Üsküdar University Prosthetics and Orthotics Workshop is a practical training center that trains qualified healthcare technicians capable of designing, manufacturing, and fitting prostheses (artificial limbs) for individuals who have lost their arms or legs for various reasons, as well as orthoses (assistive devices) that are anatomically and physiologically appropriate for patients with functional disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
What is the Üsküdar University Prosthetics and Orthotics Workshop? / What is its Purpose?
Main Purpose: The main purpose of the Prosthetics and Orthotics Workshop is to train competent professionals who will be involved in the design, production, and fitting of biomechanical support devices and artificial limbs that enable patients to maintain their daily living activities independently.
Key Features: The workshop is designed to enable students to become familiar with the consumable materials and permanent equipment they will encounter directly in their professional lives, use this equipment safely, and integrate it into manufacturing processes. The educational model focuses on maximizing the manual precision and technical skills required for the production of orthopedic devices.
Academic Contribution: The workshop environment, where clinical and technical theoretical knowledge is transformed into practical production, improves students' ability to perceive three-dimensional shapes and spatial relationships, reinforcing their skills in producing orthopedic devices that precisely match anatomical measurements.
Equipment and Technical Infrastructure Available in the Laboratory
Key Features: The workshop infrastructure is equipped with industrial and medical production equipment to enable mechanical shaping, measurement, assembly, and finishing processes to be carried out in accordance with international standards.
Permanent Machinery and Workbench Infrastructure
- Lathe, Grinding, and Milling Machines: Machining units used for mechanically processing, shaping, and smoothing prosthetic and orthotic components.
- Welding Machines: Equipment used for structurally joining metal support components and joint mechanisms.
- Drilling Machine, Soldering Iron, and Soldering Drills: Auxiliary machines used for drilling, fastening, and electronic/thermal assembly processes.
- Large Workbenches: Two main work areas that enable collaborative and synchronized production within the workshop.
- Clamps and Vises: Four pipe vises and 24 flat vises positioned to allow materials to be processed with precision.
Measuring, Marking, and Hand Tools
- Precision Measuring and Inspection Tools: Calipers and micrometers used to ensure dimensional accuracy.
- Shaping and Cutting Tools: Lathe tools, marking tools, dies, rasps, saws, abrasive wheels, and files.
Consumables and Plaster Infrastructure
- Molding and Fixation Components: Plasters, bandages, adhesives, and screws required for modeling anatomical measurements taken from patients and for assembly processes.
- Medical Device Components: Prosthetic (artificial limb) materials and orthotic raw materials used in practical training.
Research and Application Areas
All practical training and technical manufacturing processes carried out in the workshop focus on the following main application areas:
- Prosthesis (Artificial Limb) Design and Manufacturing: Production of artificial limbs designed to compensate for the anatomical deficiencies of amputees (individuals who have experienced arm or leg loss) and provide biomechanical function.
- Orthotic and Assistive Device Technologies: Production of functional devices designed to support, protect, or correct the body in musculoskeletal disorders such as paralysis, scoliosis, and joint instability.
- Measurement and Negative Mold Modeling: Taking anatomical measurements using plaster casts through a patient-centered approach and carrying out positive model fabrication processes.
- Machining and Finishing Practices: Completing patient-specific modifications of prosthetic and orthotic components using mechanical tools such as lathes, milling machines, files, and drills.
Contributions to Students and the Industry
- Advanced Manual and Fine Motor Skills: By personally using all mechanical hand tools, from lathes to files, students develop the high level of manual dexterity and meticulous working discipline required of prosthetics and orthotics technicians.
- Physical Endurance and Industry Readiness: Students who directly experience physically demanding processes such as turning, drilling, and finishing in the workshop develop strong adaptation to the physical conditions of professional life.
- Industrial Materials Literacy: Before entering the professional field, students gain an in-depth understanding of biocompatible materials, metals, polymers, and measuring instruments such as calipers and micrometers used in prosthetic and orthotic production.
