WindyMiller

Well the problem has been solved, but not by me. A company that specialises in printing plastic orthoses has produced exactly what was required free of charge. Photo attached. The hand model is in the middle with an orthosis to either side. The one on the left is a mesh to allow for some air circulation, the one on the right is 'solid'. Thanks to all for your ideas.

Hi, and thank you for your further help. The original concept (from the lady's radiologist, who is in Italy, which introduces a further 'remoteness' problem) was that 3D printing would be a readily available way to produce a relatively complex geometry 'glove' (actually 'shell' might be a better word) which would provide separation, support and protection for the hand/fingers without being too bulky. I can still see the logic in that. A multi-layered silicone item would have the hygienic and fabrication advantages that you describe, but I imagine that it would be significantly more cumbersome than the 1mm thick hard plastic shell that I was imagining. To provide context, the lady's fingers are only a few centimetres long, similar to a young child, although she is an adult. (Incidentally, I am a huge fan of your salt water adhesion procedure. It has never let me down.)

Thank you for your replies. The moulding ideas are interesting. I think that nothing can be moulded directly onto the skin because of the damage that the process would cause. I like the idea of moulding 'hard' silicone onto the printed hand. That could provide parts that would to some extent be self-supporting. It might even be possible then to get those parts scanned and print them in PLA. Actual gloves are not possible because sliding them over the fingers would remove the epidermis (the outer layer of the skin). It has to a a two-part solution that can be brought together from the front / back of the hand and then joined.

Hi all I am trying to help a lady with a severe skin disease (epidermolisi bollosa). What is required is a support that can enclose her hand and fingers to prevent the fingers touching each other. If the fingers touch, the skin fuses together joining the fingers. This is a truly awful disease. I have been provided with an STL file of her hand that was produced by a medical CT scan. Ideally I need to generate a two piece 'glove' that could encase the hand and fingers from the front (palm) side and the back (dorsal) side. I am imagining something about 1mm thick maximum. I have tried to make the pieces by printing out flat templates and thermoforming them to the hand model that I have printed, but this has not been successful due to the complex geometry. I can imagine that it is possible to create the necessary shapes and then print them, but I don't see how with the limited resources that I have available (e.g. tinkercad). Have I missed an easy solution? A photo of the hand stl file is below (hopefully 🙂 )

Hi I am interested in this but am at the wrong end of the country. May I ask why you're selling it so soon after buying it? Chris

Different seller though?

Hi Just wondering if this item is still for sale?

Hi First post! I'm looking to buy my first 3D printer, and after what seems like a lifetime of googling I've decided to go with Ultimaker. If anyone has a lightly used U3 for sale in the UK I'd be delighted to hear from you. Thanks. Chris