FIDIM Leg Braces 1.0

thingiverse

I have had issues with manufactured AFO braces (for Charcot Marie Tooth Disease) breaking, and I need them to stay in the workforce. I have been very disappointed with the cost associated with them though, and therefor set out to make a pair myself. This design is still fairly primitive, but they work well. I am going to be designing some more sophisticated ones later. These use steel hinges, which you'll have to make yourself. That's the biggest drawback of these in my opinion, and that will be the first thing that I try to resolve for the next version. I attempted to source professionally made hinges for this purpose, but the companies that I contacted weren't interested in doing business with me. Hence the name FIDIM (Fine, I'll Do It Myself). These are printed in Overture "Easy Nylon" and have held up quite well. 260 C 10 walls and 100% infill. Roughly 3-rolls should do it. According to my phone, I walk 10k-30k steps per day, and have been using them for a few weeks now. No appreciable wear in that time. I wear an American size 10 shoe, have high arches and significantly atrophied legs. They're designed for me, but the use of a heat gun can get them malleable enough to shape. Blender can also be used to shape them. Just print a hollow one first to see how it fits. I want to make these available to all, so I ask that no one commercializes them. That would completely defeat the purpose of me making them, as there are already a multitude of highly expensive manufactured braces on the market.