Design and Manufacturing of Customized Braces for Scoliosis Treatment

A new method to design and manufacture customized braces is introduced in this research for scoliosis treatment. In this method, a geometric model of a scoliosis patient’s torso is achieved using a laser optical scanning device. The brace geometry is obtained by generating the offset geometry of the torso’s surface, selecting vertical boundaries, removing holes and noise data, creating symmetrical geometry, and modifying the geometry near the pelvis curves. Manufacturing of the brace is conducted by producing a male die with a sculptured surface using a custom-designed 5-axis CNC milling machine and creating the plastic brace using a thermoforming process.