3D Printers

ZMorph Hybrid 3D Printer Used to Create Rehabilitation Orthosis

We’ve already witnessed the usefulness of ZMorph’s hybrid 3D printers for a handful of applications, from engineering a 2,000-ton bridge in Poland to the creation of a mechanical watch. Their latest 3D printer, the ZMorph 2.0 S hybrid, provides access to 11 swappable toolheads that include PLA, CNC milling, and laser cutting, giving Makers a whole lot of creative possibilities all in one platform. Now, a Biomedical Engineering student from the Wroclaw University of Technology in Poland, Eliza Wrobel, is using ZMorph’s 2.0 S to help a young disabled man rehabilitate from limb paresis.

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Prosthetics have become one of the staple applications for 3D printing technology, Wrobel continues this trend with the ZMorph 2.0 S Precise Printing set, which comes equipped with an extrusion toolhead. Before printing the rehabilitation orthosis device, Wrobel took a ceramic mold of the patient’s hand, which was then digitized with a ATOS II Triple Scanner from her school Wroclaw University.

She then used CAD software to design a lightweight and efficient orthosis device, which was equipped with a lever mechanism that would allow the disabled patient to effectively clench and rest his hand. The design was constructed with over 70 individual parts, including the custom-fitted husk for the wrist, five sets of finger casings, and the aforementioned lever mechanism. Wrobel connected the smaller parts with 3D printed pins; the main components were connected with 3D printed latches. Using a variety of different colored 1.75mm ABS filament, Wrobel had created a rehabilitation orthosis device perfectly fit for the young disabled man.

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“With the help of ZMorph 2.0 S hybrid 3D printer I managed to improve and manufacture a working prototype of an orthosis which perfectly fits the needs of my patient,” Wrobel said.

Though she didn’t quite stray from the plastic extruder toolhead, Wrobel still found the ZMorph hybrid 3D printer to be a faster and more affordable alternative compared to outsourcing the project to a 3D printing service provider. The cost of the ZMorph 2.0 S hybrid 3D printer is completely dependent on the toolhead set purchased with it. Wrobel used the Precise Printing Set, which cost around 1,7900 €, while the full set of toolheads cost about 3,275.00 €. While more and more manufacturing techniques become intertwined with one another, ZMorph is working to offer their customers all the tools they need on a single platform.