Preliminary Design and Manufacturing of a Hand Orthosis for Fracture Rehabilitation"

Abstract

Some orthosis products still use conventional techniques so that they are generally uncomfortable for patients to use. Conventional orthosis production has limitations in that it does not follow the patient's morphology, so it can cause high pressure at several points when used. Therefore, a hand orthosis is designed and made that takes into account the geometric shape of the hand as a consideration of patient comfort. The method used is the reverse engineering and additive manufacturing process. The hand design is obtained from a 3D scanner and then processed using the reverse engineering process. Finite element analysis is performed to calculate the design strength by simulating the loading on the design. The design results are printed with a 3D printer using Polylactide (PLA) material, a type of thermoplastic that can be recycled. The results have successfully produced a hand orthosis with a geometric shape that follows the shape of the patient's hand with a mass of 282 grams. This product has advantages including having ventilation, easy to clean, easy to install and remove, not hot when used and has good aesthetics.