FIDIM II AFO Leg Brace

cults3d

FIDIM - "Fine, I'll do it myself" Since I have had so many issues with manufactured braces breaking and/or being entirely too expensive. I am not only the designer. I am also a client. This is an evolution of a brace design that I have been working on for some time. The older versions used a steel hinge that had to be fabricated, making them less accesible for people that need them. This one has a somewhat better fit (for me) uses slightly less material (900 grams per brace) and uses a flexible TPU "flexihinge" instead of a fabricated steel one. I used Duramic TPU with a shore hardness of 95A for the flexihinges and the rear bumper. I wear these every day, and walk up to 5 miles/8km per day over level, even flooring. After 5 months, one of the flexihinges finally broke. They won't last as long if you're walking over unlevel ground, but I think 5 months isn't bad at all for what I do. I was worried that they wouldn't last long at all. I printed a replacement and was back in action in about 4 hours. Go ahead and have a few spares on hand if you rely on these. These can be modified to fit with Blender's sculpting mode, and they can be shaped after printing using a heat gun. I am a 100kg man with Charcot Marie Tooth Disease, have high arches and significantly atrophied calves. I wear a US Size 10 shoe. I hope that I can help someone else that needs AFOs, but can't get them for whatever reason. I went without them for years (far too expensive) and they have vastly improved my quality of life now that I have them. Please do not commercialize this design beyond what it takes to cover the cost of materials. There are numerous braces already on the market, and I want this one to be free for all.