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Flexnlock can be contacted at info@flexnlock.com
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Working with the Wolfson Centre for Materials Processing and the Institute for Bioengineering at Brunel and The Centre for Disability Sciences at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore, FlexNlock Ltd has helped develop a novel material for the production of spinal bracing for scoliosis and other orthopaedic supports. Able to be formed directly around the patient’s body, this novel material eliminates the labour intensive mould and model making part of the process. The patient will require only one hospital visit for manufacture and fitting of their brace which may later be easily adjusted in-situ to allow for growth and clinical needs. The open structure of the material will be lighter, cooler and more comfortable without compromising clinical effectiveness.
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FlexNlock Properties
Articulated sheet structure that behaves as a supple and compliable material that can be easy to work to shape during fitting and then locked into a rigid lightweight, low density shell.
The structure is made up of a small injection moulded modules that allow relative rotation both parallel and perpendicular to the plane of the sheet when laid flat. This allows the sheet to be bent and stretched around the complex freeform three dimensional shapes of the body. The density of the sheet can also be locally or globally changed so as to improved conformability.
The material can be locked and unlocked globally or selectively in small sections. A locking material is incorporated in each connection that is activated by external energy but without adversely affecting surface temperature of the brace. This is a significant advance over current lockable articulated structures that require perhaps hundreds of individual modules to be screw clamped by hand.
The prototype material has been demonstrated to a panel of orthotists and enthusiastically received.
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