BENCHMARKING OF FDM PRINTED REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR RURAL WHEELCHAIRS

ArticleMany disabled patients rely on wheelchairs for mobility to participate as equal citizens within society. Wheelchairs supplied through state healthcare are often not well suited to especially rural conditions and often break-down. This study investigates if entry level Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) can be used to produce front caster wheels and seat post guides that commonly fail on wheelchairs. Results of the study has shown that these parts can be produced with good quality and at reasonable cost through FDM. The ability to manufacture custom made parts on request through FDM was shown to be a real advantage to supply hard to source wheelchair parts in the rural communities

3D Printed Laryngoscope For Endotracheal Intubation

ArticleThis study aims to determine whether additive manufacturing can be used to produce a safe and reliable video laryngoscope. Different designs were proposed and evaluated with a mannequin for usability. Finite element analysis (FEA) was done to estimate the stress distribution, maximum displacement at the tip, and factor of safety. A final 3D printed laryngoscope design was chosen on the basis of this evaluation. Future work on validation, whether it is safe to be used, and the limitations of the device are discussed. The device will be printed under predetermined settings and material to conform to the validation