Case study of a novel multi-actuated optimized reconfigurable freeform surface (MORFS) mold for custom foot orthoses

Mold design and construction is typically the most time-consuming and costly process in the fabrication of custom freeform product surfaces. Reconfigurable molds reduce this time and cost; however, some opportunities for improvement in reconfigurable systems are still possible in design by reducing system complexity and reconfigure time for a target application. A novel “multi-actuated optimized reconfigurable freeform surface (MORFS)” mold is proposed for the following key targets to (1) design the system for a targeted application, e.g., custom foot orthoses (CFOs), (2) reduce system complexity, (3) reduce system reconfigure time, and (4) ensure accuracy. The MORFS design process involves the following steps: (1) data processing, segmentation, normalization, and dimensionality reduction; (2) design of a novel mechanical subassembly; (3) development of a finite element (FE) flexible shell model of the manufacturing surface mold; (4) design optimization; and (5) development of a machine learning (ML)-based feedback control algorithm. The developed MORFS mold is 29