Desenvolvimento de prótese transfemural de baixo custo por processo de manufatura aditiva destinada ao público infantil.

Abstract

Transfemoral prosthesis is a type of assistive technology, which encompasses products, resources, methodologies, strategies, practices and services in order to promote functionality related to the activity and participation of people with disabilities, disability or reduced mobility, aiming at their autonomy, independence, quality of life and social inclusion. Additive Manufacturing is a manufacturing process through the addition of material in the form of successive flat layers, a strong ally in the innovation process, influencing the modernization of assistive technologies. This study aims to develop a low-cost Transfemoral Prosthesis through the additive manufacturing process aimed at children. The entire prosthesis development process was carried out using 3D technologies, computational tools and additive manufacturing, such as 3D scanning, CAD, CAE and CAM software and 3D printers. FDM technologies and ABS-type material were used to manufacture the prosthesis. It was evidenced in the study results that AM technology is capable of enhancing the manufacturing capacity of orthopedic workshops, reducing the total time of the process of granting transfemoral prostheses for children, although the process provided greater ease for the fabrication of complex geometries, especially for the socket component. In addition to this, the digital modeling of the device guaranteed the character of customization regarding the dimensions of the patient, in addition to the result of the computer simulation giving the device characteristics of resistance to the process and to the type of material. The entire process resulted in a reduction in the final cost of the prosthesis of 92.5% when compared to the traditional process, confirming the low cost character of the development of assistive technologies using AM.