Abstract
In orthopedic surgical training of the hand, it is common to practice on lower fidelity models to refine sills. However, no comprehensive psychomotor simulator exists for fundamental skill sets considered critical to competency in hand surgery. It is becoming more common to use a three-dimensional (3D) printer to create models that have similar appearances to that of the bones and other anatomical structures. With the increase of the use of additive manufacturing (AM) technology, a more affordable and accessible way to produce in-house training models has been developed. There are many aspects that go into creation of these models with the first one being the selection of the material itself. Without examining the force of multiple different common AM polymers, it can be difficult to select one without countless trial and error. This study used a Stryker drill with wire collet and an Instron universal testing system to collect comparative force data using five different modeling materials compared to chicken bone. The data showed that the material with least average force difference from the bone models was polylactic acid (PLA).
