Modernising the way upper-limb prosthetic sockets are made has seen limited progress. The casting techniques that are employed in clinics today resemble those developed over 50 years ago and there is still a heavy reliance on manual labour. Modern manufacturing methods such as 3D scanning and printing are often presented as ready-to-use solutions for producing low-cost functional devices, with public perceptions being largely shaped by the superficial media representation and advertising. The promise is that modern socket manufacturing methods can improve patient satisfaction, decrease manufacturing times and reduce the workload in the clinic. However, the perception in the clinical community is that total conversion to digital methods in a clinical environment is not straightforward. Anecdotally, there is currently a disconnect between those developing technology to produce prosthetic devices and the actual needs of clinicians and people with limb difference. In this paper, we demonstrate strengths and drawbacks of a fully digitised, low-cost trans-radial diagnostic socket making process, informed by clinical principles. We present volunteer feedback on the digitally created sockets and provide expert commentary on the use of digital tools in upper-limb socket manufacturing. We show that it is possible to utilise 3D scanning and printing, but only if the process is informed by expert knowledge. We bring examples to demonstrate how and why the process may go wrong. Finally, we provide discussion on why progress in modernising the manufacturing of upper-limb sockets has been slow yet it is still too early to rule out digital methods.

中文翻译：

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3D打印和上肢假肢承窝：承诺和误区

现代化上肢假牙插槽的制造方式取得了有限的进展。今天在诊所中使用的铸造技术类似于50年前开发的铸造技术，并且仍然严重依赖于体力劳动。诸如3D扫描和打印之类的现代制造方法通常作为生产低成本功能设备的即用型解决方案而呈现，公众的认知在很大程度上受到表面媒体表示和广告的影响。可以肯定的是，现代插座制造方法可以提高患者满意度，减少制造时间并减少诊所的工作量。但是，在临床社区中，人们认为在临床环境中完全转换为数字方法并非易事。有趣的是，当前，用于生产假体的开发技术与临床医生和肢体有差异的人的实际需求之间存在脱节。在本文中，我们将根据临床原理论证完全数字化，低成本的经放射状诊断插座制造工艺的优缺点。我们提供有关数字化插座的志愿者反馈，并提供有关在上肢插座制造中使用数字工具的专家评论。我们证明了可以利用3D扫描和打印，但前提是该过程必须由专业知识来告知。我们将通过示例来说明该过程可能如何以及为什么会出错。最后，我们讨论了为何上肢插座的现代化生产进展缓慢，而排除数字方法仍为时过早。