von Haller Marianne, Couchman Louise, Honigmann Philipp
Hand Therapy, Kantonsspital Baselland, Bruderholz, Switzerland.
College of Health Psychology and Social Care, University of Derby, Derby, UK.
Hand Ther. 2024 Dec;29(4):188-194. doi: 10.1177/17589983241287069. Epub 2024 Sep 25.
In recent years, three-dimensional (3D) printing has emerged as a new manufacturing technique for orthoses, showing comparable stability and wearing comfort to traditional orthoses. However, the lengthy designing and printing process is assumed to take more time than the common practice of manufacturing low-temperature thermoplastic orthoses (LTTOs). The aim of this prospective cross-sectional study was to compare the production time of 3D-printed orthoses (3DPO) to LTTOs.
The active and passive time needed to manufacture the orthoses was measured in a clinical setting. 17 orthoses (8 3DPOs and 9 LTTOs) were included in the data analysis.
The mean total production time of a 3DPO (12:14:50h total time; 0:44:35h active production time) was significantly longer than in LTTOs (0:14:14h; < 0.001).
The longer production time might be a hurdle regarding the implementation of 3DPOs in hand therapy. Although 3D-printing might become more cost- and time-efficient due to future developments in technology and growing experience, some practical advantages of LTTOs prevail, such as the fast and efficient provision of orthoses and the adaptability of the material if subsequent changes are needed. A combination of both manufacturing techniques may be a feasible solution to provide patient-centred orthosis provision in future hand therapy practice.
近年来，三维（3D）打印已成为一种用于矫形器的新型制造技术，其稳定性和穿着舒适度与传统矫形器相当。然而，人们认为漫长的设计和打印过程比制造低温热塑性矫形器（LTTO）的常规做法耗时更长。这项前瞻性横断面研究的目的是比较3D打印矫形器（3DPO）与LTTO的生产时间。
在临床环境中测量制造矫形器所需的主动和被动时间。数据分析纳入了17个矫形器（8个3DPO和9个LTTO）。
3DPO的平均总生产时间（总时间12:14:50小时；主动生产时间0:44:35小时）明显长于LTTO（0:14:14小时；<0.001）。
较长的生产时间可能是3DPO在手部治疗中应用的一个障碍。尽管由于技术的未来发展和经验的积累，3D打印可能会变得更具成本效益和时间效率，但LTTO的一些实际优势仍然存在，例如矫形器的快速高效提供以及在需要后续更改时材料的适应性。两种制造技术的结合可能是未来手部治疗实践中提供以患者为中心的矫形器的可行解决方案。
