Manufacturing technology of prosthetic parts: 3-axis CNC milling of master model

Abstract

Medical prostheses are intended to replace human body parts lost by injury or missing from birth or to supplement defective body parts. The current trend of prostheses production is directed to the application of computer systems processing digitized information and to a marked increase in the use of computer numerical machine tools (CNC). The objective of this study is to extend the application of reverse engineering technology and knowledge to fabricate the master model of missing limb. The optically digitized right upper limb was transformed into the computer master model. Further computer aided (CA) systems were implemented to automate manufacturing process and to improve the flexibility of production. The resulting master model is a crucial for the fabrication of unique prosthetics, cosmetic covers, or cavities for injection and casting. In the case study, emphasis is placed on computer aided manufacturing (CAM) and 3 axis milling on regular CNC machine tool. © 2015. International Journal of Mechanics All rights reserved.