Desenvolvimento de máscara facial personalizada através de manufatura aditiva para fixação de pacientes oncológicos pediátricos com neoplasias de cabeça e pescoço em acelerador linear de radioterapia

Abstract

The application of 3D technology in the manufacture of personalized facial masks through additive manufacturing allowed all stages of mask design and printing to be carried out through digital planning. The use of a face mask during the radiotherapy process is necessary for adequate immobilization, positioning and comfort for the patient during the process of fixation to the linear accelerator, avoiding deviations of the ionizing radiation beams during the treatment. Through the digital flow, it was possible to obtain STL-type 3D modeling and printing files that are compatible with three-dimensional printers that use FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) technology to print the 3D object. The use of 3D technology allowed the creation of a personalized facial mask, replacing the manual and conventional manufacturing process with three-dimensional digital planning, modeling and printing of the object. The objective was to develop a method for manufacturing a personalized facial mask through additive manufacturing for fixing pediatric oncology patients with head and neck cancers in a radiotherapy linear accelerator. This was a case study in which digital planning was carried out for a pediatric oncology patient. The images of the patient's head and neck were captured using a smartphone with the Qlone® scanning application (software) where a 3D scanning process was carried out to obtain an STL file compatible with three-dimensional printers that use FDM technology (Modeling Fused Deposition) for printing the object. The method of choice for manufacturing was FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) technology, characterized by a thermoplastic resin thread deposited in layers to obtain the 3D object. The 3D scanning process of the personalized facial mask was carried out using the CAD software Fusion 360® and Autodesk®® Inventor® generating a partial and solid file of the 3D object, making it possible to create the design and STL print file compatible with the 3D printers. Using Simplify 3D® software, it was possible to guarantee the modeling and slicing of the mask mesh, generating an STL file for 3D printing using FDM technology using PLA (Polylactic Acid) as a printing material. The results showed that advances in 3D technology made it possible to demonstrate and validate the new method of manufacturing a personalized facial mask, by obtaining the 3D object using FDM technology with PLA material, as well as the application of 3D technology optimized the obtaining of the mask facial without the need for manual molding characterized by the conventional manufacturing method. Thus, the study showed that it is possible to replace a physical and manual obtaining process with a digital, customized and innovative flow process through the use of 3D technology for mask production.