Mechanical tests in thermoplastic elastomers used in 3D printers for the construction of hand prosthesis

Worldwide over one billion people live with some kind of disability; many of them require the use of prosthesis to compensate the absence of a functional limb. In seeking the use of new technologies to meet this demand, the rapid prototyping with 3D printer, is presented as a viable solution, since the economic factor is critical. A new prosthesis model using two types of plastic is proposed based on a template available on the Internet. A review of the materials becomes necessary for the safety of the product, for this, strain-controlled cyclic fatigue tests are performed according to the Standards to assess only the elastic materials properties of products of two suppliers, one national and the other imported, the properties of hard plastic will not be evaluated because it is widely known. As a result of the test, it was found that both thermoplastic elastomers, national and imported, can cater to load needs which will be submitted, in a descriptive way, national specimens had a higher medium load when compared to the imported one for the same strain. Similarly, national specimens show a fall less of average load, compared to the imported´s, for the same strain.