Link to the document: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/10DF9WICkaAWMIo23pvT3PTaupY_YXHLV
DESCRIPTION
An arm scan was taken of an individual and then using Autodesk Meshmixer was modified to create a
brace with a breathable pattern that doubles to alleviate discomforts associated with bracing the arm. An
FEA model was created to determine the failure mechanisms of the brace and to validate the structure and
material selections of the design.
DESIGN PLAN
The goals of this custom brace are to create a low-profile, lightweight, breathable, durable yet compliant
and comfortable brace that can be made from a 3D scan of an arm and 3D printed. Creating a brace from
a 3D scan allows for a personalized fit to the user which available models on CAD sharing websites do
not allow for without post-processing. Encapsulation of the hand and arm will be implemented to align
the wrist with the arm to optimize healing of a fracture. The proposed brace will be removable, unlike
traditional plaster. A Voronoi pattern will be implemented to allow breathability. This brace will not need
multiple layers of padding for a comfortable fit. Moreover, the brace will be lower profile and lighter than
traditional cast options.
ARM SCAN
A scan of an arm was sourced from the internet. To isolate the scan, Meshmixer (Autodesk) solid
modelling application was used. The plane cut function with the cut type set to (discard half) and fill Type
set to (no fill) were applied.

Figure 1:Arm scan

The scan was further trimmed, reduced to achieve the desired shape and dimensions of the brace. A cut
was made to allow for comfortable movement of the second, third, fourth and fifth digits and the thumb.
The next step was to smooth the model and reduce the mesh to about 95%.

Figure 2: Trimmed scan
The option to make pattern was then selected to finalize the design. From the Make patterns option, the
pattern was changed to Dual edges to create a Voronoi-like pattern.

Figure 3: Finalized Voronoi patterned brace


Figure 4: Design on arm scan
The finalized designed was converted into a solid body and exported to Autodesk Fusion 360 for Finite