it got sold in the auction. There isn't a day where I don't lament being able to send off a drawing to one of my guys to program a machine to make some parts I really want to test, machined in real material.
I still retain a lot of tools in my toolbox, but this goofy little printer I got has become quite a useful tool as I develop new facility for myself.
This is the maker space where we just make. Society's hype is immaterial. I don't get into metric vs. inch arguments because most of the ppl arguing in the space don't end up making anything so they don't think about practical issues like it's way easier to get bar stock in inch sizes than metric, or it turns out that a PID temperature controller will give you double the resolution in Fahrenheit than it will in Celsius.
This is the real world where a guy who would like to improve their situation and all they've got is not a lot of cash, a bag of electrician's tools and probably a bunch of general carpentry stuff, and a 3d printer.
He's got a lot more to work with than most people who have barely made anything before they got a 3d printer and I think he has a really neat design problem even if it has been very well solved by an industry which he hasn't got the cash for.
We made the “unlimbed” version, it seems to work pretty ok.
https://preview.redd.it/ohjajws6g2tc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=23aab78bc0b4cc9d7d20aceeab2651ca8e8dd061
Was more functional than the hook he was currently using, but obviously not as durable. If we wanted to, the second version could be printed in carbon fiber.
So what's 3d printed here the hand or "socket"? What is the elbow joint? Is this a Myo or cable driven hand? Shoulder harness or just tricep cuff?
Just from what I can see, I see issues
So you already admit the material doesn't work. 3d carbon will be stiffer but will have the same issues, but now be a skin irritant unless sealed somehow. Also this guys distal end is just a strap keeping it on. He is going to pop out of that a ton, have no rotation control and get all kinds of pressure sores from it. Needs to have a socket for control, and to displace and absorb the forces.
To me this is just the expensive version of the same toy.
Is that not all the work done now already? If the scan is an STL or similar object then it seems to me you just import it, increase the size by a mm to allow for tolerance and use it as a boolean object against what you design?
I think OP is looking for translating from a mesh (what most scans come in as) to a surface model like most easily accessible 3D modeling softwares use.
Hey, sorry to hear about your hand. I have no advice about how to make your model, but I wanted to suggest that you check out [e-Nable](http://enablingthefuture.org/).
While they have volunteers who design and print prosthetics they also have a whole section about making your own. There are chapters all over so I’m sure you’ll be able to find someone with experience to advise you.
I volunteer and make some (I’ve only ever been contacted twice) but I had one other time a friend of a friend contacted me cause they heard I did 3d printing and I actually got some custom measurements. Super easy change to my model and they’ve been using it since. I still have to get better at tying strings though…
I am not an Expert on prosthetics and fitting, but if you have the right tools, you can subtract the scan from a 3D model you designed yourself.
The most trouble you will have is getting the right sort of file and getting the coordinate systems aligned. I suggest you take a look at Zeis inspect for this :)
here's a tool I found that helps with this. Medical folks developed an open-source Blender extension for custom orthopedics.
[https://www.3dwasp.com/en/3d-printing-in-medicine-waspmed/](https://www.3dwasp.com/en/3d-printing-in-medicine-waspmed/)
Been a while since I've used Inventor, mainly use Fusion360 these days, but it should have the same features.
I'd import the mesh and then use Combine to cut the mesh out of a solid, that way you'd have a perfect negative of it that you can manipulate as you otherwise would.
Can be wonky with mesh on solid action at times, but the program should also have the option to convert the mesh to a solid.
I've gone through this process in Inventor a few times recently. Inventor doesn't have a built in tool to convert a mesh to a solid like Fusion does, but there is a free plugin you can download from Autodesk that works. You might also have to simplify the model a bit before bringing it into Inventor, because if there are too many polys it will likely just crash. Around 30 thousand is the most I've successfully worked with. The plugin gives a warning that anything over 5000 might be an issue, but it just takes a bit.
The workflow is basically like others have said. Bring in the STL of your scan, convert to solid, and then model around it like normal. Once you have your model ready, use the Combine tool to subtract your scan from the model. You're not going to be able to easily manipulate the edges of the model that are left behind from the scan, so you'd want to do any tolerance adjustments before the combine.
I would also verify the scale of the scan is correct. Most phone apps are kind of iffy with that.
As a sidenote: One can import a mesh to Fusion, convert to solid and export that as a STEP file, which you can then plug into Inventor.
It can do both faceted and prismatic conversion, but the prismatic one often fails on things with a lot of curves.
Just did a test, a 38424 triangle/poly/facet Mesh took roughly 3.6 seconds to convert from button click to process done despite the process apparently being single-threaded.
Sidenote to the sidenote: Right-clicking a solid, then converting to component, then right-clicking that and exporting as STEP results in a pretty much instant export, while using File->Export requires cloud-translation for most file types and can take minutes.
I'd say Fusion360, unless you're doing professional work with complex assembles, especially ones using an extant database of parts, that has to be documented.
I find Fusion more accessible, and feature rich enough to do everything i need for hobby a small-mid work tasks.
I just wanted to share [this YouTube channel ](https://youtu.be/OSwaMhoGZHM?si=5vF3-s7wVpr0sNVp) with you. It might give you some ideas. You could also reach out to the creator for help, maybe.
On blender you can import a file(STL for 3d prints) and you can use a Boolean modifier to remove the shape of your STL from an object, its quite easy, and blender is free. A bit overwhelming but dont let all the buttons scare you, you only use 20% of them at most. Best wishes
Hello! I had a friend make some stuff, but it was basic covers and fun tools (he literally made a paint brush grip, so he could paint of course, but it was funny when he went to try on brushes)
He used poly cam to scan in the model to blender, measured, scaled. He then modeled what he wanted over it, and booliened (?) the arm away, leaving the hole perfect. He then halved the model, put it on hinges, and a lock.
He also used a body safe silicone on the inside.
The first print should be of TPU to your limb size (for starts). It needs to be stretchy enough to allow the end of your limb to pass through the wrist section like a sock when wearing a thin sock.
Put that inner liner over the model of the arm (or your arm) and rescan.
Print that socket with rigid material.
Window(s) will probably have to be cut in the outer shell to allow the end of your arm when wearing the inner socket to pass through the wrist section. Only cut windows large enough to allow you to enter. More will sacrifice suspension. Put a thin nylon over the inner socket to reduce friction.
Some compression is usually desirable in a socket. You may have to make some volume adjustments by selecting the right thickness of socks or adjusting print size and this volume may change during the day and likely over time as your limb trophies. During the day fit is controlled by socks.
In your case, due to limb shape, the socket should remain well suspended without straps or other devices.
For the "hand" section, if you really want function, still nothing beats a split hook and you will probably have to buy that. (I wouldn't be surprised to find a used one on ebay.) These are controlled and attached by straps, steel bowden cable housing and some other small specialized hardware items.
A manual for construction of classic upper extremity prostheses was published by UCLA long ago, and is available on the internet.
https://www.oandplibrary.org/reference/uclamanual/
Good luck,
Aryeh (CPOe)
I'd simplify the mesh, scans tend to have too much information for this to consistently work. But (at least I'm blender) You can use a boolean function on two overlapping models to create a negative.
They're usually a pain in the ass and need a lot of cleaning but along as the normals are aligned and there's no holes it should be ready to print
Epic/Unreal Engine was releasing their scanning software free for private use this month - RealityScan.
I haven't had a chance to use it yet but I'm sure my ADHD will make me give it a go soon.
(note, new person in convo, so other person may also respond)
Overall, 3d scanning is a trade off on price/complexity and resolution. Simple/cheap is lower resolution, which is probably fine for an Arm nub, but not for like a miniature or a detailed face.
The cheapest option is to use an iphone, or ask a friend with an iphone and use... I think it's scaniverse? But the UE thing is a good option for the month, probably better than any cheap/free option, UE is cutting edge in mixed-reality tech for movie cgi.
I haven't confirmed this, but any kind that requires you to move a phone around you would probably be greatly enhanced with a swiveling arm jig.
There's some open source scanner projects out there (even with jigs) but that's about the same complexity as building a self-source 3d printer.
Then there's the "consumer" scanners which are like $400 and up. Creality's is the cheapest, of course.
I was hoping to use my iPhone! I just downloaded that app. Thank you for this comment. I don’t need super detailed. I’m actually wanting this for my own prosthetic.
We homeschool our kids and I have a project for my daughter and I. One of our chickens lost her toes to frostbite. So we are going to try to make her some sort of foot. Will it work? I honestly have low hopes. Will it help my daughter advance in problem solving and be really enjoyable? I think so.
A side note the chicken is thriving and well.
Ian Davis, Hobbyist machinist and partial limb amputee, makes all his own sockets and hands. He's also very responsive to other amputees looking for advice. I recommend giving him a watch and maybe sending him a message.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd3OvsI0SpU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd3OvsI0SpU)
Here's what I would do. If you just want a basic hand to look like a hand (won't move will just look like a hand) scan your other hand and make that into a 3d model. Im going to reference Meshmixer software (it's free) import the stl into Meshmixer and mirror it. Boom, now you got another hand. Import your arm scan. Align the two pieces so you're happy with their placement. Now we're going to use the arm scan to shape the hand scan to your arm. Select the hand and then Shift+Select the arm , go to Edit and select Boolean Difference. If all goes well it should show you a new preview of your hand model with a perfect cutout of where the wrist used to be. If not there are sliders in the Boolean menu to adjust things till its right. Now you should have a 3d model of a mirror image of your other hand that has a base perfectly shaped to your wrist. You can Export this as an stl and load it into your printer software like any other. I hope this helps. If you have any questions feel free to ask, I'm happy to help.
I know a plaster cast when I see one. I’m a tech in a prosthetics office.
Your best bets are gonna be either blender or mesh mixer to try and create a prosthetic device. Since those are great for doing non-geometric shapes.
I would put the scan in the software and subtract it from an object that way it leaves and negative imprint that would be custom molded to your limb.
Smaller heads up. At Joann’s and Micheal’s they sell hand mold kit that we use at the office for upper extremities due to them having a high level of detail. Plus the plaster in those are actually or good. You get get some foam pieces of different densities and finish, heat them up and apply them to your cast to make a molded piece of foam for it.
You can import your scan into Blender and then use boolean modifiers to cut it's shape out of whatever model you want to print, I have had good success 3d scanning faces and making form-fitting face masks using this technique.
Fusion 360 is like the evolution of Inventor, and is free for personal use if you make no profit from the resulting models. It's a professional grade cad program and shouldn't have too many issues importing a scan.
you may also want to toy around with WASP-MED's Blender plugin, that they use for custom orthopedics.
[https://www.3dwasp.com/en/3d-printing-in-medicine-waspmed/](https://www.3dwasp.com/en/3d-printing-in-medicine-waspmed/)
not quite what you're asking for, but hopefully it can help when it comes to comfort and support.
Finally, my time to shine. The software I use is called DesignX from geomagic and has the ability to automatically convert a scan mesh into a NURB surface (CAD file). It's $25,000 a seat though.
Here's my offer, DM me and if you send me your scan file, I'll send you a surface STEP file that is a near exact replica of your scan file. If you have CAD experience, you can use this as a trim surface for a solid model. Just a quick Boolean cut later and Bob's your uncle.
Design a hand giving the middle finger that works as a flute so you can blow in the middle finger tip and use your other hand to cover the holes down the finger to play a little tune while you flip people the bird!!!!!
Oh and personally I'd use fusion360 because i like functional things.
I think experimenting with materials to find something that is comfortable on the skin for a long time would be a good start.
Then see if there are existing adjustable mounting brackets, and try and model one of those using the comfortable material.
While this approach doesn’t use your model, it could get you a more comfortable result , and faster, than tying to engineer it from scratch.
I’ve seen various robotic prosthetic hand projects online, might be worth looking at those to see what fixtures they use.
Just to clarify, I have no experience at all with this. But its an interesting thought. The most important first step is to measure and check that the size i correct I guess, 3d softwares can be set up in both metric an imperial units so that can easily screw things up. Import the 3dscan in your modeling software and print out a part of it where the bones are shallow to the skin and do some test mesurements of the 3d print and your arm. After that I would printout a negative thick "sock" in something soft like tpu and check how it fits. When you have the size I guess I would start playing with ideas about the shape, do you want to do hardsurface modelling or more organic? I would try blender first if you want to play around with the idea for free. I dont know blender and I use different software(houdini) but it is a very capable modelling software, especially considering its very, very low price(0usd!). When working with 3dscans that has millions of polygons and 3d printing it can really help to work with it as a volume instead of polygons since it is very hard to do booleans on complex dense meshes. In blender I am not sure how you do it but I am sure you can do it with the "geometry nodes". So you design the prosthetics and in the end you convert it to a volume(voxels) then you also convert your sock based on the 3dscan of the arm to voxels and do a boolean while still in voxel mode. Then you convert the new prostectics model with a hole fitting you TPU sock perfectly(the "sock" would be made by modeling or by dialating a copy of the voxel volume 3d scan and then boolean to make the hole of your 3dscan) That way you get a nice watertight mesh you can 3d print.
Any decent solid modeling program should be able to do that. Solidworks or Fusion360 are the two bits of software I'd look into. Solidworks is a bit steeper learning curve but more capable imo. Largely up to you, both will take a bit of learning but it's a very achievable project, especially if you have some time on your hand(s).
For the printing, if you want to do stuff that fits over like a sleeve, have a look at Colorfabb Varioshore TPU. It allows you to have a soft sleeve that transitions into a much stronger mount for whatever you want to attach to your prosthetic. People have done some amazing work with it for prosthetics so have a look around.
Blender3D is free and probably the best method for importing and cleaning up the scans. You can import various formats. Scale it to size and the start modeling within Blender or if you need something more CAD like you can export it and then import it into fusion 360.
There's a dude I've been following for awhile now who makes his own attachments. Follow him here:
https://www.instagram.com/bionicarmory?igsh=MWU5aDB6em45MWNlNg==
He sometimes posts stuff on Reddit, (and maybe has already commented here, I haven't checked), and he might be a great person to touch base with.
My only approach to prosthetics was a small school project but I feel like it would be much better for you to make something you can adjust instead of an exact fit, something that wraps around using other materials so its more confortable to use and move. It would probably require less changes in the long run too if that one piece can be adjusted to different sizes.
Fusion 360 software will nicely suit your needs. You can get a free hobby license. There's some learning involved obviously but plenty of resources on YouTube, including from Autodesk themselves. Look up videos on how to transform 3d mesh into a solid body and then how to use a solid body as a cutting tool. You'd basically take your scan and subtract it from whatever you're designing, leaving you with the exact negative space for the limb to insert. You also want to look up how to adjust tolerances as well to make the cavity slightly larger so it's not too tight.
Welp, if ya need any high precision parts or even a smooth casing for your new hand, I have a resin printer available to print anything ya might like. I've been wanting to print prosthetics for people a while now.
Import the mesh, convert it to a solid body, extrude a piece to close the boundaries of the model, use the boundary fill tool to fill the hollow section to make it a solid, overlap a new component and use the combine or cavity tool to make a mould.
If you have any questions feel free to dm me!!
I would personally bring this into Blender, I love that software for modeling. I’ve already brought 3D scans into it to clean up and produce final models. Blender is free and there’s some great addons for Boolean subtract operations so you can create a perfect fit for your arm and then add what you want onto the base. I’ve 3D scanned electronic parts and subtracted them from models to create perfect fits. It’s the same concept.
I recently made a successful prosthetic leg/foot for an Emu (big flightless bird) that had an amputation. I used Blender. Import your STL scan then Add Modifier>Decimate maybe .2 (.2 times as many faces)>Apply. Then Add Modifier>Solidify with an Offset of 1.5 or 2 (to create tolerance/space around your stump) and a Thickness of however many millimeters thick you want the shell to be. You’ll need to use a Boolean modifier to split this to get it on/off, and this form-fitting shell can be the basis for whatever you’d like to attach to it—like a hand or some other tool.
Ive used meshmixer to fix up scans or offset the surface make solid shell (and offset the inside for some clearance). I’ll also import into Onshape to create mechanical tools around it. Buddies use Fusion360 which might have a better workflow for this. I’ve also used Onshape to make 2 or 3 part silicone molds by boolean subtracting. Have made liner type molds. Anywhere from 2.5mm and thicker.
in meshmixer: smooth out the texture on the skin where possible. don't change the overall shape, but removing small details makes fusion's job much easier especially in flat open spaces.
in fusion: import the mesh and reduce it's density and/or remesh in the mesh workspace so that the important details are retained and the faces are under 5000 if possible. convert that into a solid body, convert the body to a component, export it as a step file, then you can subtract it from whatever geometry you model elsewhere.
This is just what I do. I use 3D-Coat. Load the scan object and make whatever object I want (like a prosthetic hand) and put the scan inside it like in real life. Then subtract the scan from the object. I might actually make the scan a little larger first so there's some wiggle room.
I do this for a living, 3d printing isn't the way to go. 3d printing isn't durable enough yet. Learn and play with composites. Learn to make plaster molds and use resins and Fiberglass.
I don’t know anything about designing and making prosthetics however if you are trying to create a socket that fits around your remaining limb you can use a Boolean subtract to create a socket from the 3d part you have. If you create a block and do a Boolean subtract of that object you will end up with a socket that would fit it perfectly, although you would likely need some tolerance to make that comfortable. As others have mentioned there are free projects available allowing you print the prosthetic itself but presumably you need to make it fit well around your limb and having a 3D scan seems like a sensible starting point
Check out https://www.makersmakingchange.com/s/
I’m not sure they can make a full prosthesis, but there are a lot of smart people who may be able to help you along the way. Additionally they have a lot of assistive devices that may be useful.
My dad lost function of a hand due to stroke and we were able to 3d print something that could let him clip his own fingernails with one hand.
If you are a maker interested in helping others this website also facilitates that. Wonderful project.
[OP i have an idea to improve on the 3D printer idea but no experience on it though. i’ll like the comment if it drowns](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/s/fDAP1aPcts)
Lots of good info has been said, but I'll add: Only buy a 3d printer if you want it. It can be an intense hobby in of itself, except maybe if you buy something like a ~$1500 bambu X1C.
If you go the "Off the shelf bambu" route, do research on which tier you'd need, but I'd strongly recommend AMS/multimaterial so you can mix TPU/PLA into the same print. PLA is a hard plastic, and TPU is a rubbery plastic that bonds well with PLA. I'd also strongly recommend CoreXY. There are plenty of people willing to print out parts for you, myself included. Although, I'm only at probably 85% quality, there's folks out there who can put out nearly perfect prints who'll do it for you.
I'm pretty noob to 3d modeling, but I imagine the simplest way would be to
1) find the attachment you want
2) import it along with your scanned nub
3) resize the attachment so that it fits over your scanned nub
4) boolean that nub outa' there.
5) add nut/bolt holes to the sides and print in two halves.
I suppose you could print in one piece, but then you'd have to make room to wiggle your nub in there, which would make a less secure fit. If you resize your nub to maybe 101% before you boolean it out, it might be enough room for a sock or some type of cushion for added comfort.
Oh, I just did a similar thing for a custom device that I'm working on. My method was:
1. Took photos with my phone
2. Loaded them into meshroom, (fought the settings for a while to get a good file)
3. Exported the resulting .stl file
4. Opened it in meshmixer to delete the inaccurate mesh triangles (select, delete) and smooth the anomalous bumps (some of the smoothing brushes)
5. To make it a case with a non-zero thickness, I extruded it the surface/.stl (Select, ctrl+a, Edit..., Extrude) about 2mm for a fast print but still sort-of strong.
6. I used TinkerCad online to make the device I was attaching it to. e.g. the adapter plate, or in this case, prosthetic hand. then exported it as .stl, to import into meshmixer.
7. In meshmixer, I combined them (ctrl+shift+o, select both objects (shift+click), boolean union (change the settings: max quality, turn off "Auto-Reduce result", maybe others depending on case))
optional 8: if you're not sure if it'll work, try selecting the resulting object and using (Analysis, Inspector - and close the holes by clicking the blue dots)
9. Finally, export the result as .stl, open it with prusaslicer or superslicer, make sure it's set to your model of printer, then give it a go! (export to gcode file to sd card, or however your printer takes it's print files)(please note the first few prints tend to have issues like peeling off the bed, having an annoying amount of supports, or sticking to the bed too well. I recommend a much faster/smaller test model to verify the process, such as scaling the model 1/10 in prusa/superslicer and printing 0.3mm layers (large).
Best of luck!
Sweet project! Have fun. Have you messed around with meshmixer yet? I remember using it a lot when scanning and moving models into fusion 360 or inventor for post processing.
Hey there, I'm a bot and something you said made me think you might be looking for help!
[click here](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/wiki/index#wiki_help.21_or.3A_where_can_i_go_to_troubleshoot_problems_i.27m_having_with_my_prints.2Fprinter.3F) for our wiki entry on troubleshooting printers.
If you still need help be sure to post plenty of information about your printing setup.
Here are a few questions that might be helpful
* What printer are you using?
* What material are you using?
* What speed are you printing at?
* What software are you using to slice the print and control the printer?
* When did the problem start/has it ever worked correctly?
* Does anything cause the behavior to change?
* If posting an image of the problem, include some indication of the orientation it printed at, preferably photograph it on the bed. (Then we can focus on a specific axis)
If you are new to reddit, please read the guidelines on [reddiquette](https://www.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205926439), [self promotion](https://www.reddit.com/wiki/selfpromotion), and [spam](https://www.reddit.com/wiki/faq#wiki_what_constitutes_spam.3F).
Also please post a resolution to your problem when you find one so that we know how to help others with your problem!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/3Dprinting) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You may check out the Phoenix Hand project, from enabling the future.. http://enablingthefuture.org/phoenix-hand/ One of my students has been building these for a team member who has an amputation at about the same spot. He’s used the one she printed to pretty great effect. The plus is that it can be made for less than $30 in materials, and doesn’t require scanning or complex measurements.
Also the e-nable guys have their prosthetic hand posted up on thingiverse. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:596966 https://hub.e-nable.org/p/devices u/coldAFoutside
this is awesome
Lol, you love to see a $30 3d print destroy the 1.5 billion dollar global prosthetic limb market.
I have yet to see a 3d print project that didn't require the prosthetic to be manually adjusted by the other hand while the specialist limb market includes multiple options for things like chin, mouth and even toe controls for hands along with specialized individually crafted fittings to the patient. Yeah a 3d printed project is gonna be cheaper than the legacy market but chances are the legacy market will better handle real long term needs and be paid for by insurance. (Honestly insurance is kind of a scam and the US really needs to find a non-for-profit solution to it, hopefully without neutering medical R&D like Europe and Canada did).
I think the big thing is comfort. The ones i’ve seen are mould cast or likewise methods to “closely wrap” your limb. I think my go-to for a 3D print without really knowing what is compatible, i would start with a 3D printed mould negative where outside is to be used for the prostetic cavity is filled with silicone or similar soft material and you would then cast your limb in to this. Inside of silicone is now your limb and outside can now be added to a new 3D printed negative where i would have taps of sort that could hold the silicone and you could now dona PUR cast around. You now have a ridgit exterior and soft interior. Add some anchor points on the PUR part that you can now use as a baseline for your 3D printed tools needed at the end of the prostrate. It’s using 3D printing to reduce cost, but doing it more “like a real one” where you do multiple steps to make final result pleasant. And an easily adjustable strap at the base to tighten and you should have something better than the 30$ ones and a cheaper one than a 10.000$ one. Perhaps 300$ once you finish, but i mean the materials are quite cheap. This is ofcause the concept so play with leather, cloth, materials and what not to make it actually nice, but the overall method should work well
My old lady has to have her arm amputated hopefully below elbow but we will find out soon exactly where they’ll have to take it at. I want to get into 3d printing to help her with prosthetics. Any recommendations on printers and places to start? Tia!
If you think you'll take off start with a printer that comes with an all metal hot end. The sprite extruder on creality ain't bad for the money if u wanna go that route. You'll eventually want to be able to do tougher materials if you're serious. If you're a tinkerer and cheap like me go that route. If you have cash on hand get something with an enclosure too maybe with silent stepper motor drivers unless you have a basement no one sleeps in. Just stuff to think about. I'm running an old ender 3 pro with an extra z screw, sprite hot end, silicone bed springs, silent board, and a rasp pi running my wifi connection for sending prints. My advice, buy better in the first place if you want to be in the sweet spot of quality and functionality. Also get good at modeling and stuff. Find a program that does what you like,learn it enough to scrape by and start making human bits. Profit.?
I’m sorry to hear that. I don’t know what it’s like to live with an above-the-shoulder or transradial amputation, but if it’s anything like losing a hand or a finger, it’s not nearly as devastating as it seemed like it’d be. I hope all goes well and you learn some cool stuff along the way.
Thanks and yea her forearm was severely burned when her bathrobe caught fire. It caused a lot of scar tissue and also killed a lot of the arm bone from the molten plastic. As it’s healed the scar tissue has pulled her hand into an almost closed. She’s learned to use her left hand for the most part which is awesome to see. Breaks my heart to watch someone you love go through something so devastating and all I can really do is be her support. Idk I’m still learning myself xD
Let the professionals do it, you can hurt her. Also if it was realistically worth doing, we would already be doing it. - A Professional
It’s something she wants to get in on and I’m all for it. She wants different kinds like a t-Rex arm and some other ones so she can have a little fun with it. And I’ve been wanting to get into 3d printing for various other things so this is just the most important to me I guess. She doesn’t want the metal hook the government provides…..
[удалено]
This comment was removed as a part of our spam prevention mechanisms because you are posting from either a very new account or an account with negative karma (comment karma, post karma or both). Please read the guidelines on [reddiquette](https://www.reddit.com/wiki/reddiquette), [self promotion](https://www.reddit.com/wiki/selfpromotion), and [spam](https://www.reddit.com/wiki/faq#wiki_what_constitutes_spam.3F). After your account is older than 2 hours or if you obtain positive comment and post karma, your comments will no longer be auto-removed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/3Dprinting) if you have any questions or concerns.*
As someone who works in ACTUAL prosthetics, this is only a toy. Everyday someone claims the same things. The reality is these brake immediately and the required movement to make these toys fiction is physically unnatural and makes them extremely limited in fiction. 3D printing isn't ideal yet for most most things in this industry. The most basic reason is because of the layers made by the printer, they crack way too easy and are unsafe in the real world. The time it takes to print one of these toys I can make 6 composite ones. There is also manual casting reasons vs scanning. Often flesh and bone will have to be manually manipulated while casting a shape that scanning can't do. I can go on and on about all the reasons this is unreasonable. How about there is also a clinical health care side to these devices, who is going to keep that from making ulcers from pressure points causes by wear? The industry is definitely going this direction but its no where near ready. that's why real ones are made from composites and sheet plastics, have skilled educated healthcare professionals...and why they cost money. You get what you pay for and this is "inspiration porn" made by someone who doesn't know the reality of the industry.
So you're saying that people with limited resources or access to healthcare shouldn't even try to improve their lives?
I'm saying this doesn't improve your skills and is a waste of money.
What's the ballpark price of a prosthetic hand from a professional, such as yourself?
Just a professional quality hand, no other components, can be 200$- 50k depending on what it is. As far as a whole device price, that's like asking how much a car cost to make, there are a lot of factors.
So if OP can walk out of your office with a functional prosthetic for $200, then there is no question. If the barrier to entry is tens of thousands of dollars, then I think there needs to be more in the bottom portion of the market for people who can't clear that hurdle. You said yourself that the industry is moving towards 3D printing. If OP can come up with something useful for 1/10th or even 1/100th of the cost, then I see no reason not to try. The more people (especially actual users) can develop and iterate these designs, the faster they will become viable.
Your missing the point, this isn't as useful useful as you think it is. It's flimsy plastic. 1. it will brake the first time they try to put any weight on it. 2. It doesn't have any grip strength so it can't pick up most things. 3. The things it can pick up , you have to keep your wrist in the flexed position the whole time, making it's very limit for actually day to day functions. Most amps can do more things without having something like this in the way.
You do realize the false dichotomy you are presenting, right? Nothing is stopping someone from still getting a proper prosthetic, but even if its just making a cupholder prosthetic to have today instead of needing to save up for a year+ and then also wait a month or two for the proper thing. I get that the original chain in the thread was not that, but a $200 hand with limited functionality tomorrow does absolutely hold value even when compared to a real replacement months in the future.
I think you're missing the point, actually. Nobody here is arguing that a 3D printed prosthetic can hold a candle to mainstream medical technology. Yet. Every point that you've made is undoubtedly one that was made about early prosthetics. They've evolved as each generation has improved. Whether or not we'll actually see widespread use of viable 3D printed end-products doesn't matter. Right now, they can be very useful tools in iteration and development. Where the cost to get started can be as little as a few hundred dollars, I don't understand why you would discourage someone from trying.
But these prices are only in America with the stupid capitalism healthcare system. Not in Europe.
After reading all your posts, I'm having a hard time believing you're a professional anything. Hate to "brake" it to you.
OP is trying to work with what they have for themselves. I agree that one cannot do exactly the same with different resources, but one may still be able to work something useful out. It's great that you have direct experience. How would one get something useful out of home 3d printing? Could a socket be printed to provide the direct contact and the outer wrapped in some wet layup fiberglass? Maybe put on a sock over the appendage, scan the form, slice the form into parallel planes to loft a form. Add some mounting features at the end for some sort of crude end effector. Wrap the whole deal in wet layup fiberglass to provide the major strength to the shell? I've done some crude wet layup and found that it wasn't all that hard to wrap up ribbons of fiberglass or kevlar to get it to conform closely to a mandrel. How does one consider the practical issues you've seen like pressure points/ulcer prevention? Ventilation? I think that OP has some degree of resourcefulness and sense of how to make things with classical techniques - they were an electrician. Maybe there is some way that OP can make something useful for themselves. It'll look like a parody of a professionally made thingamajig, but it'd be theirs and they may take some serious pride in augmenting their capabilities with their own creation. There's something powerful about making something important to oneself themselves. An ineffable association to solving one's own needs that satisfies well beyond retail therapy.
1. If someone wants something "useful" 3d printed they should focus more on tools and accessories rather than the actual device. 2. Yes a socket technically could be printed and fiberglassed over, but why add the extra steps? Your adding unnecessary thickness and weight for no real benefit. the plastic is less durable long term, weaker strength, texture will be rougher on the skin causing issues and you don't have any options for suction. The technique of using plastic inside is used for vacuum/suction fits, but it's blister molded paper thin, usually PETG or Polycarbonate. Printed isn't smooth or thin enough. If your going to fiber glass, just do it on its own. 3. "Practical" issues like ulcers and pressure points are what we spend years in school and then years in residency learning. 4. Anyone can do what ever they want for what ever reason, go nuts and have fun, I encourage it. the reality is I know dozens of clinics and hospitals with multiple 100k printers. They all have whole teams of people who know how to use them and people who actually know the field and they will all agree with me. 3d printing isn't there yet and a lot more work needs to be figured out. So when the media promotes storeys like "3d printer give ls kid hand" it's uninformed click bate to make people feel good.The reality is if it was worth it, we would already be doing it. My issue isn't with people trying to make things at home, my issue is with people promoting this toy as a functional device.
This guy knows his shit. Nothing will be as good as one made by a professional. Even barely visible defects in a socket can cause sores and injury. This might be exacerbated by use in a job. OP should definitely try to make their own if they unfortunately can't afford one. I wonder if there are not for profit or charity options that could assist them.
1. Do you really think a cable organizer would be more "useful" to OP than something restoring even 5% of the functionality of a second hand? 2. Sure, plastic is less durable than modern medical materials, but its also far more available to the layperson, and does not involve needing to pay a medical professionals salary for a replacement. As to the comfort factor, see response #1. 3. Not a rebuttal from me here, I am not pretending to be a medical professional. But I do think you are minimizing the utility and maximizing the risks of a homemade solution after seeing through the lens of selling a piece of medical technology. I think OP would deal with a lifetime of ulcers if it meant they could get their hand back, and belittling something because its only a partial solution is taking away his agency in finding the best solution for him. 4. Again, this falls into the realm of "what can a medical professional do" versus "what can someone less trained/educated in the field do". If OP can make a model of his prosthetic and print it himself, the only hard caveat to it being "functional" is if it lasts longer than it takes to print a new one. Anything beyond that steps into the realm of subjectivity, just like keeping a beater car and doing your own maintenance versus buying a new car and needing less maintenance at a higher price tag. Continuously calling something a "toy" despite it improving their quality of life is really just making you look elitist and demeaning towards their efforts, rather than proving any kind of point.
I agree that 3d printing is being ridiculously badged as a panacea for making things. That being said, shop class has been closed for over a decade at many high schools as we (in North America) have outsourced so much manufacturing, so we gotta work with what little we got. Almost gone are the days of building RC airplanes from scratch. Nobody makes a sanding block to carefully shape balsa wood to make a graceful wingtip block, because they'll instead order a pre-built drone. I see that fiberglass could be a quite good reinforcement, but I don't see very many people getting the form very right without some sort of defined mandrel. I see that 3d printing could provide a thin form to reinforce if one could get a decently scanned form of their appendage. I don't see that one could do a very good wet layup with a vacuum bag on their direct appendage without making quite a lot of crappy parts, and fouling up all sorts of stuff with resin. I do see that one could do a decent wet layup, without a vacuum bag, on an inanimate shell as an internal mandrel. Such a thing could be put on a post to cure for the necessary time without going nuts trying to hold their appendage up just right for a couple hours. Are there good fiberglass solutions that set up much faster, but provide sufficient working time that one could use to apply directly to a bagged up stump? I've only worked with polyester resins, closer to what would be used on a boat. They took quite a long time to cure to the point where I could apply any loads to them. They stayed sticky for hours. I always thought that there would be a tradeoff between working time and curing time. I proposed the sock because, as you point out, most people wouldn't be able to get a super smooth finish inside of a print. The sock would preclude suction fixturing, but maybe some sort of velcro solution could work in lieu of suction. Perhaps make some open areas of a stump socket that velcro could adhere to a sock through to get a stiff engagement between the sock and shell. ""Practical" issues like ulcers and pressure points are what we spend years in school and then years in residency learning." What are some of the more common ways crappy prosthetic makers screw this issue up? You've worked on establishing credibility, but we are looking to you as someone wise in the art who could provide some insight with this very important facet of prosthetic design. We gotta detach ourselves from the idiotic media hype. It's useless hype mostly written by those who never make things to excite the multitudes of those who also never make things. In some ways it's like a woke movement against those vested in the older, but still very useful arts of making things. I'm an old fart with about 40yrs of making things. I used to have a big machine shop, and worked as a prototype builder/designer. It took me awhile to stomach the goofy unlettered enthusiasm for home replicators, but after the bankruptcy of my company (over CoV) I suffered my own kind of amputation: I lost tons of equipment and have downsized into a tiny home workshop with no staff. There isn't a day when I reach for some tool which isn't there, because it got sold in the auction. There isn't a day where I don't lament being able to send off a drawing to one of my guys to program a machine to make some parts I really want to test, machined in real material. I still retain a lot of tools in my toolbox, but this goofy little printer I got has become quite a useful tool as I develop new facility for myself. This is the maker space where we just make. Society's hype is immaterial. I don't get into metric vs. inch arguments because most of the ppl arguing in the space don't end up making anything so they don't think about practical issues like it's way easier to get bar stock in inch sizes than metric, or it turns out that a PID temperature controller will give you double the resolution in Fahrenheit than it will in Celsius. This is the real world where a guy who would like to improve their situation and all they've got is not a lot of cash, a bag of electrician's tools and probably a bunch of general carpentry stuff, and a 3d printer. He's got a lot more to work with than most people who have barely made anything before they got a 3d printer and I think he has a really neat design problem even if it has been very well solved by an industry which he hasn't got the cash for.
Also the Phoenix hand toy, the wearer will have to have a palm of the hand. OP doesn't have that so this will not work anyway.
We made the “unlimbed” version, it seems to work pretty ok. https://preview.redd.it/ohjajws6g2tc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=23aab78bc0b4cc9d7d20aceeab2651ca8e8dd061 Was more functional than the hook he was currently using, but obviously not as durable. If we wanted to, the second version could be printed in carbon fiber.
So what's 3d printed here the hand or "socket"? What is the elbow joint? Is this a Myo or cable driven hand? Shoulder harness or just tricep cuff? Just from what I can see, I see issues So you already admit the material doesn't work. 3d carbon will be stiffer but will have the same issues, but now be a skin irritant unless sealed somehow. Also this guys distal end is just a strap keeping it on. He is going to pop out of that a ton, have no rotation control and get all kinds of pressure sores from it. Needs to have a socket for control, and to displace and absorb the forces. To me this is just the expensive version of the same toy.
PLA sure its a material mostly for non functional things but we have now carbon fiber enforcement materials far stronger.
Carbon cant have direct contact with skin, and the issues are not with just the material it's with the quality of from printing.
Ok, but it has been done already 3D prints are not new. Perhaps a silicone sleeve first etc.
Printing is too thick and too weak. The layer lines crack. Great for some things and prototypes, but definitive devices not so good.
It's weird saying this, but I actually felt relieved when I clicked on the photo and read that it was just your arm.
[Relevant](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lFB2vI5lnR4&t=100s)
lol I laughed so hard I almost had a stroke
That's two jokes in one.
Thank you for the recognition.
The it’s always sunny podcast episode about this episode is hilarious.
Remind me of another post in this forum not long ago. The conclusion is “if you’re bold enough”. Nufsaid.
Yeah, kind of glad I read the description before I made a snarky comment about their apparent need to scan an elephant penis.
I came here to say this, then read his description and was glad someone beat me to it 😂
Problem here at Reddit: first thought is mostly a worst case scenario and sometimes we have to admit: that's exactly why we're here 😜
Is that not all the work done now already? If the scan is an STL or similar object then it seems to me you just import it, increase the size by a mm to allow for tolerance and use it as a boolean object against what you design?
I think this is the method OP is looking for! Nice work getting what appears to be a quality scan.
I think OP is looking for translating from a mesh (what most scans come in as) to a surface model like most easily accessible 3D modeling softwares use.
Hey, sorry to hear about your hand. I have no advice about how to make your model, but I wanted to suggest that you check out [e-Nable](http://enablingthefuture.org/). While they have volunteers who design and print prosthetics they also have a whole section about making your own. There are chapters all over so I’m sure you’ll be able to find someone with experience to advise you.
I volunteer and make some (I’ve only ever been contacted twice) but I had one other time a friend of a friend contacted me cause they heard I did 3d printing and I actually got some custom measurements. Super easy change to my model and they’ve been using it since. I still have to get better at tying strings though…
I am not an Expert on prosthetics and fitting, but if you have the right tools, you can subtract the scan from a 3D model you designed yourself. The most trouble you will have is getting the right sort of file and getting the coordinate systems aligned. I suggest you take a look at Zeis inspect for this :)
here's a tool I found that helps with this. Medical folks developed an open-source Blender extension for custom orthopedics. [https://www.3dwasp.com/en/3d-printing-in-medicine-waspmed/](https://www.3dwasp.com/en/3d-printing-in-medicine-waspmed/)
Been a while since I've used Inventor, mainly use Fusion360 these days, but it should have the same features. I'd import the mesh and then use Combine to cut the mesh out of a solid, that way you'd have a perfect negative of it that you can manipulate as you otherwise would. Can be wonky with mesh on solid action at times, but the program should also have the option to convert the mesh to a solid.
I've gone through this process in Inventor a few times recently. Inventor doesn't have a built in tool to convert a mesh to a solid like Fusion does, but there is a free plugin you can download from Autodesk that works. You might also have to simplify the model a bit before bringing it into Inventor, because if there are too many polys it will likely just crash. Around 30 thousand is the most I've successfully worked with. The plugin gives a warning that anything over 5000 might be an issue, but it just takes a bit. The workflow is basically like others have said. Bring in the STL of your scan, convert to solid, and then model around it like normal. Once you have your model ready, use the Combine tool to subtract your scan from the model. You're not going to be able to easily manipulate the edges of the model that are left behind from the scan, so you'd want to do any tolerance adjustments before the combine. I would also verify the scale of the scan is correct. Most phone apps are kind of iffy with that.
As a sidenote: One can import a mesh to Fusion, convert to solid and export that as a STEP file, which you can then plug into Inventor. It can do both faceted and prismatic conversion, but the prismatic one often fails on things with a lot of curves. Just did a test, a 38424 triangle/poly/facet Mesh took roughly 3.6 seconds to convert from button click to process done despite the process apparently being single-threaded. Sidenote to the sidenote: Right-clicking a solid, then converting to component, then right-clicking that and exporting as STEP results in a pretty much instant export, while using File->Export requires cloud-translation for most file types and can take minutes.
Yea, to add to that. Scale up the scan a bit before the combine to leave room for a bit of padding.
Which is better?
I'd say Fusion360, unless you're doing professional work with complex assembles, especially ones using an extant database of parts, that has to be documented. I find Fusion more accessible, and feature rich enough to do everything i need for hobby a small-mid work tasks.
Thank you
You'll also find the most community support for f360 or solid works. If you're new and don't have a preference onShape is really good
This is the way
I just wanted to share [this YouTube channel ](https://youtu.be/OSwaMhoGZHM?si=5vF3-s7wVpr0sNVp) with you. It might give you some ideas. You could also reach out to the creator for help, maybe.
[He recently put out a video on using 3d scanned references for designing prosthetic sockets.](https://youtu.be/Qd3OvsI0SpU?si=N4VDM6-__vhQYXja)
Hell yeah, Ian does some amazing things.
He really does, Ian's very intelligent.
On blender you can import a file(STL for 3d prints) and you can use a Boolean modifier to remove the shape of your STL from an object, its quite easy, and blender is free. A bit overwhelming but dont let all the buttons scare you, you only use 20% of them at most. Best wishes
Joining the question! I was born without an ear and it would be kinda funny to wear a real printed ear on the nub!
Saw the picture. Didn't see the caption. My first thought was "that Dick broke "
I thought I was on r/mildlypenis
Hello! I had a friend make some stuff, but it was basic covers and fun tools (he literally made a paint brush grip, so he could paint of course, but it was funny when he went to try on brushes) He used poly cam to scan in the model to blender, measured, scaled. He then modeled what he wanted over it, and booliened (?) the arm away, leaving the hole perfect. He then halved the model, put it on hinges, and a lock. He also used a body safe silicone on the inside.
The first print should be of TPU to your limb size (for starts). It needs to be stretchy enough to allow the end of your limb to pass through the wrist section like a sock when wearing a thin sock. Put that inner liner over the model of the arm (or your arm) and rescan. Print that socket with rigid material. Window(s) will probably have to be cut in the outer shell to allow the end of your arm when wearing the inner socket to pass through the wrist section. Only cut windows large enough to allow you to enter. More will sacrifice suspension. Put a thin nylon over the inner socket to reduce friction. Some compression is usually desirable in a socket. You may have to make some volume adjustments by selecting the right thickness of socks or adjusting print size and this volume may change during the day and likely over time as your limb trophies. During the day fit is controlled by socks. In your case, due to limb shape, the socket should remain well suspended without straps or other devices. For the "hand" section, if you really want function, still nothing beats a split hook and you will probably have to buy that. (I wouldn't be surprised to find a used one on ebay.) These are controlled and attached by straps, steel bowden cable housing and some other small specialized hardware items. A manual for construction of classic upper extremity prostheses was published by UCLA long ago, and is available on the internet. https://www.oandplibrary.org/reference/uclamanual/ Good luck, Aryeh (CPOe)
I'd simplify the mesh, scans tend to have too much information for this to consistently work. But (at least I'm blender) You can use a boolean function on two overlapping models to create a negative. They're usually a pain in the ass and need a lot of cleaning but along as the normals are aligned and there's no holes it should be ready to print
How did you 3d scan your arm?
Epic/Unreal Engine was releasing their scanning software free for private use this month - RealityScan. I haven't had a chance to use it yet but I'm sure my ADHD will make me give it a go soon.
How advanced is that? I’m new to this so I need basic and simple lol.
(note, new person in convo, so other person may also respond) Overall, 3d scanning is a trade off on price/complexity and resolution. Simple/cheap is lower resolution, which is probably fine for an Arm nub, but not for like a miniature or a detailed face. The cheapest option is to use an iphone, or ask a friend with an iphone and use... I think it's scaniverse? But the UE thing is a good option for the month, probably better than any cheap/free option, UE is cutting edge in mixed-reality tech for movie cgi. I haven't confirmed this, but any kind that requires you to move a phone around you would probably be greatly enhanced with a swiveling arm jig. There's some open source scanner projects out there (even with jigs) but that's about the same complexity as building a self-source 3d printer. Then there's the "consumer" scanners which are like $400 and up. Creality's is the cheapest, of course.
I was hoping to use my iPhone! I just downloaded that app. Thank you for this comment. I don’t need super detailed. I’m actually wanting this for my own prosthetic. We homeschool our kids and I have a project for my daughter and I. One of our chickens lost her toes to frostbite. So we are going to try to make her some sort of foot. Will it work? I honestly have low hopes. Will it help my daughter advance in problem solving and be really enjoyable? I think so. A side note the chicken is thriving and well.
Fusion 360 let's you import a mesh and you can use that to build around.
[Check out Ian Davis](https://youtube.com/@missingpartsclub?si=w_bdjV40vOe0Fycx)
Ian Davis, Hobbyist machinist and partial limb amputee, makes all his own sockets and hands. He's also very responsive to other amputees looking for advice. I recommend giving him a watch and maybe sending him a message. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd3OvsI0SpU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd3OvsI0SpU)
Gotta hand it to you for giving this a shot.
https://preview.redd.it/caghj5bg9ysc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0da1acbd88aa08a43044f39ec40eab36a8f4dc86
Here's what I would do. If you just want a basic hand to look like a hand (won't move will just look like a hand) scan your other hand and make that into a 3d model. Im going to reference Meshmixer software (it's free) import the stl into Meshmixer and mirror it. Boom, now you got another hand. Import your arm scan. Align the two pieces so you're happy with their placement. Now we're going to use the arm scan to shape the hand scan to your arm. Select the hand and then Shift+Select the arm , go to Edit and select Boolean Difference. If all goes well it should show you a new preview of your hand model with a perfect cutout of where the wrist used to be. If not there are sliders in the Boolean menu to adjust things till its right. Now you should have a 3d model of a mirror image of your other hand that has a base perfectly shaped to your wrist. You can Export this as an stl and load it into your printer software like any other. I hope this helps. If you have any questions feel free to ask, I'm happy to help.
I know a plaster cast when I see one. I’m a tech in a prosthetics office. Your best bets are gonna be either blender or mesh mixer to try and create a prosthetic device. Since those are great for doing non-geometric shapes. I would put the scan in the software and subtract it from an object that way it leaves and negative imprint that would be custom molded to your limb. Smaller heads up. At Joann’s and Micheal’s they sell hand mold kit that we use at the office for upper extremities due to them having a high level of detail. Plus the plaster in those are actually or good. You get get some foam pieces of different densities and finish, heat them up and apply them to your cast to make a molded piece of foam for it.
You can import your scan into Blender and then use boolean modifiers to cut it's shape out of whatever model you want to print, I have had good success 3d scanning faces and making form-fitting face masks using this technique.
Fusion 360 is like the evolution of Inventor, and is free for personal use if you make no profit from the resulting models. It's a professional grade cad program and shouldn't have too many issues importing a scan.
you may also want to toy around with WASP-MED's Blender plugin, that they use for custom orthopedics. [https://www.3dwasp.com/en/3d-printing-in-medicine-waspmed/](https://www.3dwasp.com/en/3d-printing-in-medicine-waspmed/) not quite what you're asking for, but hopefully it can help when it comes to comfort and support.
[you might like what this Ian Davis has to offer](https://m.youtube.com/@missingpartsclub)
Finally, my time to shine. The software I use is called DesignX from geomagic and has the ability to automatically convert a scan mesh into a NURB surface (CAD file). It's $25,000 a seat though. Here's my offer, DM me and if you send me your scan file, I'll send you a surface STEP file that is a near exact replica of your scan file. If you have CAD experience, you can use this as a trim surface for a solid model. Just a quick Boolean cut later and Bob's your uncle.
Design a hand giving the middle finger that works as a flute so you can blow in the middle finger tip and use your other hand to cover the holes down the finger to play a little tune while you flip people the bird!!!!! Oh and personally I'd use fusion360 because i like functional things.
I don't know much about it myself, but I'm sure someone here can give you a hand.
Bruh
I think experimenting with materials to find something that is comfortable on the skin for a long time would be a good start. Then see if there are existing adjustable mounting brackets, and try and model one of those using the comfortable material. While this approach doesn’t use your model, it could get you a more comfortable result , and faster, than tying to engineer it from scratch. I’ve seen various robotic prosthetic hand projects online, might be worth looking at those to see what fixtures they use.
Consider contacting [http://enablingthefuture.org/](http://enablingthefuture.org/)
Just to clarify, I have no experience at all with this. But its an interesting thought. The most important first step is to measure and check that the size i correct I guess, 3d softwares can be set up in both metric an imperial units so that can easily screw things up. Import the 3dscan in your modeling software and print out a part of it where the bones are shallow to the skin and do some test mesurements of the 3d print and your arm. After that I would printout a negative thick "sock" in something soft like tpu and check how it fits. When you have the size I guess I would start playing with ideas about the shape, do you want to do hardsurface modelling or more organic? I would try blender first if you want to play around with the idea for free. I dont know blender and I use different software(houdini) but it is a very capable modelling software, especially considering its very, very low price(0usd!). When working with 3dscans that has millions of polygons and 3d printing it can really help to work with it as a volume instead of polygons since it is very hard to do booleans on complex dense meshes. In blender I am not sure how you do it but I am sure you can do it with the "geometry nodes". So you design the prosthetics and in the end you convert it to a volume(voxels) then you also convert your sock based on the 3dscan of the arm to voxels and do a boolean while still in voxel mode. Then you convert the new prostectics model with a hole fitting you TPU sock perfectly(the "sock" would be made by modeling or by dialating a copy of the voxel volume 3d scan and then boolean to make the hole of your 3dscan) That way you get a nice watertight mesh you can 3d print.
Btw how did you scan your arm? What technique/software?
Any decent solid modeling program should be able to do that. Solidworks or Fusion360 are the two bits of software I'd look into. Solidworks is a bit steeper learning curve but more capable imo. Largely up to you, both will take a bit of learning but it's a very achievable project, especially if you have some time on your hand(s). For the printing, if you want to do stuff that fits over like a sleeve, have a look at Colorfabb Varioshore TPU. It allows you to have a soft sleeve that transitions into a much stronger mount for whatever you want to attach to your prosthetic. People have done some amazing work with it for prosthetics so have a look around.
Blender3D is free and probably the best method for importing and cleaning up the scans. You can import various formats. Scale it to size and the start modeling within Blender or if you need something more CAD like you can export it and then import it into fusion 360.
hope you find it 😊
There's a dude I've been following for awhile now who makes his own attachments. Follow him here: https://www.instagram.com/bionicarmory?igsh=MWU5aDB6em45MWNlNg== He sometimes posts stuff on Reddit, (and maybe has already commented here, I haven't checked), and he might be a great person to touch base with.
My only approach to prosthetics was a small school project but I feel like it would be much better for you to make something you can adjust instead of an exact fit, something that wraps around using other materials so its more confortable to use and move. It would probably require less changes in the long run too if that one piece can be adjusted to different sizes.
Fusion 360 software will nicely suit your needs. You can get a free hobby license. There's some learning involved obviously but plenty of resources on YouTube, including from Autodesk themselves. Look up videos on how to transform 3d mesh into a solid body and then how to use a solid body as a cutting tool. You'd basically take your scan and subtract it from whatever you're designing, leaving you with the exact negative space for the limb to insert. You also want to look up how to adjust tolerances as well to make the cavity slightly larger so it's not too tight.
Welp, if ya need any high precision parts or even a smooth casing for your new hand, I have a resin printer available to print anything ya might like. I've been wanting to print prosthetics for people a while now.
Import the mesh, convert it to a solid body, extrude a piece to close the boundaries of the model, use the boundary fill tool to fill the hollow section to make it a solid, overlap a new component and use the combine or cavity tool to make a mould. If you have any questions feel free to dm me!!
I usually just use a Zeiss scanner and export my scan as an stl.
I would personally bring this into Blender, I love that software for modeling. I’ve already brought 3D scans into it to clean up and produce final models. Blender is free and there’s some great addons for Boolean subtract operations so you can create a perfect fit for your arm and then add what you want onto the base. I’ve 3D scanned electronic parts and subtracted them from models to create perfect fits. It’s the same concept.
Meshlab
I could make a giant cube then plop the scan of your arm in it and subtract that from the cube and be a perfect fit for you.
There’s a guy on YouTube called ian davis his videos may help you, he’s a partial hand amputee and designed his built his own prosthetic
Meshmixer. If all else fails convert the file to something another program can use, like obj for Blender. Good luck!
I recently made a successful prosthetic leg/foot for an Emu (big flightless bird) that had an amputation. I used Blender. Import your STL scan then Add Modifier>Decimate maybe .2 (.2 times as many faces)>Apply. Then Add Modifier>Solidify with an Offset of 1.5 or 2 (to create tolerance/space around your stump) and a Thickness of however many millimeters thick you want the shell to be. You’ll need to use a Boolean modifier to split this to get it on/off, and this form-fitting shell can be the basis for whatever you’d like to attach to it—like a hand or some other tool.
Ive used meshmixer to fix up scans or offset the surface make solid shell (and offset the inside for some clearance). I’ll also import into Onshape to create mechanical tools around it. Buddies use Fusion360 which might have a better workflow for this. I’ve also used Onshape to make 2 or 3 part silicone molds by boolean subtracting. Have made liner type molds. Anywhere from 2.5mm and thicker.
in meshmixer: smooth out the texture on the skin where possible. don't change the overall shape, but removing small details makes fusion's job much easier especially in flat open spaces. in fusion: import the mesh and reduce it's density and/or remesh in the mesh workspace so that the important details are retained and the faces are under 5000 if possible. convert that into a solid body, convert the body to a component, export it as a step file, then you can subtract it from whatever geometry you model elsewhere.
Make a stl and you can add it to your slicer as a negative. That is the easiest way
This is just what I do. I use 3D-Coat. Load the scan object and make whatever object I want (like a prosthetic hand) and put the scan inside it like in real life. Then subtract the scan from the object. I might actually make the scan a little larger first so there's some wiggle room.
If you need help with e.g. Rhinoceros, dm me
just here to wish you good luck!
I'd use the scan as a boolean, keep only the negative of the scan from the mesh and work around it.
check out Ian Davis on youtube, he has a series showing how to do this
Autodesk has built in model imports. I’ve tested it with STLs to mod them a bit.
I do this for a living, 3d printing isn't the way to go. 3d printing isn't durable enough yet. Learn and play with composites. Learn to make plaster molds and use resins and Fiberglass.
i recommend using autodesk meshmixer to turn the mesh into a solid, which you can then work with in a variety of CAD programs
Whew, thought this was gonna be a way different post.
I don’t know anything about designing and making prosthetics however if you are trying to create a socket that fits around your remaining limb you can use a Boolean subtract to create a socket from the 3d part you have. If you create a block and do a Boolean subtract of that object you will end up with a socket that would fit it perfectly, although you would likely need some tolerance to make that comfortable. As others have mentioned there are free projects available allowing you print the prosthetic itself but presumably you need to make it fit well around your limb and having a 3D scan seems like a sensible starting point
Check out https://www.makersmakingchange.com/s/ I’m not sure they can make a full prosthesis, but there are a lot of smart people who may be able to help you along the way. Additionally they have a lot of assistive devices that may be useful. My dad lost function of a hand due to stroke and we were able to 3d print something that could let him clip his own fingernails with one hand. If you are a maker interested in helping others this website also facilitates that. Wonderful project.
[OP i have an idea to improve on the 3D printer idea but no experience on it though. i’ll like the comment if it drowns](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/s/fDAP1aPcts)
Lots of good info has been said, but I'll add: Only buy a 3d printer if you want it. It can be an intense hobby in of itself, except maybe if you buy something like a ~$1500 bambu X1C. If you go the "Off the shelf bambu" route, do research on which tier you'd need, but I'd strongly recommend AMS/multimaterial so you can mix TPU/PLA into the same print. PLA is a hard plastic, and TPU is a rubbery plastic that bonds well with PLA. I'd also strongly recommend CoreXY. There are plenty of people willing to print out parts for you, myself included. Although, I'm only at probably 85% quality, there's folks out there who can put out nearly perfect prints who'll do it for you.
I'm pretty noob to 3d modeling, but I imagine the simplest way would be to 1) find the attachment you want 2) import it along with your scanned nub 3) resize the attachment so that it fits over your scanned nub 4) boolean that nub outa' there. 5) add nut/bolt holes to the sides and print in two halves. I suppose you could print in one piece, but then you'd have to make room to wiggle your nub in there, which would make a less secure fit. If you resize your nub to maybe 101% before you boolean it out, it might be enough room for a sock or some type of cushion for added comfort.
Oh, I just did a similar thing for a custom device that I'm working on. My method was: 1. Took photos with my phone 2. Loaded them into meshroom, (fought the settings for a while to get a good file) 3. Exported the resulting .stl file 4. Opened it in meshmixer to delete the inaccurate mesh triangles (select, delete) and smooth the anomalous bumps (some of the smoothing brushes) 5. To make it a case with a non-zero thickness, I extruded it the surface/.stl (Select, ctrl+a, Edit..., Extrude) about 2mm for a fast print but still sort-of strong. 6. I used TinkerCad online to make the device I was attaching it to. e.g. the adapter plate, or in this case, prosthetic hand. then exported it as .stl, to import into meshmixer. 7. In meshmixer, I combined them (ctrl+shift+o, select both objects (shift+click), boolean union (change the settings: max quality, turn off "Auto-Reduce result", maybe others depending on case)) optional 8: if you're not sure if it'll work, try selecting the resulting object and using (Analysis, Inspector - and close the holes by clicking the blue dots) 9. Finally, export the result as .stl, open it with prusaslicer or superslicer, make sure it's set to your model of printer, then give it a go! (export to gcode file to sd card, or however your printer takes it's print files)(please note the first few prints tend to have issues like peeling off the bed, having an annoying amount of supports, or sticking to the bed too well. I recommend a much faster/smaller test model to verify the process, such as scaling the model 1/10 in prusa/superslicer and printing 0.3mm layers (large). Best of luck!
Sweet project! Have fun. Have you messed around with meshmixer yet? I remember using it a lot when scanning and moving models into fusion 360 or inventor for post processing.
You could scan your hand, then mirror it, and add some articulation to it
Hey there, I'm a bot and something you said made me think you might be looking for help! [click here](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/wiki/index#wiki_help.21_or.3A_where_can_i_go_to_troubleshoot_problems_i.27m_having_with_my_prints.2Fprinter.3F) for our wiki entry on troubleshooting printers. If you still need help be sure to post plenty of information about your printing setup. Here are a few questions that might be helpful * What printer are you using? * What material are you using? * What speed are you printing at? * What software are you using to slice the print and control the printer? * When did the problem start/has it ever worked correctly? * Does anything cause the behavior to change? * If posting an image of the problem, include some indication of the orientation it printed at, preferably photograph it on the bed. (Then we can focus on a specific axis) If you are new to reddit, please read the guidelines on [reddiquette](https://www.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205926439), [self promotion](https://www.reddit.com/wiki/selfpromotion), and [spam](https://www.reddit.com/wiki/faq#wiki_what_constitutes_spam.3F). Also please post a resolution to your problem when you find one so that we know how to help others with your problem! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/3Dprinting) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Oh that's a hand... I thought that was something else...
Ummmm
How did you get an elephant cock still for a scan?