Digital manufacturing for orthotics is innovation at its best, but that does not mean it is difficult to introduce into traditional workflows. . Orthobroker switched to an automated design flow, enabled by Twikit. They can now offer their proprietary products via an easy-to-use web-based personalization platform.
The advantage of plug-and-play software solutions is that they can be configured to fit the current production processes of an orthotic manufacturer. But what is required to start with the digital manufacturing of foot orthotics, and what are the advantages? Continue reading to find out.
Let’s go digital: from patient intake to finished orthotic
The process begins in the practitioner’s office as it does with the traditional way of creating orthotics. The difference is that from now on if desired, every step can occur digitally. The personalization platform enables an automated design flow from patient intake throughout the creation process to the finished product.
What steps are required to create an orthotic through a digital workflow?
- The medical professional receives the patient, discusses their needs, and registers their information (e.g., name, date of birth, contact information,…) onto the platform.
- The practitioner collects patient-specific data by either taking a 2D or 3D scan, or they take the measurements manually.
- The data is uploaded onto the platform as a base on which the orthotic is shaped. Ensuring a perfect and comfortable fit.
- Based on the patient’s needs, functional parameters and aesthetic features are adjusted if desired.
- When the medical professional is satisfied with the orthotic, which they can view as a 3D model in the personalization platform, they can immediately order and send the orthotic to a manufacturing facility of their preference.
Watch the video below of our customer’s, Orthobroker, digital workflow supported by the Twikit software to discover the step-by-step process in action.
This is how a reliable orthotic device is created in just a few minutes through a digital workflow. You are ready to get started with just a computer, scanning device, and medical expertise. No plaster or molds are included in the design process.
Why create orthotics digitally? 5 advantages for the CPO/clinician
Now you know how it works, from patient intake to finished design; let’s talk about the advantages for the medical professional of taking things online.
1. The fit: more accurate than ever
If you use a scanner during the data input step, the patient-specific data will be precise and less prone to errors. A scanner quickly takes the exact measurements of a body part and translates them into a 2D or 3D visual. Both provide the professional with accurate information about the patient’s foot, hand, wrist, or other limbs.
The orthotic is morphed around the scan, and the result is a wearable that fits like a glove with respect to the parametric limits that are set in the template.
2. Quick & easy functional and aesthetic adjustments
Instead of sending a prescription to a lab that manufactures the product, the medical professional designs the orthotic. They can take the creation process back into their own hands and expertise. The 3D visualization feature in the personalization platform shows the wearable and the changes made to it in real-time.
This means the expert can easily and quickly adjust the orthotic, such as an insole or a brace, with just a few clicks. When finished, they can see exactly how the finished product will look.
Watch the demo below to discover how functional adjustments are made in a digital workflow.
3. Digital convenience
Because the need for physical molds is obsolete when doing things digitally, there is also no need for physical storage. Al patient-specific data (measurements and scans) is stored online. As a result of digital convenience, it saves space and simplifies patient information management for the medical professional. Say goodbye to plaster and paperwork!
For example, when a patient loses or breaks their orthotic, the expert can easily order a new one based on the data stored on the platform—no need for the patient to revisit the practice for another taking of a mold.
4. Focus on patient care
The non-use of molds during a digital orthotic workflow saves the professional significant manual labor and time. An online personalization platform creates a medical wearable within only 5 minutes. Uploading a scan or measurements, adjusting the parameters, and done!
The expert can spend the freed-up time to receive more patients and focus more on each patient’s problem or other priorities.
5. Customers more satisfied with every step
The previous benefits are substantial to the medical expert, but they also significantly impact the end-user, the patient. The perfect fit, a quick and errorless process, the perfect adjustments for their ailment, which will lead to smoother recovery, and the practitioner who has more time to listen to the patient. It all contributes to a satisfied and healthy patient.
An automated digital workflow is a winner!
While the traditional method of creating custom-fit orthotics is tried and tested, an automated digital workflow is a severe competitor, if not a winner. The benefits pile up, and we have not even mentioned what the orthotic manufacturers gain by switching to digital manufacturing and offering this innovation to their client base (CPOs and clinicians).
The market is shifting toward innovative solutions that replace the slow and labor-intensive process of creating orthotics using molds. And, we believe we can offer it to you.
If you are curious about finding out more about a personalization platform for orthotics and the automated design flow it enables, connect with us!
