DSM
Part designed by Bewegingsvisie B.V. and printed with DSM materials on the Ultimaker S5 Pro Bundle.
Orthotics and prosthetics manufacturer ProReva is working with DSM, Ultimaker and Twikit to additively manufacture customised products.
The companies have collaborated to develop a digital workflow in a bid to streamline production processes and deliver products with enhanced performance. So far, ProReva has reported a 30% reduction in production costs and a 75% reduction in production time.
ProReva and its three partners came together as a result of the orthotics and prosthetics company looking to manage increasing demand while improving quality without exceeding its budgets. Twikit was able to offer its TwikFit cloud-based platform that translates scan data and patient needs to production-ready CAD files, while Ultimaker’s 3D printing technology and DSM’s comprehensive materials portfolio have already been synergised through another partnership.
TwikFit is a Software as a Service (SaaS) application which aims to bring the patient closer to the manufacture of the product and enable custom fit orthotics and prosthetics via 3D scanning. Scan corrections are made within the 3D model, as opposed to on the printed part, while many of the modelling steps have been automated. Once this process is complete, the 3D model is then sent to the 3D printer; in this case the Ultimaker S5 Pro Bundle. Meanwhile, DSM’s strong and stiff Novamid ID1030 CF10 material is being used, as is the soft and flexible Arnitel ID2045, which has passed relevant regulatory approvals for irritation and cytotoxicity and is thus suitable for the inner and softer part of orthotics and prosthetics.
Read more:
- Feet first - a closer look at 3D printed orthotics
- 'There shouldn’t have to be such a large premium' - Jabil on the application of 3D printing & its collaboration with Superfeet
- How simulation and 3D printing are taking the pain out of children's orthotics
With this process, ProReva says patients are receiving better comfort and fit, while it has been able to remove several steps of the process, including ‘messy casting processes’, bringing production time down from two weeks to three days and shaving 30% off the cost. Some products are even being turned around within a single day.
“Through the partnership between DSM, Twikit, Ultimaker and ourselves, I am convinced that patients will get high-quality, customised orthotic and prosthetic products that fit accurately and improve patient care,” commented Arjan Kremer, Finance & ICT Manager at ProReva. “By digitising orthotic and prosthetic manufacturing we can help more patients, reduce costs, make production fast and efficient, be less reliant on hard-to-find skills and get it right the first time.”
“The TwikFit cloud-based SaaS application bridged the gap between patient and product manufacture, cutting out several manual steps,” added Twikit founder and CEO Martin Joris. “The software integrates product design and engineering expertise with a user-friendly interface. It removes the complexity of CAD and allows non-technical orthotic and prosthetic professionals to maximise skills to customise and build high-quality digital models that are production ready.”
