May 23, 2015 | By Simon
Among all of the applications that additive manufacturing has afforded us with in the last few years, it’s difficult to not bring up 3D printed prosthetic devices.
Whether they’re intended to be used for our four-legged friends or humans, the ability to create a customized and low-cost enabling device on-demand is nothing short of revolutionary and has already changed the lives of thousands.
But for all of the successes that we’ve seen or heard about with various 3D printed prosthetic devices, none have been designed for a ‘dummy’ - or - ‘mannequin’ doll...until now.
In Cambridge, England, “Dickie”, a dummy that has resided outside of a hardware store for ten years was recently fitted with a 3D printed ‘replacement’ hand after his left hand was stolen by thieves recently.
Located in front of the Mackays Hardware Store on East Road, the shopkeepers have placed Dickie outside of the store when the shop opens and has since become a landmark.
Now known to thousands of tourists and commuters who pass the busy store on their way into the city, Dickie, whose outfit of choice is known to change to reflect the seasons or various cultural events but usually consists of a hard hat and a reflective jacket, even has his own Twitter account - which is where the announcement was made that his hand was missing.
When it was discovered that Dickie’s left hand was stolen in April, local 3D printing service provider Cambridge 3D Printing offered the hardware store to create an entirely new hand via additive manufacturing.
"Luckily, as he's a mannequin, Dickie won't need anaesthetic for his operation," said Mackays owner Neil Mackay.
Although the announcement was initially made on Twitter by Dickie himself, it wasn’t until Cambridge 3D Printing director Tom Parker spotted the missing hand himself when he offered to build a new one.
"I knew of the mannequin outside their shop, so thought after he lost his hand a 3D-printed replacement would be ideal, and a good bit of fun," said Parker.
"I 3D-printed the hand in sections when my printer had some free machine time. It would have only taken a couple of days if made non-stop."
The finished hand - which closely resembles some 3D printed prosthetic hand designs made for humans over the years - features moveable joints and was custom fitted specifically to Dickie’s rubber arm. Due to what happened with Dickie’s last hand, Mackay isn’t taking any chances with the new hand. The store has even made a metal bracket to secure the hand onto Dickie’s arm firmly.
According to Mackay, "Dickie's very much looking forward to the operation."
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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