Man Loses Fingertip. So Naturally, He Engineers And 3D Prints A New One

Christian Call lost the top part of his right index finger in a work-related accident. Rather than cough up the coin for a prosthetic, he decided to try and make his own. Many designs and prototypes later, he not only came up with something terrific-looking, but extremely cheap — $US5 cheap.

You’d think crafting a replacement fingertip wouldn’t be too tricky, but it turns out there’s a lot going on in what appears to be a simple appendage. As Eddie Krassenstein explains in this article over on 3DPrint, the final product is comprised of three distinct parts:

1. The Tip -– A replacement for his missing fingertip.

2. The Anchor -– Holds the small cables tight and provides a way to adjust the length of these cables.

3. The Cup -– Gives a means for connecting the tip and a way to route the small cables from the anchor to the tip.

For the most part, Call pumped out his designs using an UP! Mini 3D printer, but there are a couple of components that had to be purchased individually, including a jeweller’s cable, screw and foam. All up, Call believes he’s spent about $US5 in materials, which I imagine is a much better deal than what you’d have to pay for an actual prosthetic.

If you’d like to read more or see additional photos, you can hit up Call’s Facebook page.

[3DPrint Board, via 3DPrint]