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Personalized prostheses, in addition to restoring and recreating normal body function and appearance, also fully achieve true reconstruction. However, traditional approaches to prosthesis manufacturing can incur significant resource costs. Challenges in the field of prosthetics include the development of improved, user-friendly manufacturing workflows. It is therefore necessary to improve the method, for example, by using digital technologies. A difficult assignment is also the selection of appropriate biocompatible materials. This case report detailed a method of producing patient-specific epithesis using photogrammetry, CAD based sculpting, additive manufacturing (AM), and mold casting. The workflow covered three main steps: data capture, prosthesis design, and prosthesis manufacturing. The patient's face was digitized using a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera, while the manufacturing included, i.e., stereolithography (SLA) and Vacuum Casting (VC). The work resulted in two prototypes of facial epithesis: one-part orbital prosthesis and two-part orbital prosthesis. Different materials were used to make the epitheses: for the one-part epitheses it was a two-part polyurethane (PU) resin, and for the two-part epitheses it was epoxy resin and medical-grade silicone. The outcomes were then evaluated based on questionnaires and prosthetic weight differences. Unfortunately, none of the produced prostheses fully resolved all the examined issues. It was concluded that further work is necessary to select a material that would ensure appropriate aesthetic effects and fitting the prosthesis to the defect. However, the use of new technologies to produce patient-specific prostheses can provide significant benefits, such as saving time, reducing the cost, and reducing the necessary number of outpatient visits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Polimery is the property of Industrial Chemistry Research Institute and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Polimery is the property of Industrial Chemistry Research Institute and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Polimery is the property of Industrial Chemistry Research Institute and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

It has been proved that micro-riblets on shark skin can help to reduce drag. Therefore, the replicated technology of micro-riblets on shark skin becomes one issue in drag-reduction field. Shark skin with micro-placoid scale was taken as the replicated template, and hot embossing method and vacuum casting method were applied to studying the replicated technology on plexiglass and unsaturated resin. The replication samples made by different materials and methods were observed and measured by the stereomicroscope and the stylus profiler. The experimental results show that compared with the hot embossing, the vacuum casting is a relatively perfect method for micro-riblets replication, which uses the unsaturated resin as mold material and casts the liquid silicone rubber under vacuum, micro-riblets on shark skin surface are replicated clearly and perfectly. It is found that the vacuum casting is an effective replication technology which is suitable to form large-area and highly accurate micro-riblets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Polimery is the property of Industrial Chemistry Research Institute and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Percutaneous replacement of the pulmonary valve is a recently developed interventional technique which involves the implantation of a valved stent in the pulmonary trunk. It relies upon careful consideration of patient anatomy for both stent design and detailed procedure planning. Medical imaging data in the form of two-dimensional scans and three-dimensional interactive graphics offer only limited support for these tasks. The paper reports the results of an experimental investigation on the use of arterial models built by rapid prototyping techniques. An analysis of clinical needs has helped to specify proper requirements for such model properties as cost, strength, accuracy, elastic compliance, and optical transparency. Two different process chains, based on the fused deposition modelling technique and on the vacuum casting of thermoset resins in rubber moulds, have been tested for prototype fabrication. The use of anatomical models has allowed the cardiologist's confidence in patient selection, prosthesis fabrication, and final implantation to be significantly improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid prototyping technologies (RP) enable solid models to be obtained from designs generated using CAD applications. Their increasing popularity in industry is due to the reductions in cost and time associated with the use of these models when verifying product development stages and improvements in end quality. However, these technologies can also be applied to enhance students' active learning in the teaching of multiple subjects connected with product development. Students can bring their designs to fruition and check any decisions taken in an economically acceptable way. This work shows how RP technologies can be exploited for teaching, using the full development of a gear pump. The work has been carried out with educational aims in the Product Development Laboratory of Madrid Polytechnic University (UPM), for the subject Design and Manufacturing with Polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]