A critical review of 3D printed orthoses towards workflow implementation in the clinical practice
Nashmi H. Alrasheedi, Mehdi Tlija, Nessrine Elloumi, Borhen Louhichi
Abstract
The modern manufacturing industry is investing in new technologies to enhance production performance, expand information communication, and gain competitive advantages in the global market. Since the advent of 3D-printing technology, the integration of 3D-printed orthoses into current clinical practice has been hindered and delayed by several factors, including the high cost of the equipment, the absence of appropriate software and scanning tools, and the lack of highly skilled clinicians. Recent scientific progress has been investigated in the circumvention or even elimination of some technological barriers to accelerate the implementation of orthoses in hospital practices. The overcoming of remaining obstacles and the refinement of the manufacturing workflow for orthotic devices require the identification of further improvement areas. This paper presents a review of modern designs and production workflows of 3D-printed orthoses. A short research classification according to the area of interest and a time production synthesis are presented to follow the workflow evolution during the last decades. This research work aims to assist in catalyzing more in-depth investigations and research efforts to accelerate and expand the implementation of 3D-printed orthoses in clinical practices.