Leg Support to Help People With Calf Weakness Made With 3D Printing.

As a student, I was looking to make a project that would help someone and would also be able to get me the best marks in my GCSE. The search was long until one day I saw one of my neighbours walking to throw rubbish. A casual job that would take merely 7 minutes of your time (as I lived in a flat) however for him, it took 20 minutes. This was because of a problem that he had. As a result of a stroke, he was unfortunately unable to walk properly due to calf weakness. Seeing this, I resolved to help him by creating a leg brace. The 3D file for printing is attached however due to the complexity of the swirling part, I removed that when printing and reinforced some parts by using materials such as acrylic instead of the 3D printed part. This leg brace is easy to make and can be made by anyone. The dimensions however have to be updated (foot size for example) according to your own needs however the rest is applicable to most people. The file attached is the concept CAD. The final made leg brace is different in some aspects.

Supplies

Supplies needed:

3D printer

Filament

Wooden piece for mould (According to top dimension in file, See in step for more detail)

Disc Sander

Acrylic sheet

Velcro Straps

Strong glue - I used Araldite for mine but anything strong is fine

Springs

Laser cutter

Hot air gun

Thin aluminium sheet

Coping saw

Plastic Weld

Optional:

Foam for sole comfort

Neoprene for comfort behind calf

Step 1: 3D Print Calf Support

All you have to do is 3D print the parts attached. They are STL files. Based on the dimensions, when I 3D printed it, I had to cut the parts in half and then do them one by one so that they could fit within the 3D printer's dimensions. You can choose to 3D print the corresponding top part and sole as well as that was excluded from the printing as I decided to use an acrylic piece instead and you can find this part to print as well, titled optional top part and optional sole print. If you choose to do this then you would skip steps 3 to 6. Note that the leg brace can be sized up according to what shoe size you are. Mine is an 7 and a half UK.

Step 2: Weld Together Pieces

Using plastic weld, weld together the 3D printed pieces accordingly however do not weld the calf support to the bottom part.

Step 3: Trim Wooden Piece to Mould Size

Using a coping saw, cut a piece of wood down to a cuboid with dimensions of 70mm by 120mm by 70mm. Draw a semi circle on it with 60mm and then using the coping saw and disc sander, sand it down to the shape. See the picture for reference.

Step 4: Laser Cut Acrylic Pieces

Using the attached file, cut the acrylic pieces using the laser cutting machine.

Step 5: Heat Bend Acrylic Piece

Using a hot air gun, gently heat up the acrylic and press with a heatproof glove over the wooden mould. Keep the shape until the acrylic solidifies. Note that you only have to heat a bit. This acrylic part is not the sole piece.

Step 6: Glue on Acrylic Pieces

Glue the sole to the bottom of the 3D printed part and stick the heat bended part to the top of the calf support. Recommended strong glue.

Step 7: Glue on Springs and Reinforce With Aluminium Sheet

Cut out an aluminium sheet. The thickness of the sheet doesn't matter but recommended 3mm or 5mm. The length should be 85mm by 65mm and you should bend this around the mould made. Using force or a vice, ensure the bend is maintained. Then connect the original 3D printed pieces together using springs and glue on the springs using a very strong glue (Guerrilla Glue or Araldite) and stick the aluminium sheet behind that part. Refer to the pictures attached for assistance.

Step 8: Glue on Velcro Straps

Velcro straps can be glued on using strong glue. These can be cut according to the dimensions of your calves as everyone's will differ. I made my velcro straps using sewing techniques.

Step 9: Optional - Foam and Neoprene

You can cut neoprene out to line the calf support using scissors according to how much you need. Foam can be cut as well according to the sole size.