Durable, Precise, and Efficient 3D Printing Solutions Create Custom Orthoses with Ultrasint® PA11
Solaxis choses advanced AM materials like Ultrasint® PA11 as the ideal choice for small batch custom orthoses
Podiatric orthoses provide essential support for patients with foot and lower limb problems, enhancing both mobility and quality of life. These devices require materials with strong, durable properties, and Forward AM’s Ultrasint® PA11 offers the perfect solution.
Project Breakdown
Industry & Application
Medical Footwear
Product
Ultrasint® PA11
Partner & Technology
Printing Service: Solaxis
Selected Printer Manufacturer: Farsoon
Why Forward AM?
PA11’s Durable, flexible, biocompatible properties
Key Results
- Fast lead times
- Scalable processes
- Biocompatibility
The Challenge
Producing Custom Orthoses In Small Batches With Short Lead Times by Solaxis
Podiatric orthoses are highly customized items that must perfectly match the shape of a patient’s foot or limb. This customization introduces manufacturing challenges, such as long lead times and the difficulty of scaling production while maintaining precision and quality at higher volumes. Traditionally, orthoses are produced by hand, or using CNC machining tools. But these have limits in terms of manufacturing time and variable production volumes.
Solaxis aimed to produce batches of 40 to 100 custom items every two weeks. Besides the geometry, each custom item needed to integrate switches, which required materials with insulating properties, durability, robustness, mechanical strength, and resistance to both humidity and wear.
Selecting manufacturing techniques to meet these specifications required careful consideration. Small-batch production limited viable options, as high initial tooling costs for each batch are generally impractical. The amount of items to produce per batch could also vary, so Solaxis needed a manufacturing technique that combined reactivity, speed of execution, and fast process.
The Solution
- It supported low-volume manufacturing at variable batch sizes. The process was scalable to their needs, without significant extra cost
- It integrated seamlessly with 3D scanning technologies and other digital workflows, enabling precise profiling of patients’ feet
- Average batch lead times were around 5-7 days
Let’s not forget material choice plays a major role in the quality of the final product. Orthoses are typically made with Nylon PA12. However, Solaxis chose to use Ultrasint® PA11, a bio-derived nylon known for durability, toughness, and flexibility. This bought additional benefits to production items: Ultrasint PA11’s durability extends the life of integrated components, its flexibility enhances patient comfort, and its biocompatibility ensures its safe for skin contact – which are critical features for orthopedic applications.
Next Steps
Reference Links and Documents
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