Reverse Engineering in Customization of Products: Review and Case Study

In recent times, reverse engineering (RE) has gain utmost interest as a tool to manufacture customized products in health care. Orthopedic implants are one such product that might be largely benefited by RE. Currently, implants are based on anthropometric data that must be adjusted to match the bone contour of a particular patient. In most cases, this makes the surgery complicated and increases the chance of failure. In this study, a generic implant is remodeled using RE to match the bone contour such that it fits the surface of the fractured bone. Simulative analysis of the customized implant shows that it will reduce both the stress and displacement between bone and implant by nearly 50%. Such customized implants would ease the healing as well as minimize the operation time by eliminating the use of hand tools.