The project
Built for Open Phantom, this is a training device for practising needle insertion between the ribs. Four ribs sit on a printed rack inside an enclosed housing, covered by a cast silicone layer that imitates human tissue. The ribs cannot be seen, only felt, so the trainee has to locate the gap between them with their fingers before inserting the needle, which is what the real procedure requires.
The approach
Open Phantom came with the idea and some progress already made. What was needed was the step between a concept and something that could actually be produced: 3D models prepared for manufacturing, and an assembly that works. Getting the parts to interlock and come together cleanly is what turns a set of components into a product, and it is the difference between something that can be built once and something that can be built repeatedly.
How it was made
The housing and the rib rack were 3D printed in PETG. The tissue layer is cast silicone, sitting over the ribs so nothing is visible from outside. The housing is angled rather than flat, presenting the working surface at a realistic angle, and the whole assembly clamps to the edge of a table. The silicone pad is a separate component, so it can be replaced as it wears rather than requiring a whole new device.
Where the same approach works
A training device only works if the thing being trained is the thing being felt. Everything here is arranged so that the trainee gets no visual shortcut, which is the entire point of the object. The same approach suits medical training equipment, simulation devices, and any product combining rigid printed structure with cast soft materials.
