Research Information System
Istanbul International Modern Scientific Research Congress –III, İstanbul, Turkey, 6 - 08 May 2022, pp.458-465
Lower limb prostheses are of great importance for amputees to maintain their lives comfortably. Amputees nowadays prefer passive prostheses due to their low cost. Because of their ease of manufacture and low cost, metallic materials are commonly used in the manufacture of passive prostheses. However, for an electronically controlled prosthetic leg
containing many different components, the metallic body is disadvantageous in terms of weight and energy consumption.
In this study, the manufacturing of an electronically controlled above-knee prosthetic leg with three-axis mobility was carried out using additive manufacturing technology. A 3D printer was used for additive manufacturing, and it was aimed to manufacture a lighter and higher mobility prosthesis. In addition to being light, it is also intended to provide high strength. Therefore, the prosthesis has been designed to withstand the loads that occur during walking.
PLA (Poly Lactic Acid) was used for all parts of the prosthesis except the sole and toe section. Parts of our design were produced with three different infill pattern types, namely Grid, Zig Zag, and Triangles using a 3D printer. An elastic filament was chosen to produce the sole due to absorb the load caused by the amputee's weight. At the same time, Total masses and production times of the prosthesis were obtained according to 3 different printing types and fill rates. Thus, the printing properties to be used for production were determined, and manufacturing of the above-knee prosthetic leg which has high movement capability was obtained using additive manufacturing technology.