3D Print a Splint

Due to an unfortunate run-in between an SUV and my motorcycle, I found myself with a broken finger. Unhappy with the splint I received in the ER, I designed and printed my own.

Very simple: a 3d printer, measuring tape, some adhesive wrap, and scissors. I used a lulzbot mini running HIPS, my field notes notebook, and 3m nexcare waterproof stretchable medical tape. I cut the tape in half to fit on my finger more comfortably.

I disliked the splint the hospital game me because it was:

• Ugly: penguin-like finger coupling visible from across the room.
• Uncomfortable: the foam was against the whole length of my hand, it felt all slimy if I washed my hands, and the aluminum poked me.
• Smelly: the foam started to mold within 24 hours.

I tried to address these by making my splint:

• My favorite color: not everybody likes bright orange, but I do:)
• Rounded: smooth angles at the ends to keep the splint from poking when I move
• Ventilated: holes through the whole splint to allow airflow over my hand

I used Autodesk Inventor to model my dream splint. You can use whatever you want; I'm comfortable with inventor from other projects.

The biggest challenge was planning for printability: I wanted the curvature to match my current splint, and I didn't want to use support material.

After some thought, a eureka moment: I'll just remove the splint from the hotplate immediately after the print is complete! If it's still warm, I should be able to flex it to match the curvature of my hand.

Ipt file attached; lmk if you need a different format.

I went right from Inventor to Cura, printing with the fast HIPS profile after rotating the part.

~32 minutes later, I popped my splint-to-be off the build plate, bent it into shape, and said goodbye to the moldy foam hospital gear.

I'd hoped velcro would work, allowing me to quickly and easily remove the splint when I wanted to shower. This didn't have enough stretchiness to stay in place, so I switched to medical tape. The ridges in the splint keep the tape in place.

For a future version, which I hope I'll never need, I would base the exact shape of the splint on the results of a CT scan of the broken bone:)

Thanks for reading, and I hope this Instructable does not come in handy for you:)