Experiences on 3D Printing of an EEG Headset

Electroencephalography is a method used in the examination of brain activities and the diagnosis and treatment of nervous system diseases. In the application of the method, special headsets are needed to facilitate the electrode placement arrangements. 3D printers provide many advantages in the production of headsets. In this study, 3D printing of a headset model reported to be useful has been experienced with consideration of alternative printing approaches. The printing of the headset and the complementary parts that came with the model was carried out with PLA filament material with a diameter of 1.75 mm. For printing the headset, 0.20 mm layer height, 2.5 mm shell thickness, 10% fill rate, assisted printing, and normal speed printing settings were used. The front and back parts of the headset were printed separately. In addition, each part was divided into three smaller pieces and then printed. For the complementary parts, 0.25 mm layer height, 2.5 mm shell thickness, 10% infill rate, unsupported printing, and fast printing settings were used. In addition, the copy mode and the dual extruder operation mode offered by the 3D printer were used in the printing of the parts. Filament consumption and printing time in the printing of the parts were determined. PLA as a filament material provided high surface quality as well as high hardness and strength, allowing the parts to be printed with sufficient quality. In the single-piece printing of the headset front and rear parts, and the process took 4053 minutes and 695 g of filament was consumed. The printing of the parts in pieces took 2155 minutes and 327 gr of filament was consumed. In the printing of the complementary parts with a single extruder, 52 gr of filament was consumed and the printing took 401 minutes. In the use of a double extruder, the same amount of filament was consumed but the printing time was 205 minutes. When the headset is printed in small pieces, less support material is used and printing time is shortened. In the printing of complementary parts, when compared to the use of a single extruder, the use of a double extruder leads to the consumption of a similar amount of printing material but reduces the printing time by half. The headset is the most important component of electroencephalography systems, and the complementary parts of the headset can be printed with different printing approaches, but a meticulously determined approach may lead to noticeable reductions in both the amount of printing material and the printing time.