Custom prosthetic liner manufacturing system and method

A system for producing a custom prosthetic liner that allows an amputee with a residual limb of changed shape and/or size to continue wearing an existing prosthetic socket, comprising:

• a shape capture apparatus for capturing a 3-dimensional shape of said amputee's residual limb;
• a shape capture apparatus for capturing a 3-dimensional shape of the interior of said existing prosthetic socket;
• a processing device, said processing device running a computer program for generating a 3-dimensional electronic liner model by comparing the captured 3-dimensional shapes of said amputee's residual limb and said interior of said existing prosthetic socket, calculating a difference in size and/or shape between the outer surface of said residual limb and the interior surface of said existing prosthetic socket, and automatically adjusting the thickness of said liner model as needed to make up for said difference in size and/or shape;
• an optional interface for allowing a user of said system to operate said computer program to view and modify a 3-dimensional electronic residual limb model if so desired;
• a means of providing data associated with said 3-dimensional electronic liner model, said 3-dimensional electronic residual limb model, or both, to a manufacturing facility equipped to produce said custom prosthetic liner;
• an apparatus for creating at least one custom mold component from said data;
• and
• a molding machine for producing said custom prosthetic liner from a mold incorporating said at least one custom mold component.

A system for producing a custom prosthetic liner that allows the residual limb of an amputee to be custom fit to a generic prosthetic socket, comprising:

• a shape capture apparatus for capturing the 3-dimensional shape of an amputee's residual limb;
• socket data representative of the 3-dimensional shape of an interior of said a generic prosthetic socket;
• a processing device, said processing device running a computer program for generating a 3-dimensional electronic liner model by comparing the captured 3-dimensional shape of said amputee's residual limb and said interior of said generic prosthetic socket, calculating a difference in size and/or shape between the outer surface of said residual limb and said interior surface of said generic prosthetic socket, and automatically adjusting the thickness of said liner model as needed to make up for said difference in size and/or shape;
• an optional interface for allowing a user of said system to operate said computer program to view and modify a 3-dimensional electronic residual limb model if so desired;
• a means of providing data associated with said 3-dimensional electronic liner model, said 3-dimensional electronic residual limb model, or both, to a manufacturing facility equipped to produce said custom prosthetic liner;
• an apparatus for creating at least one custom mold component from said data;
• and
• a molding machine for producing said custom prosthetic liner from a mold incorporating said at least one custom mold component.

A method of producing a custom flexible polymeric prosthetic liner comprising:

• obtaining shape data associated with an amputee's residual limb;
• providing a processing device in conjunction with a computer program for generating a 3-dimensional electronic liner model from said shape data and liner parameters input by a user of said system;
• optionally, providing an interface for allowing a user of said system to operate said computer program to view and modify a 3-dimensional electronic residual limb model if so desired, data associated with said residual limb model subsequently used in generating said liner model;
• providing data associated with said residual limb shape, said 3-dimensional electronic liner model, or both, to a manufacturing facility equipped to produce said custom liner;
• creating at least one custom mold component from said data;
• providing a mold for receiving and containing an amount of flexible polymeric material, said mold incorporating said at least one custom mold component;
• and
• using a molding machine to produce said custom prosthetic liner from said mold;
• wherein said shape data is obtained from a cast of said residual limb.