Design of a Segmented Brace for Optimal 3D Printing

For stabilization of scoliotic curves the Thoracic Lumbar Sacral Orthosis (TLSO) has become very popular. This device applies flexion, extension and lateral bending forces to the torso to decrease the curvature of the scoliotic spine. The brace is typically worn 23 hours per day. 3D printing is being applied to the manufacture of these braces as it offers the ability to manufacture the brace quickly, accurately and with much lower labor costs. However, the application of this method to adolescent braces requires the use of larger, more expensive printers making these large sized braces commercially unviable. Rather than print the brace in one piece it is possible to print the brace in multiple pieces and assemble these pieces into a functional brace. The pieces may be printed on smaller printers so that upon assembly, a commercially competitive functional brace may be obtained. In this study, a full size adolescent brace printed in several pieces was designed, assembled and tested. It is shown that the pieces may be assembled using a joint which is stronger than the substrate material. Furthermore, brace provides the structural integrity needed to generate the corrective biomechanical forces to stabilize the scoliotic spine.