Finite Element Analysis and Material Selection of 3D-Printed External Metacarpal Fixator Clamp

Abstract

One of the most common orthopedic injuries is fracture found on the metacarpal bones of the hand. It is composed of 14-28 % emergency room cases in hospitals. Despite its frequent occurrence, they are often neglected which may lead to major disability or deformity that limits movement. This is merely due to the high cost of treatment which includes the usage of an external metacarpal fixator. In this paper, an external metacarpal fixator clamp with additive manufacturing polymer material is evaluated based on scenarios of flexural and compressive load on the metacarpal bone with simulated fracture. The material is selected using Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) multi-attribute decision making. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is also done with increasing load per scenario. The result shows nylon as a suitable polymer additive manufacturing material for external metacarpal fixator. The equivalent stress on the fixator clamp and the deformation at a maximum load of 120 N is less than 1 Mpa and 0.5 mm, respectively. This comprises the suitability of 3D printed polymer material for an external metacarpal application. Future studies of comparison of FEA simulation and actual 3D printed part is recommended.