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Running head: 3D PRINTING ARTIFICIAL LIMBS

3D Printing Artificial Limbs

Abdulla Khalid Al Mualla

Humaid Mohammed Al Suwaidi

Obaid Hamad Al Shamsi

University Of Sharjah

Instructor: Suheir Mustafa Abu Hantash

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Table of Contents
Abstract.......................................................................................................................................................3

Introduction of the problem.........................................................................................................................4

Artificial limbs (Prosthetics)........................................................................................................................4

3D printing..................................................................................................................................................6

Methodology...............................................................................................................................................7

Literature Review........................................................................................................................................8

Advantages of Prosthetic arms................................................................................................................8

Disadvantages of prosthetic arms.........................................................................................................11
Results.......................................................................................................................................................12

Benefits of Prosthetics...........................................................................................................................12
Cheap and accessible ........................................................................................................................12
Easy for customization......................................................................................................................13
Low costs of maintenance and refurbishing.......................................................................................13
Recommendation.......................................................................................................................................14

Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................14

References.................................................................................................................................................15
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Abstract

Introduction of artificial limbs has revolutionized the medical field in the recent times, giving

hope to people who lost one of their limbs of walking or holding things again. This paper seeks

to investigate whether it is possible to make artificial limbs more affordable using 3D printers.

This paper utilized the secondary sources of data and information as the main methodology. The

data and information obtained indicate clearly that the use of 3D printing would be a perfect way

of making artificial limbs like arms and legs more affordable to all and efficient.

Introduction of the problem

Accidents do happen in our dynamic environment. The casualties are often caused by

occupational hazards or other elements in our environment. For instance, a factory worker
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dealing with machineries can get himself injured in the process. Many injuries are obtained by

the military personnel who are deployed in war zones, where an attack can inflict so much

damages on them. The severity of these accidents may range from mild to serious, where life-

changing injuries are involved. Sometimes, these injuries cause people to lose limbs. For many,

this may seem as the end of the road for them. They will not walk their dogs in the park again,

bake bread, or participate in the senior college athletics championship. The reason for this is that

artificial limbs are usually very expensive and not affordable to many. Introduction of 3D

printing technology can be used in producing prosthetics at a faster rate and affordable prices

than ever before. This paper seeks to investigate whether the use of 3D printing can make the

production of artificial limbs more affordable and efficient.

Artificial limbs (Prosthetics)

The artificial limbs (usually termed as transtibial prosthesis) are prototypes that are made

to replace the lost arms or legs. The amputees are able to regain normal movements and resume

their initial activities using these prototypes. The introduction of prosthetic limbs has

revolutionized the lives of amputees who had initially given up on regaining full control of

themselves. They are especially very helpful useful in rehabilitating people and give them as

second chance of life. With prosthesis, it is possible to go back to work and enable an individual

earn a living and stay independent.

The reason why not many amputees can access the artificial limbs is their costs.

Manufacturing prosthetics is usually a lengthy process. The acquisition of materials, making

measurements, and producing them makes them extremely expensive. Firstly, it involves

combination of several durable materials to enable an individual move around with convenience

as well as withstanding elements in the environment. It involves welded metallic parts for
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support, rubber for mobility and stretching, and foam padding for comfort and cushion against

shock. Secondly, everybody is unique. Therefore, each amputee has to receive a customized

artificial limb that is compatible with his or her body. Finally, there is an issue of maintenance.

No matter how expensive these artificial limbs are, they cannot survive long due to wear and

tear. This means that there would be calls to go for refurbishing and reconditioning once or twice

a year, depending on the quality of the prosthetics.

In America, there are about 185,000 amputations performed each year[ CITATION Ste12 \l

1033 ]. This sums up to 2 million people with amputated limbs. The main causes for amputations

are usually injuries, cancer, trauma, and congenital diseases. On average, 31,000 prostheses are

sold to the amputees in a year[ CITATION Han56 \l 1033 ]. This shows a serious deficit in a number

of people forced to live without limbs for the rest of their lives.

According to ABC News, the prosthetic limbs can cost anything from $5,000 to

$50,000[ CITATION ABC13 \l 1033 ]. This is the initial purchase cost, exclusive of the other costs

like maintenance. Not everyone can afford $5,000 at once. This is why some amputees prefer

sitting on the wheelchairs or use crutches for the rest of their lives. Prosthetic hands are even

more complex to make as they require specialized technologies to enable them move in a

controlled way. It takes years of research and incorporation of specialized expertise. IEEE

Spectrum documented a prosthetic hand that enables the user to regain the sense of touch. The

project is known as Haptix program, where a device powered by myoelectric technology is

incorporated in the artificial arm[ CITATION Dus16 \l 1033 ]. For the hand to work, it requires the

electrode cuffs to be surgically implanted in the arm muscles. These cuffs coordinate with the

external computer. This enables the hand to be controlled through flexing the muscles, pretty
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much like the natural hand. Making this arm is undoubtedly very expensive and time consuming.

It shows exactly how complex the hands prosthetics are.

IEEE prosthetic arm with sense of touch

3D printing

3D Printing is an action of producing a physical three-dimensional object. The process

requires a computer control to achieve efficiency in fusing together tiny materials layer by layer

to form an actual desired object. The objects are usually produced from a digital model, which

can be reproduced an infinite number of times, as long as the materials are available. The

introduction of 3D printing took to the production industries by storm. This is because they

achieve massive efficiency in producing new products, especially the technology and machinery

parts. These parts are also produced at a faster rate than the traditional method of manufacturing
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and production. It saves on the cost of production and the time spent to produce those parts. It

also reduces on the costs of labor.

The prosthetics can be effectively produced through the 3D printing. There are various

benefits of using 3D printing in this case. The complex geometrics can be produced without

incurring any additional costs. It allows for easy customization of each part as the digital model

is easily adjusted, which can be printed to fit the person. The 3D printing also allows a large

range of materials. The printing process does not require specialized expertise to print the

prosthetic arm. The user-friendly software allows for easy printing without any complication.

There is a variety of materials used for 3D printing. They include commonly used

polyamide (nylon), abs, gypsum, ceramic powder, stainless steel, gold, resin, silver, and

titanium. However, a major disadvantage of 3D printing is that the printed prosthetics will have

lower durability due to their reduced strength. Therefore, wear and tear will be very frequent. But

the lowered cost of production will make it easier and cheaper for replacement.

Methodology

This study was conducted through collecting data and information from secondary

sources. This involves websites offering crucial statistics about the costs of prosthetic limbs, as

well as news reports where prosthetics were used. The study also utilized important information

provided by the scholarly journal articles, some of which have been used to create the literature

review section above. The data and information were used to establish the position of the paper

and draw conclusion. The research question was to investigate whether the use of 3D printed

limbs would be cheaper and affordable for everyone.

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Literature Review

Advantages of Prosthetic arms

Heidi Reidel highlights the successes and failures of 3D printed prosthetics[ CITATION

Hei17 \l 1033 ]. As earlier mentioned, the introduction of 3D printed artificial limbs has benefited

the health sector a great deal as far as the amputees are concerned. The first benefit is the

affordability. 3D printed artificial limbs promises cheap and readily available limbs. Children

prosthetics costs as little as $50. Another issue pressed by Reidel is how the prosthetic limbs can

be made at a faster rate. A limb can be made in a day as compared to the tedious task of

producing them in industries. They can easily be customized by adjusting the measurements and

other preferences on the digital model before printing. Another advantage of 3D printing is its

compatibility with a wide range of materials other than acrylonitrile butadiene styrene plastics

which make the prosthetics much stronger and durable.

Kendall F Gretsch and company investigated the cost efficiency of the development of

3D printed robotic prosthetic for the trasradial amputees[ CITATION Ken15 \l 1033 ]. The robotic

prosthetic has been dubbed as “Robohand”. The research shows that the 3D printing of

Robohand reduces the cost of the prosthetics and make them very much affordable for everyone.

The 3D printed prosthetics developed by researchers from University of Manchester

proves that these prototypes can be provided at the fraction of the initial selling price, meaning

they are affordable[ CITATION Ann18 \l 1033 ]. The designers and researchers developed a robotic

arm that act as a cheap alternative of the traditional prosthetics. The researchers also points out

that these 3D printed prosthetic arms have some functional improvement in comparison with the

initial traditional artificial arm. As mentioned earlier in this context, artificial arms are much

more complex than the artificial legs, making them cost much more. However, when it comes to
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3D printing, the prices are slashed by a remarkable margin. To begin with, the high costs of

producing these technologically controlled prosthetic arm was way high. Using 3D printer

technology, the production cost of the robotic arm is just $433[ CITATION Ann18 \l 1033 ]. In

contrast, the robotic arm usually come with extremely high price tags, ranging anywhere from

$35,000 to $85,000. It would be a remarkable improvement if a robotic arm could go for a

around $1,000, thanks to the 3D printer technology. The development earned the award for the

Best New Development in the Digital Innovation Challenge[ CITATION Ann18 \l 1033 ].

It is undoubted that the production and development of 3D printing prosthetics keep on

improving with time. This is thanks to the ever continuing research and innovation in this sector.

The aim is to make the prosthetics even more affordable for all, and not just for the lucky few,

Talking about the aspect of revolution, Giulio Coppi admits that 3D printing technology has

brought massive changes to the production of prosthetics, as far as pricing and convenience are

concerned[ CITATION Giu17 \l 1033 ]. The affordability of the prosthetics have been enabled by

various factors including the use of a more sustainable and open-source economic models, a

decrease maintenance costs, reduced production costs, and the distributed research system that it

allows. Coppi also highlights the main challenges that still bombard this venture. The fact that

the 3D printers are bulky and the complexity of the processes heightens its electrical

consumption. This is a major challenge inhibiting a more mainstream production of 3D printed

prosthetics.

One of the major objectives of 3D printed artificial limbs is to help amputees in the

developing countries. In these regions, a huge percentage of the population and living beneath

the minimum wages. There are limited opportunities to cater everyone. In these regions, thinking

about prosthetics might not be the priority due to their extremely high prices. The development
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of 3D printed prosthetics has given new hope to residents from these regions. This is because

they are readily available and cheap.

In their case study, Corinne Dally and company writes about the 3D printed hand

prosthetic hand and its usage in developing countries. According to them, the people in these

developing countries are usually faced with harsh challenges such as political instability, disease

outbreaks, birth defects, traumatic accidents, and civil wars making a section of the people to

people live without hands or fingers. 3D printed artificial hands would offer these people a

cheaper alternative of the costly traditional prosthetics, as they require frequent repairs and

maintenance. These 3D printed hands will also allow room for customization. According to the

researchers, traditional prosthetics had become prohibitively expensive and out of reach by these

people in developing areas[ CITATION Cor15 \l 1033 ]. The research shows a startling statistics

where by approximately 650 million people live with physical disability worldwide. 20% of this

population come from a well off countries, and the rest are in developing countries[ CITATION

Cor15 \l 1033 ]. Only a small percentage of these folks in developing nations can access

rehabilitative services. The rest are left to live with their physical disability for the rest of their

lives.

An instance is the 3D printing industry in Syria that provides rehabilitation for the people

who lose limbs as a result of constant conflicts and war in the region[CITATION UMA18 \l 1033 ]. It

was noted that the process of making traditional prosthetics is costly and time consuming. This

makes it impossible to cover everyone as fast and conveniently as possible. For instance, it took

the charity five days to make one artificial limb for a patient in Syria[CITATION UMA18 \l 1033 ].

That time is too long. As a result, some patients had to wait up to 6 months in order to receive a

leg or an arm. Syria Relief turned to 3D printers for faster result. This prove to be very useful in
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rehabilitating war victims. The prosthetics were made at a much faster rate and was very cheap,

making the relief able to sustain itself and carry out the saving and rehabilitating activities for

longer period of time [ CITATION UMA18 \l 2057 ].

Disadvantages of prosthetic arms

A number of people have pressed forward the concerns about the ecological side-effects

of these prosthetics[ CITATION Giu17 \l 1033 ]. The materials used have some harmful impact on

the environment, especially when these products are disposed of after wear and tear. This is

because the materials are non-biodegradable. Coppi calls for a more sustainable production,

which will make the venture more conventional.

Reidel highlights that the main failures of 3D printed prosthetics lies in its durability

(Reidel, 2017). These products wear and tear very frequently as compared to the traditional

prosthetics. These limbs have a tendency of breaking under pressure.

Despite the fact that 3D printed prosthetic hands will prove very useful to these people

living in developing regions, there are a number of concerns raised by the researchers.

Environmental condition is the major challenge in this context[ CITATION Cor15 \l 1033 ]. Some

materials are not suitable for the prevailing climatic conditions. For instance, stainless steel is

more prone to rust and wearing off for people living in coastal areas. The prosthetics cannot fully

assume the normal activities of the person as the materials might be very durable. For instance,

lifting heavy object is a limitation as it will destroy the prosthetics and potentially harm the

individual.
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Results

It is clear that the demand for prosthetic limbs has skyrocketed. According to the

statistics viewed earlier in this context, a higher percentage of amputees in the world cannot

access the artificial limbs. The reason for this is that the prosthetics are expensive and not readily

available due to long complex process of their production. The prices of the traditional prosthetic

legs usually ranges from $5,000 and $30,000. The arms and hands are usually much more

complex, therefore costing more. People living in developing countries or in low-income

households could barely afford them. The study has revealed that introduction of the 3D

prosthetic limbs are more affordable and can be easily accessed by these people from low-

income areas.

From the assessment in the sources, it is clear that the introduction of 3D prosthetics has

helped change the situation in three ways. Development of the prosthetic limbs are cost efficient,

reducing their retailing prices. 3D printed prosthetic limbs allow for easy customization, which

was a complex daunting task when it came to producing the traditional artificial limbs. This also

helps in reducing the costs of production. Finally, the 3D printed prosthetic limbs production

does not require expensive maintenance and refurbishing processes.

Benefits of Prosthetics

Cheap and accessible prosthetics

The complexity of the traditional prosthetic limbs made the production process a lengthy

one, requiring a lot of expertise and knowledge. As we all know, time is money. The

manufacturers need to pay for the energy costs and expertise, and as well as reserving some

fractions to sustain the operations. This is why the selling price of the prosthetic limbs was so

high, starting from $5,000.

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The introduction of the 3D printing technology offered a whole new perspective on the

issue at hand. It helped slash the prices by a remarkable margin, making them more affordable.

First, it does not require any special expertise to run the processes. Secondly, the prosthetic can

be made from a wide range of durable material, often determined by the client’s budget. Finally,

the production process is fast and efficient, saving on time.

Easy for customization

It is necessary to make customized artificial limbs because people are different. This will

enable them to find a fitting artificial limb. The prosthetic limbs are easily customized as it only

requires the designer to adjust the measurements on the digital model on the screen. When done,

the designer hits print button and the processes begin. This was a daunting task when it came to

the traditional artificial limbs, which as a result increased the selling price.

Low costs of maintenance and refurbishing

Due to wear and tear, the prosthetic legs suffer a lot, especially in people who do a lot of

physical activities. Thus the reason for maintenance. Traditional artificial limbs required the user

to buy a whole section which was very expensive. Printing a small section of the prosthetic limb

is comparatively cheaper and affordable, allowing the person to continue with their daily life

uninterruptedly.

Recommendation

The manufacturers and developers of 3D printed artificial limbs should focus on a

number of things to make the production more mainstream. First, a lot of research should be

done to establish a much stronger affordable material to make the prosthetics durable. This will

reduce the incurred costs of maintenance. The materials should also be sustainable and eco-
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friendly, allowing for environmental protection. The printers should be redesigned to use less

electric power, which will in turn reduce the selling price due to lowered costs of production.

Finally, the prosthetics should be made flexible to withstand pressures and allowing intricate

movements.

Conclusion

In sum, we have established that the use of 3D printers in making artificial limbs works

successfully in reducing the costs. This is because the process requires less expertise to control

the process, it involves cheaper costs of production, and it allows for easy customization. The

introduction of 3D technology has revolutionized the medical field in successfully rehabilitating

amputees at an affordable cost. In this paper, we have critically collected information regarding

the 3D printed prosthetic limbs from the secondary sources of information, which has been wired

to answer the research question.

References
ABCNews. (2013). The Cost of a New Limb Can Add up Over a Lifetime. Retrieved from

https://www.hss.edu/newsroom_prosthetic-leg-cost-over-lifetime.asp

Coppi, G. (2017). 3D PRINTING AND PROSTHETICS: Prospects and Challenges in Context

with Limited Resources. Humanitarian Innovation Fellow.

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Dally, C., Johnson, D., Canon, M., & Ritter, S. (2015). Characteristics of a 3D-printed prosthetic

hand for use in developing countries. Global Humanitarian Technology Conference, 66-

71.

Freier, A. (2018). Researchers 3D Print Functional Robotic Prosthetic Hand at a Fraction of the

Cost. Retrieved from https://all3dp.com/students-develop-3d-printed-robotic-prosthetic-

hand-fraction-cost/

Hanger, M. (1956). Economic Aspects of the Artificial Limb Industry. Orthotics and Prosthetics

, 65-79.

IFTIKHAR, U. (2018). SYRIA RELIEF APPEALS FOR 3D PRINTED PROSTHETICS FOR

CHILDREN. Retrieved from 3D Printing Industry:

https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/syria-relief-appeals-for-3d-printed-prosthetics-for-

children-140346/

Reidel, H. (2017). The Successes and Failures of 3D Printed Prosthetics. Retrieved from

https://www.prescouter.com/2017/07/3d-printed-prosthetics/

Siek, S. (2012). New prosthetic limbs 'celebrate' bodies, personalities instead of hiding lost

limbs. Retrieved from CNN: http://inamerica.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/04/new-prosthetic-

limbs-celebrate-bodies-personalities-instead-of-hiding-lost-limbs/

Tyler, D. J. (2016). Creating a Prosthetic Hand That Can Feel. Retrieved from IEEE Spectrum:

https://spectrum.ieee.org/biomedical/bionics/creating-a-prosthetic-hand-that-can-feel
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