Direct printing of soft, flexible bolus using FDM 3D printing technology has been limited by the fact that the softest materials which can be reliably printed do not possess the flexibility of standard sheet bolus. To provide users with a soft, flexible bolus option, we developed a feature in our software to create a 3D printed mould to fabricate patient-specific flexible bolus out of softer materials, such as silicone.
This aim of this study is to demonstrate that 3D printed two-piece moulds, designed with an automated software algorithm, can easily produce flexible silicone bolus for a variety of geometries, with thickness accuracy comparable to standard sheet bolus but with superior surface conformity. The homogeneity, density, and geometrical accuracy of the mould-based silicone boluses are also reported.