Computer-Aided Design and Fabrication of Finger Prosthesis

Takeshi Murayama^1*, Kosei Oono¹, Mitsunori Tada², Toru Eguchi³, Misuzu Nagami⁴, Mitsuhiro Tamamoto¹

¹Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
²Digital Human Research Center, Agency for Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tokyo, Japan.
³Graduate School of Engineering, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
⁴Hello Tomorrow Japan Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan.

DOI: 10.4236/jbise.2015.82010                

Abstract

Custom-made esthetic finger prostheses, which are used for rehabilitation of patients with missing or impaired fingers, have been fabricated manually. However, such fabrication is time-consuming and requires manual skill. Here we propose a computer-aided method for fabricating finger pros-theses to save time and allow fabrications that do not require considerable manual skill. In this method, the dimensions of a patient’s healthy finger on the contralateral hand are first measured using a caliper. Using these dimensions, a three-dimensional model is constructed for fabricating a prosthesis for the patient’s impaired finger. Using the 3D model, a mold is designed using 3D modeling tools and a computer-aided design system. The resulting mold is then fabricated using a 3D printer. A finger prosthesis is fabricated by pouring silicone resin into the mold. A finger prosthesis for a volunteer was experimentally fabricated according to the proposed method. To evaluate the size and shape of the finger prosthesis, the difference between the finger prosthesis and the original finger of the volunteer was analyzed. Because the average difference between them was 0.25 mm, it was concluded that the proposed method could be used to fabricate a finger prosthesis of adequate size and shape.

Keywords

Finger Prostheses, Esthetic Prostheses, Computer-Aided Design, 3D Printer, Additive Manufacturing

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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