Low-speed instrumented drill press for bone screw insertion

J Logan Betts; Frank M Brinkley; Lauren B Priddy; Matthew W Priddy

doi:10.1016/j.ohx.2023.e00474

Low-speed instrumented drill press for bone screw insertion

HardwareX. 2023 Sep 18:16:e00474. doi: 10.1016/j.ohx.2023.e00474. eCollection 2023 Dec.

Authors

J Logan Betts^{1

2}, Frank M Brinkley^{1

2}, Lauren B Priddy³, Matthew W Priddy^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, United States of America.
² Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39759, United States of America.
³ Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, United States of America.

Abstract

Screw insertion torque is a widely used/effective method for quantifying fixation strength in orthopedic implant research for different screw geometries, implantation sites, and loads. This work reports the construction of an open-source instrumented benchtop screw insertion device for a total cost of $7545 ($492 + $7053 for equipped sensors), as well as validation of the device and an example use-application. The insertion device is capable of recording the axial load, rotational speed, and applied torque throughout the screw insertion process at 10 samples per second, as demonstrated in the validation test. For this combination of bone analog (20 PCF Sawbones©), screw, and loading, the resolution of the torque sensor was 25% of the maximum measured torque; a different model torque sensor would be required to meet ASTM F543-17, which specifies a resolution of 10% of the maximum torque. This system is optimized for fastener insertion at speeds of 120 rpm or less and axial loading up to 50 N.

Keywords: Arduino; Mechanical testing; Open source hardware; Orthopedic fixation devices; Osteointegration; Screw insertion.