People around the world in need of prosthetic limbs have benefited from 3D printing — and the technology continues helping improve and adapt prosthetics.
Now, a Polish company is designing custom, 3D printed prostheses that double as beautiful pieces of art.
Manufacturer Glaze Prosthetics was born out of necessity. Co-founder Piotr Sajdak, 27, lost part of his arm on a night out while defending a friend. This loss led him on a search for a prosthetic arm that would meet his needs. As an active runner, he didn’t like the bulk and look of traditional prosthetics, weighing between 1.5 and 4 kilos, which slowed him down.
That didn’t stop the runner from searching and helping others. Through Sajdak’s involvement in the charity Business Run Foundation, he met brothers Grzegorz, 40, and Franek Kosch, 30. The Kosch brothers volunteered to design a personalized arm for him.
Glaze Prosthetics Turns Heads
The solution to fill Sajdak’s — and others’ — needs was to 3D print a custom-designed prosthetic limb. 3D printing improved the aesthetic while bringing down the weight to a free-moving 750 grams. The result was a success.
After busying themselves with research and development in 2017, the company started selling its wares in 2018, told Sajdak to The First News. Recently, the company began offering prosthetic arms for children, particularly in Poland, which has rapidly grown into a vital aspect of their business. It’s also currently in the finals of 43North, a start-up competition in the US for their innovation.
Glaze Prosthetics offers an interchangeable prosthetics system that allows customers to fully customize each arm to their needs and personal taste. A configurator on the company website allows customers to create personalized designs, including options for hydrographs, airbushes and prints, with various finishes and colors. Four various elbow angles are available and quickly attach.
The prosthetics aren’t cheap. A standard model costs €5,000, while a “Whizzlink” model costs over €35,000.
“We never want to stop improving though and we also offer clothing that helps proud wearers show off their prosthetic,” told Sajdak to The First News.
(Source: The First News)
(Lead image source: Glaze Prosthetics / Facebook)
License: The text of "This Company is Using 3D Printing to Create Beautiful, Custom Prosthetic Limbs" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.