3D Printed Cast Replaces Traditional Plaster

A novel three-dimensional (3D) printed customizable alternative for splint casts provides good ventilation, can be washed, and is up to ten times lighter than plaster.

Developed by graduates of the National University of Mexico (UNAM, Mexico City), the NovaCast does not require prior optical or computerized tomography (CT) scan data to generate the cast, but is instead designed using a software algorithm that defines the ideal spatial geometry and the precise measurements needed for fabrication, based on individual parameters entered by the physician. The resulting cast can be printed using a polymer in an average of three and a half hours, depending on the size of the person.

The resulting cast weighs a tenth of the weight of a similar plaster cast, is easily removable, aesthetically pleasing, and hygienic, and can be personalized per demand; it even allows the wearer to bathe with it. The UNAM graduates patented the technology and formed a startup called Medi-Print (Mexico City, Mexico), to manufacture the 3D printers. The company is currently doing research in order to reduce target time to just one hour, and plans to take the technology to hospitals and increase the number of 3D printers.

“The material with which conventional splints are made is plaster, which is highly hygroscopic; this means that it absorbs sweat and causes the bacteria to proliferate because there almost no ventilation,” said mechatronic engineer Zaid Musa Badwan, founder of Medi-Print. “In worst case scenarios, you can lose a limb because of the complications caused by ulcers. Sometimes bones do not properly heal due to badly placed casts either.”

Traditional casts are a shell--frequently made from plaster or fiberglass--that encase a limb or other parts of the body to stabilize and hold anatomical structures, most often broken bones, in place until healing is confirmed. Advantages of plaster casts include accurate molding for a snug and comfortable fit; in addition, plaster is smooth and does not snag clothing or abrade the skin. The major disadvantages are that due to the nature of the dressing, the limb is unreachable during treatment; the skin becomes dry and scaly; and cutaneous complications abound. In hot weather, staphylococcal infection of the hair follicles and sweat glands can lead to severe and painful dermatitis.

Related Links:
National University of Mexico
Medi-Print