Background: This study attempted a comparative analysis of three splint fabrication methods currently used in clinical fields. Traditional Orthotic Fabrication Method Utilizing Thermoplastic Resin, the Methodology for creating assistive devices using 3D scanner, commercial CAD software, and 3D printing technology, and the Fabrication Method of Arm Splint Based on XR (eXtended Reality) Algorithm. Objectives: The study recruited 12 undergraduate students majoring in physical therapy and occupational therapy who had sufficient knowledge of splints, with an equal gender distribution. The study randomized the participants and conducted the experiment and overall process using a stratified approach. Design: Clinical applied technology experiment Methods: The study used QUEST 2.0 (Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with assistive Technology ver. 2.0) to survey standardization, weight, ease of use, safety, durability, usability, effectiveness, and patient satisfaction, and statistically analyzed all results as quantitative indicators. Results: The score of QUEST 2.0 showed different aspects in some items, and it is difficult to say that certain technologies are superior overall. Conclusion: The study attempted an intuitive interpretation of the results. Overall, it was concluded that the XR method, which allows for easy and fast fabrication, is likely to be more readily accepted in future clinical practice.

In this paper, patent trend on the rapid prototyping technologies is analyzed. The results show that USA has the most patents, the largest citations, and the highest CPP(Citations Per Patent) at the rapid prototyping field, and that 3D SYSTEM in USA has the most patent filings among the whole world company. and STRATASYS in USA is ranked with the highest CPP representing a technology impact in that field. It is shown that molding or bonding technology of plastic is occupied 31% by International Patent Classification Index(IPC).

The speed at which products are developed and released to market is tightly linked to profitability and market share. Hence, many companies are still in a desperate need of real Rapid Tooling (RT) technologies which can really help to expedite their proto

This paper deals with selecting an optimal rapid prototyping(RP) machine that suits the end use of a part. Evaluation factors include only major attributes such as accuracy, roughness, strength, part cost and build time that greatly affect the performance of RP machines. Accuracy, surface roughness and strength are presented as crisp values. The part cost and build time identified as just approximate ranges due to different human cost and many variable parameters are presented by linguistic values. It can be described with triangular fuzzy numbers. Based on the evaluation values obtained, an appropriate RP process for a specific part application can be selected by using the modified TOPSIS(Technique of Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) method including crisp data as well as linguistic variables, and each weight on the alternatives is assigned by using a fuzzy weight. The ranking order of all machines provides the decision information for the selection of RP machines.

It is known that powder characteristics including particle size and distribution, particle shape, and chemical composition are important parameters which influence direct laser sintering of metal powders. In this paper, we introduce a first order kinetics model for densification of steel powders during laser sintering. A densification coefficient (K) is defined which express the potential of different powders to be laser-sintered to a high density dependent on their particle characteristics.