Generic design of an anatomical heart model optimized for additive manufacturing with silicone
ISSN: 1355-2546
Article publication date: 21 December 2020
Issue publication date: 2 March 2021
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is the generation of a thorough generic heart model optimized for direct 3D printing with silicone elastomers.
Design/methodology/approach
The base of the model design is segmentation of CT data, followed by a generic adaption and a constructive enhancement. The model is 3D printed with silicone. An evaluation of the physical model gives indications about its benefits and weaknesses.
Findings
The results show the feasibility of a generic design while maintaining anatomical correctness and the benefit of the generic approach to quickly derive a multiplicity of healthy and pathological versions from one single model. The material properties of the silicone model are sufficient for simulation, but the results of the evaluation indicate possible improvements, as for most anatomical features, the used silicone is too hard and too stretchable.
Originality/value
Previous developments mostly focus on patient-specific heart models. In contrast, this study sets out to explore the possibility and benefits of a generic approach. Standardized validated models would allow comparability in surgical simulation.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This study was conducted within a research project funded by Wacker Chemie AG.
Citation
Riedle, H., Ghazy, A., Seufert, A., Seitz, V., Dorweiler, B. and Franke, J. (2021), "Generic design of an anatomical heart model optimized for additive manufacturing with silicone", Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 27 No. 2, pp. 217-222. https://doi.org/10.1108/RPJ-11-2019-0283
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited