Advanced 3D printed casting molds for facial prostheses

The traditional fabrication process of facial prostheses is laborious and expensive. Applying new technologies to stages of the fabrication process may provide a way to improve the quality of the prosthesis while reducing the cost and time required. Traditional mold-making techniques rely heavily on the sculpting ability of clinicians to create forms that are realistic and proportionate to the existing patient anatomy. Computer-aided design and manufacturing which employ medical data offer benefits to patient treatment by contributing better outcomes in prosthetic fabrication. This report demonstrates the use of a 3D technological pathway for virtual casting mold design through prosthesis fabrication for a silicone auricular prosthesis. The auricular prosthetic mold is modeled using the patient’s medical scan, designed in a 3D modeling software, and printed with a desktop 3D printer. Medical grade silicone is then cast and cured in the 3D printed mold. Utilizing a digital workflow, soft tissue prostheses with complex anatomy can be fabricated more accurately for less time and resources. Most importantly, the implementation of 3D technology and printing in prosthetic fabrication can improve patient satisfaction.