Structural Strength of Transtibial Prosthetic Socket at Different Printing Orientations in Fused Deposition Modelling

ProstheticProsthetic socket is the most crucial component of a lower limb prosthesis. It is the interface connecting a person’s limb to the prostheticProsthetic components that interact with the environment. The conventional fabrication technique for prostheticProsthetic sockets is time-consuming and labour-intensive. Therefore, fused depositionDeposition modelling (FDM) has great potential to increase the productivity of socket fabrication. However, the printing parameters have a significant influence on the strength of 3D printed products. This study aimed to investigate the effect of printing orientation on the structural strength of transtibial 3D printed sockets using FDM. The prostheticProsthetic sockets were printed with five different printing orientations of 0°, 30°, 45°, 60°, and 90°. Static structural tests were conducted on the printed socket to obtain the ultimate failure force according to ISO 10328. Based on the results, the 0° and 90° printing orientations achieved the required minimum failure force by the standard.