Development of a Passive Prosthetic Hand That Restores Finger Movements Made by Additive Manufacturing

Abstract

This work aims to develop a low-cost human hand prosthesis manufactured through additive manufacturing. The methodology used for the development of the prosthesis used affordable and low-cost materials in the market. Tensile testing was performed to estimate the mechanical properties in order to verify the resistance of the printing material used. Afterwards, the mechanical feasibility study executed on the device was performed using finite element method. In conclusion, we can observe fundamental factors that influence the 3D printing process, especially in relation to its printing parameters and mechanical properties. Maximum stress, yield stress, modulus of elasticity, elongation, and hardness are the prominent properties that should be considered when choosing the polymeric material. The numerical simulation showed that the structure of the prosthesis did not present plastic deformations to the applied loads, proving its mechanical viability.

Keywords

• mechanical prosthesis
• human hand
• finger movement
• additive manufacturing