3D printing materials for assistive devices

In this post we are sharing our experience with different materials for better solutions for assistive devices.

This topic is created to share and discuss different type of filaments or other materials with accessible fabrication for prosthetics. My first example is TPU or flexible filament.

TPU, Flexible Filament:

When I saw the latest design from Havenlabs last year, one simple function attracted my attention. Their design team used TPU and PLA to design a locking mechanism. It is very simple, the PLA part is male with prongs and the TPU part is female with cuts. When the PLA is inserted, it pushes out the TPU part and sticks inside. The amount of force needed to insert or detach is controlled by the tolerances in the CAD model.

What are your thoughts or suggestions?