FIDIM I AFO Leg Brace

cults3d

I have had issues with manufactured AFO braces (for Charcot Marie Tooth Disease) breaking, and I need them to stay in the workforce. I have been very disappointed with the cost associated with them though, and therefor set out to make a pair myself. This design is still fairly primitive, but they work well. These use steel hinges, which you'll have to make yourself. That's the biggest drawback of these in my opinion, so I ended up designing a second type of brace that uses TPU Flexihinges instead. That one's called "FIDIM II". They appear to be plenty durable, but if you want the assurance of steel hinges then go with these. I attempted to source professionally made hinges for this purpose, but the companies that I contacted weren't interested in doing business with me. Hence the name FIDIM (Fine, I'll Do It Myself). These are printed in Overture "Easy Nylon" and have held up quite well. 260 C 10 walls and 100% infill. Roughly 2.5 rolls should do it. PETG MIGHT work well enough, but its wear resistance isn't as good as nylon. They might wind up cracking if you go that route. I haven't tried that myself, so I can't say for sure. According to my phone, I walk 10k-30k steps per day, and used them for three months before switching to the FIDIM II design. No appreciable wear in that time. I wear an American male size 10 shoe, have high arches and significantly atrophied calves. They're designed to fit me, but the use of a heat gun can get them malleable enough to shape. Blender's "sculpt mode" can also be used to shape them. Just print a hollow one first to see how it fits and adjust as necessary. I want to make these available to all, so I ask that no one commercializes them. That would completely defeat the purpose of me making them, as there are already a multitude of highly expensive manufactured braces on the market.