3D scanning and digital manufacturing technologies applied in research projects in archaeology

The primary concern of the Industry 4.0 is the direct digital manufacturing of customized products on demand at high production speed, high accuracy with functional material property. Although the unique capabilities of existing additive manufacturing technologies make it suitable for direct digital manufacturing, there are numerous limitations which include low printing speed, less accuracy and repeatability, and a limited selection of materials for a particular application. Therefore, a high-speed additive manufacturing approach is proposed in this paper, that is capable of achieving high speed of production, high accuracy, and surface finish, and functional material property. For better understanding, authors describe those additive manufacturing technologies that are capable of achieving the aforementioned characteristics. For validation, samples of various dimensions were 3D printed on a selective laser sintering and a high-speed multijet fusion 3D printer. The results were compared in the context of printing speed, surface roughness (Ra), and hardness of printed parts. Results revealed that the multijet fusion process is significantly faster than its counterpart while sacrificing Ra to some extent but the hardness of printed parts is not changed significantly. The selective laser sintering-printed samples had a 15% lower Ra compared with multijet fusion samples. The results also revealed that the multijet fusion process might be able to print composite/multi-materials; however, more research needs to be done.

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Ceramic Workshop Adapted with 3D Technologies to Improve the Self-Esteem of People with Disabilities

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12219063 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (21) ◽

pp. 9063

Author(s):

Alejandro Bonnet de León ◽

Cecile Meier ◽

Jose Luis Saorin

Keyword(s):

Simple Technique ◽

Low Cost ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Digital Tools ◽

Digital Manufacturing ◽

Observation Data ◽

3D Scanner ◽

3D Printed ◽

People With Intellectual Disabilities ◽

Manufacturing Technologies

This paper describes a process to adapt tools in an artistic ceramic workshop in which custom molds are created using low-cost digital manufacturing technologies. The digitalization of busts by a 3D scanner and their transformation into 3D printed molds is a simple technique that only requires basic digital tools. These molds were used in the artistic ceramic workshop of the Psychopedagogical Center of the Order of San Juan de Dios in Tenerife, where the authors worked with people with intellectual disabilities to make ceramic pieces. These people, in most cases, do not have the necessary skills for detail modeling; however, with the help of digital manufacturing technologies, they can produce molds of their own faces and create personalized figures autonomously. In this way, they increase their self-esteem and autonomy and discover new possibilities for making products; as a result, they feel fulfilled and confirm that they can be part of the creation process. To obtain an evaluation of the activity, a qualitative study was carried out, and observation data were collected. The attitudes of the users were compared with observations made during a similar activity without using molds or technologies. It was observed that the attitude of the participants significantly improved when they obtained more satisfactory results with the use of molds.

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Innovative approaches to designing and manufacturing a prosthetic thumb

Prosthetics and Orthotics International ◽

10.1177/0309364620949717 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 030936462094971 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Branko Štefanovič ◽

Monika Michalíková ◽

Lucia Bednarčíková ◽

Marianna Trebuňová ◽

Jozef Živčák

Keyword(s):

Additive Manufacturing ◽

3D Scanning ◽

Metacarpal Bone ◽

Point Of View ◽

Dominant Hand ◽

Fused Filament Fabrication ◽

Conventional Methods ◽

Manufacturing Technologies ◽

The Right ◽

Manufacturing Time

Case description: Conventional methods for producing custom prosthetic fingers are time-consuming, can be uncomfortable for the patient, and require a skilled prosthetist. The subject was a 40-year-old male with congenital absence of the thumb and related metacarpal bone on the right non-dominant hand, anomaly of the lengths of individual upper limb segments, and contracture of the elbow joint. This hand presentation made it impossible for him to perform thumb opposition, which is a very important function for common daily activities. Objective: The goal was to design an individual passive thumb prosthesis using free open-source software, 3D scanning technology, and additive manufacturing methods (i.e., fused filament fabrication). Study design: Case report. Treatment: Artificial thumb prostheses with two types of bases and fastening interfaces were designed and manufactured. One combination was chosen as the best alternative. Outcomes: The shape, positioning, firmness, and fastening of the prosthesis were compliant enough for the patient to be able to hold objects with his healthy fingers and artificial thumb. This innovative approach to fabrication of a custom thumb prosthesis provided considerable advantages in terms of custom sizing, manufacturing time, rapid production, iteration, comfort, and costs when compared to conventional methods of manufacturing a hand prosthesis. Conclusion: The methodology of designing and manufacturing a prosthetic thumb using 3D scanning and additive manufacturing technologies have been demonstrated to be adequate from a practical point of view. These technologies show potential for use in the practice of prosthetics.

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Additive Manufacturing Applications on Flexible Actuators for Active Orthoses and Medical Devices

Journal of Healthcare Engineering ◽

10.1155/2019/5659801 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Michele Gabrio Antonelli ◽

Pierluigi Beomonte Zobel ◽

Francesco Durante ◽

Terenziano Raparelli

Keyword(s):

Additive Manufacturing ◽

Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene ◽

Variable Stiffness ◽

Fused Deposition Modelling ◽

Research Projects ◽

Element Analysis ◽

Pneumatic Actuators ◽

Fused Deposition ◽

Manufacturing Applications ◽

Manufacturing Technologies

This paper describes the results of research projects developed at the University of L’Aquila by the research group of the authors in the field of biomedical engineering, which have seen an important use of additive manufacturing technologies in the prototyping step and, in some cases, also for the realization of preindustrialization prototypes. For these projects, commercial 3D printers and technologies such as fused deposition modelling (FDM) were used; the most commonly used polymers in these technologies are acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polylactic acid (PLA). The research projects concern the development of innovative actuators, such as pneumatic muscles and soft pneumatic actuators (SPAs), the development of active orthoses, such as a lower limb orthosis and, finally, the development of a variable-stiffness grasper to be used in natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES). The main aspects of these research projects are described in the paper, highlighting the technologies used such as the finite element analysis and additive manufacturing.

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