Using 3D Scanning Techniques in Orthopedic Systems Modeling

Abstract

Designing orthopedic implants with a long lifespan is essential for improving patients’ quality of life. It is necessary to develop new products with a high degree of personalization for the human body. Physicians and engineers analyzed the geometry and behavior of healthy joints’ motion under specific load conditions as well as the behavior over time and lifetime of orthopedic implants fitted to patients to improve their quality. The paper presents the way in which three-dimensional modeling techniques using specialized software (Catia, SolidWorks) can be combined with reverse engineering techniques (3D scanning) to optimize the design of orthopedic implants. The design of an implant consists of its three-dimensional modeling, as well as simulation of its integration into the human body, in order to analyze its behavior during motion. Therefore, it is necessary not only to 3D model the parts that make up the implant itself, but also to 3D model the bone to which the implant will be fitted. The paper highlights the complementarity of the classic modeling techniques with the reverse engineering techniques, which is necessary because the design of the parts that make up the implant itself can be achieved by specialized software modeling techniques, while the bones, having complex geometries, are better suited to 3D Modeling by scanning.