Digital copies of orthotic device molds
Summary: An orthotic device manufacturer needed to find a way to create precise digital archive copies of its hundreds of orthotic device molds, with minimal effort and time.
The goal: To scan in high-detail 3D individual orthotic device molds using two handheld 3D scanners mounted in front of a motorized turntable, with a scan time of 30 seconds each, post-processing about 5 minutes.
Tool used: Artec MH, Artec L
RSI’s customer Johannes Carstens, the owner of SC Medical Supply Store, has been using the Artec MH scanner for about 2 ½ years already. He recently decided to add an Artec L scanner to his range of technical equipment. The objective was to quickly and easily generate digital copies of hundreds of patient orthotic device molds which have piled up over the years, and to get rid of the molds to free up storage space.
The Process:
1. Scanning of the orthotic device mold
SC‘s new scanning system consists of Artec MH and L scanners mounted on a flexible dual head tripod which allows use of two scanners simultaneously in a bundle configuration, and a motorized turntable positioned at a suitable distance in front of this tripod. A full 360 scan takes 30 seconds at 15fps.
2. Post-processing in Artec Studio
Data post-processing is partially automated. They use a single macro command which starts an optimized sequence of instructions and parameters. It takes about 5 minutes including filling of all holes and cleaning up noise manually.
3. Recycling the physical orthotic device mold
4. Once their digital copies are available the physical molds are no longer needed, so they are discarded for recycling.
As Johannes Carstens explains, the main advantages of this new scanning system are:
1. Physical molds no longer need to be stored
2. Creating a 3D digital copy can be done by anyone in a matter of minutes
3. A 3D digital replica contains all the information from the mold and is fully compatible with typical downstream applications in the orthopedics sector for such purposes as measurement, analysis, shape deformation & modeling, production, and documentation.
4. Setup can also be configured to deliver high quality scans from live patients in less than a minute and with minimal user interaction
Johannes Carstens told Artec that the company is happy with its Artec L scanner and the only request they have for improvement is the housing of the L-scanner, because it has no grip and is sometimes not easy to hold. We always appreciate client suggestions and will work on making the scanners ergonomically perfect.
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