{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T02:48:58Z","timestamp":1760150938579,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,29]],"date-time":"2022-01-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1643414400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Bioengineering"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Molding immobilization masks is a time-consuming process, strongly dependent on the healthcare professional, and potentially uncomfortable for the patient. Thus, an alternative sustainable automated production process is proposed for abdominal masks, using fused deposition modelling (FDM) 3D printing with polylactic acid (PLA). Radiological properties of PLA were evaluated by submitting a set of PLA plates to photon beam radiation, while estimations of their mechanical characteristics were assessed through numerical simulation. Based on the obtained results, the abdominal mask was 3D printed and process costs and times were analyzed. The plates revealed dose transmissions similar to the conventional mask at all energies, and mechanical deformation guarantees the required immobilization, with a 66% final cost reduction. PLA proved to be an excellent material for this purpose. Despite the increase in labour costs, a significant reduction in material costs is observed with the proposed process. However, the time results are not favorable, mainly due to the printing technique used in this study.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/bioengineering9020055","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,29]],"date-time":"2022-01-29T23:02:06Z","timestamp":1643497326000},"page":"55","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["3D Printing of Abdominal Immobilization Masks for Therapeutics: Dosimetric, Mechanical and Financial Analysis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"9","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9711-6031","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jessica","family":"Duarte","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"ISEL\u2014Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa, ESTeSL\u2013Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Sa\u00fade de Lisboa, Instituto Polit\u00e9cnico de Lisboa, 1549-020 Lisboa, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4452-5840","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria Am\u00e9lia Ramos","family":"Loja","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CIMOSM-Centro de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o em Modela\u00e7\u00e3o e Otimiza\u00e7\u00e3o de Sistemas Multifuncionais, ISEL-Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa, Instituto Polit\u00e9cnico de Lisboa, 1549-020 Lisboa, Portugal"},{"name":"IDMEC, IST-Instituto Superior T\u00e9cnico, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Ricardo","family":"Portal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CIMOSM-Centro de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o em Modela\u00e7\u00e3o e Otimiza\u00e7\u00e3o de Sistemas Multifuncionais, ISEL-Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa, Instituto Polit\u00e9cnico de Lisboa, 1549-020 Lisboa, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7109-6535","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lina","family":"Vieira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CIMOSM-Centro de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o em Modela\u00e7\u00e3o e Otimiza\u00e7\u00e3o de Sistemas Multifuncionais, ISEL-Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa, Instituto Polit\u00e9cnico de Lisboa, 1549-020 Lisboa, Portugal"},{"name":"H&TRC\u2014Health & Technology Research Center, ESTeSL-Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Sa\u00fade, Instituto Polit\u00e9cnico de Lisboa, 1990-096 Lisboa, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"98","DOI":"10.2967\/jnmt.114.145771","article-title":"Value of a Lower-Limb Immobilization Device for Optimization of SPECT\/CT Image Fusion","volume":"43","author":"Machado","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. 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