Investigation of the Mechanical Properties of PLA as a Material for Patient-Specific Orthopaedic Equipment

3Dprintingistheprocess of manufacturing three-dimensional objects based on their computer models. Initially, this method was treated as a kind of rapid prototyping and used only in industry. Currently, it is one of the most dynamically developing areas not only in the context of industrial prototyping but also in the food or medical areas. All samples were printed from the same material—PLA Premium manufactured by Raise, on the same printer—Raise 3D Pro2, with the same print speeds and the same single-layer height. The only parameter changed was the orientation (V-vertical, H-horizontal). During the tests, the printing errors impact on the test results was minimised, as each of the systems was printed three times. PE which is currently used in orthopaedics served as a reference value. In order to check the stability of the mechanical properties, six PE samples were cut from various places of the tested board. The purpose of examining the samples was to conduct strength tests according to PN-EN ISO 14125. The results show that there is a significant difference between samples produced with different orientations of the material layers and that printed elements have a better strength to mass ratio, which is of great importance in the production of patient-specific orthopaedic supplies, as each gram less increases the comfort of the corset or orthosis worn by the patient.