Engineers at MIT develop 3D printed mesh for ankle and knee braces

In our last ranking about 3D printed orthoses, we shared with you some of the projects and products being enhanced by 3D printing technologies. The ability to customise these medical devices in order to offer a personalised solution for each patient is a key reason for the use of additive manufacturing. However, can we push personalisation further? Recently, engineers at MIT designed pliable, 3D printed mesh materials whose flexibility and toughness has been designed to support softer tissues such as muscles and tendons. This new technique is different from previous ones, which usually rely on printing supports from solid, relatively inflexible materials.

More precisely, the engineers envisioned the tough yet stretchy fabric-like material being used as personalised, wearable supports, including ankle and knee braces, and even implantable devices, such as hernia meshes that better match to a person’s body. Sebastian Pattinson, who conducted the research as a postdoc at MIT explains, “This work is new in that it focuses on the mechanical properties and geometries required to support soft tissues.”

For example, the researchers fabricated a knee brace design that could conform to the knee even as it bends. Additionally, they designed and produced a glove with 3D printed mesh sewn into its top surface to conform to a wearer’s knuckles. “3D printed clothing and devices tend to be very bulky. We were trying to think of how we can make 3D printed constructs more flexible and comfortable, like textiles and fabrics. One of the reasons textiles are so flexible is that the fibers are able to move relative to each other easily. We also wanted to mimic that capability in the 3D-printed parts”, explained Pattinson.