A Bespoke Neck Orthosis for Additive Manufacturing with Improved Design Method and Sustainable Material

The use of additive manufacturing (AM) has widespread over the years in different areas, including the biomedical field. In particular, the design of customized orthoses, external medical devices used in the treatment of specific pathologies, was proposed in different studies mainly concerning upper limbs, while few investigations are reported relatively to the cervical area. In this paper a new design of a bespoke neck orthosis is reported. The manufacturing of a light device with a good transpiration allows to increase the patient’s comfort and, compatibly with the structural requirements, is a main goal to pursue. With this aim, various aspects were considered in the design and manufacturing of the orthosis. At the design stage, the geometry was conceived with a ventilation pattern based on Voronoi cells, which generally allows a better performance in terms of breathability with respect to a pattern made with uniform geometrical features, keeping at the same time structural requirements, as assessed by numerical finite elements simulations. At the manufacturing stage, a new composite material was used, namely Hemp Bio-Plastic® (HBP) filament, composed by polylactic acid (PLA) and hemp shives which provided lightweight, improved superficial finish and antibacterial properties. In order to assess the thermal comfort, an experimental analysis was finally conducted on a prototype of the orthosis, worn by a volunteer subject, with a thermal imaging camera. The beneficial effect of the ventilation pattern considered in terms of temperature and, accordingly, for the patient’s comfort, was highlighted also in relation to a neck orthosis previously designed.