Customizable orthotic insole manufacturing using viscous thread printing
AssigneeNortheastern University
InventorsJeffrey Lipton, Brett Alexander Emery
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for manufacturing a customized orthotic insole, the method including: obtaining a three-dimensional model of an individual's foot; generating a three-dimensional model of an orthotic insole based on the three-dimensional model of the individual's foot; dividing the three-dimensional model of the orthotic insole into multiple zones, each zone having specified mechanical properties; and generating printer instructions for fabricating the orthotic insole using viscous thread printing, wherein the printer instructions are configured to produce the specified mechanical properties in each zone by controlling viscous thread coiling parameters during deposition of viscous threads.
Claims20
A method for manufacturing a customized orthotic insole, the method comprising:
- obtaining a three-dimensional model of an individual's foot;
- generating a three-dimensional model of an orthotic insole based on the three-dimensional model of the individual's foot;
- dividing the three-dimensional model of the orthotic insole into multiple zones, each zone having specified mechanical properties;
- generating printer instructions for fabricating the orthotic insole using viscous thread printing, wherein the printer instructions are configured to produce the specified mechanical properties in each zone by controlling viscous thread coiling parameters during deposition of viscous threads;
- and
- printing an orthotic insole based on the printer instructions.
A system for manufacturing a customized orthotic insole, the system comprising:
- a three-dimensional scanner configured to obtain a three-dimensional model of an individual's foot;
- a processor configured to:
- generate a three-dimensional model of an orthotic insole based on the three-dimensional model of the individual's foot;
- divide the three-dimensional model of an orthotic insole into a plurality of zones, each zone having specified mechanical properties;
- and
- generate viscous thread printing instructions including a plurality of viscous thread coiling parameters to print an orthotic insole based on the three-dimensional model of the orthotic insole and the specified mechanical properties of each zone;
- a viscous thread printing device configured to deposit viscous threads based on the viscous thread printing instructions.
A customized orthotic insole produced by a process comprising the steps of:
- obtaining a three-dimensional model of an individual's foot;
- generating a three-dimensional model of an orthotic insole based on the three-dimensional model of the individual's foot;
- dividing the three-dimensional model of the orthotic insole into multiple zones, each zone having specified mechanical properties;
- dividing the three-dimensional model of the orthotic insole into at least one transition area between adjacent zones;
- generating printer instructions for fabricating the orthotic insole using viscous thread printing, the printer instructions are configured to produce the specified mechanical properties in each zone and transition area by controlling viscous thread coiling parameters during deposition of viscous threads;
- and
- printing the customized orthotic insole via a viscous thread printing device based on the printer instructions, the customized orthotic insole comprising the plurality of viscous threads deposited in layers to form a three-dimensional structure the specified mechanical properties in a corresponding one of the multiple zones and transition area.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.