Pressure garment modelling and development

A pressure garment is a medical garment that is used to prevent or reduce the formation of scars after a burn injury. It works by replacing the role played by skin to apply pressure upon the body to ensure that the injured skin is replaced to its original state without scarring. Currently, there are some problems associated with the process of designing and making pressure garments, such as fitting problems, customer satisfaction and delivery time. This research aims to develop a pressure garment that can apply an accurate pressure to a wounded area. In order to achieve the target aim, a system that can design pressure garments for the treatment of burn injuries has been developed. The process included the using of a 3D digital image of human body, obtained from a 3D body scanner, to design a 3D pressure garment model. The model is developed by considering several important parameters, such as pressure to be exerted, fabric properties and radius of curvature. Using the model the 3D pressure garment model is flattened to obtain its 2D pattern. A real pressure garment was constructed based on the 2D pattern. [Continues.]