University of Warwick, CV4 7AL, Coventry, UK.
University of Warwick, CV4 7AL, Coventry, UK.
Forensic Sci Int. 2021 Jan;318:110560. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2020.110560. Epub 2020 Oct 25.
Forensic application of 3D scanning and printing technology is gaining momentum with 3D printed evidence starting to be produced for court. However, the processes for creating these forensic 3D models requires still rigorous assessment to ensure they adhere to the relevant legal standards. Although, previous work has examined the accuracy of 3D prints created from medical grade Computed Tomography (CT), no such assessment has been carried out for Micro Computed Tomography (micro-CT) which offers superior resolution and the ability to capture forensically relevant injuries. This study aimed to quantify the error rates associated with forensic 3D printed models and toolmarks, created using three different printing technologies, based on micro-CT data. Overall, 3D printed models, based on micro-CT scans, replicate bone surface geometry to sub-millimetre accuracy (<0.62mm for overall shape and <0.36mm for toolmarks). However, there were significant differences between the printing technology employed (mean errors of -0.3%, -0.8%, and 0.7% for shape geometry and -0.8%, 14.1%, and 0.7% for toolmark geometry for Printers 1-3 respectively). Where possible, the authors recommend micro-CT imaging for producing forensic 3D printed bone models particularly when injuries are present.
法医领域对三维扫描和打印技术的应用越来越广泛，现在已经开始将 3D 打印证据用于法庭。然而，创建这些法医三维模型的过程仍需要严格评估，以确保其符合相关的法律标准。虽然之前的工作已经检查了从医疗级计算机断层扫描（CT）创建的 3D 打印的准确性，但尚未对具有更高分辨率和捕获法医相关损伤能力的微计算机断层扫描（micro-CT）进行此类评估。本研究旨在量化基于 micro-CT 数据的三种不同打印技术创建的法医 3D 打印模型和工具痕迹的误差率。总体而言，基于 micro-CT 扫描的 3D 打印模型可以将骨骼表面几何形状复制到亚毫米精度（整体形状的误差<0.62mm，工具痕迹的误差<0.36mm）。然而，所使用的打印技术之间存在显著差异（对于形状几何形状，打印机 1-3 的平均误差分别为-0.3%、-0.8%和 0.7%；对于工具痕迹几何形状，分别为-0.8%、14.1%和 0.7%）。在可能的情况下，作者建议使用 micro-CT 成像来制作法医 3D 打印骨骼模型，特别是在存在损伤的情况下。
