Case Studies Walking on the World’s Most Advanced 3D Printed Prosthetics in the Jungles of Guatemala

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	Walking on the World’s Most Advanced 3D Printed Prosthetics in the Jungles of Guatemala

Walking on the World’s Most Advanced 3D Printed Prosthetics in the Jungles of Guatemala

Technology Category	Analytics & Modeling - Generative AI Functional Applications - Product Lifecycle Management Systems (PLM) Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems
Applicable Industries	Healthcare & Hospitals
Applicable Functions	Product Research & Development Quality Assurance
Use Cases	Additive Manufacturing Predictive Maintenance Remote Patient Monitoring
Services	Software Design & Engineering Services System Integration Training
Challenge	LifeNabled, a non-profit organization, has been providing prosthetic solutions to amputees in northern Guatemala for the past 15 years. The traditional manufacturing process for prosthetics is expertise-intensive and laborious, making it difficult to scale and cost-effective. The organization aimed to digitize the entire workflow to bypass these challenges and make the process scalable and cost-effective. The goal was to improve the quality of life for amputees in developing countries by providing advanced prosthetic and orthotic devices. Read More
About Customer	LifeNabled is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing prosthetic solutions for the developing world. For the past 15 years, they have been changing the lives of amputees in northern Guatemala. Leveraging the 3D printing expertise of its founder, Brent Wright, LifeNabled has focused on creating a fully digital workflow to produce custom 3D printed prosthetic sockets with flexible inner liners. The organization aims to make the digital process scalable and cost-effective, with the potential to replicate it in other parts of the world to significantly improve the quality of life for amputees in developing countries. Read More
Solution	LifeNabled implemented a fully digital workflow for producing prosthetic devices. The process begins with 3D scanning of the patients, allowing for quick and accurate evaluations. The engineering team then designs each custom prosthetic device and manufactures the sockets using MJF 3D printing. The entire process, from 3D scan to manufacturing-ready STL files, is streamlined and semi-automated using nTopology's software. This approach not only saves valuable engineering time but also ensures higher-quality and error-free results. Additionally, the team opted for washable and low-cost cloth socks and flexible 3D printed foam liners to ensure comfort and hygiene for the patients. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Generative AI

Functional Applications - Product Lifecycle Management Systems (PLM)

Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems

Applicable Industries

Healthcare & Hospitals

Applicable Functions

Product Research & Development

Quality Assurance

Use Cases

Additive Manufacturing

Predictive Maintenance

Remote Patient Monitoring

Services

Software Design & Engineering Services

System Integration

Training

Challenge

LifeNabled, a non-profit organization, has been providing prosthetic solutions to amputees in northern Guatemala for the past 15 years. The traditional manufacturing process for prosthetics is expertise-intensive and laborious, making it difficult to scale and cost-effective. The organization aimed to digitize the entire workflow to bypass these challenges and make the process scalable and cost-effective. The goal was to improve the quality of life for amputees in developing countries by providing advanced prosthetic and orthotic devices.

About Customer

LifeNabled is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing prosthetic solutions for the developing world. For the past 15 years, they have been changing the lives of amputees in northern Guatemala. Leveraging the 3D printing expertise of its founder, Brent Wright, LifeNabled has focused on creating a fully digital workflow to produce custom 3D printed prosthetic sockets with flexible inner liners. The organization aims to make the digital process scalable and cost-effective, with the potential to replicate it in other parts of the world to significantly improve the quality of life for amputees in developing countries.

Solution

LifeNabled implemented a fully digital workflow for producing prosthetic devices. The process begins with 3D scanning of the patients, allowing for quick and accurate evaluations. The engineering team then designs each custom prosthetic device and manufactures the sockets using MJF 3D printing. The entire process, from 3D scan to manufacturing-ready STL files, is streamlined and semi-automated using nTopology's software. This approach not only saves valuable engineering time but also ensures higher-quality and error-free results. Additionally, the team opted for washable and low-cost cloth socks and flexible 3D printed foam liners to ensure comfort and hygiene for the patients.

Impact #1	Streamlined operations: The digital workflow saves valuable engineering time and scales design processing using design automation.
Impact #2	Higher-performing products: The use of advanced manufacturing processes allows for the development of next-generation orthopedic devices.
Impact #3	Knowledge sharing: Engineering expertise is captured in reusable design workflows, which can be shared across teams or organizations.

Impact #1

Streamlined operations: The digital workflow saves valuable engineering time and scales design processing using design automation.

Impact #2

Higher-performing products: The use of advanced manufacturing processes allows for the development of next-generation orthopedic devices.

Impact #3

Knowledge sharing: Engineering expertise is captured in reusable design workflows, which can be shared across teams or organizations.

Benefit #1	35 patients in Guatemala received advanced prosthetic and orthotic devices.
Benefit #2	The digital workflow allowed for the evaluation of 35 amputees in just two days.
Benefit #3	LifeNabled saved more than a day of computational processing using nTopology.

Benefit #1

35 patients in Guatemala received advanced prosthetic and orthotic devices.

Benefit #2

The digital workflow allowed for the evaluation of 35 amputees in just two days.

Benefit #3

LifeNabled saved more than a day of computational processing using nTopology.

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Overview

Walking on the World’s Most Advanced 3D Printed Prosthetics in the Jungles of Guatemala

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit