Having already established itself as a provider of high-strength 3D printing materials and a force in the prosthetics market, Texas-based Essentium, is partnering with Vorum, an established computer-aided design & computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) company in the field of Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P).
Photo: Joshua Barbur / Vorum
The global partnership - Essentium + Vorum - is to be a 3D Print Solution for O&P customers that the companies say will offer "practitioners a SurePath to success for the production of mass-customised O&P devices at speed and scale."
A major problem that has been facing health organisations in establishing 3D printing O&P devices has been the absence of a reliable platform and a lack of materials with sufficient weight and strength. Prosthetic limbs are, by definition, load bearing objects and they cannot develop cracks between layers if they are to keep users safe. The two companies say that their partnership will help eliminate these issues.
The key to the partnership is the combination of two key technologies and solutions: Essentium's High-Speed Extrusion (HSE) 3D Printing Platform, which the company claims is able to 3D print ten times faster than other extrusion printers - at a rate of one metre per second - and Vorum's SurePath programme, which is designed to transition traditional orthotics and prosthetics practitioners to the new digital technologies by offering 3D printing implementation training and support.
If the partnership is successful, the companies claim the cost of O&P could be reduced and the comfort and utility increased due to patient personalisation.
Carl Saunders, CEO and Founder, Vorum commented: “Our partnership with Essentium means we can offer O&P customers the confidence that they will have the device they desire every time they print. We know that practitioners don’t want to waste their time with experimental technology – they want to know that their investment in a 3D print solution will deliver the best devices for their patients. With our SurePath solution, we know that what Vorum can provide in collaboration with Essentium is a trusted end-to-end solution for the digital design and manufacture of orthotics and prosthetics that have the ability to improve people’s lives.”
Blake Teipel, CEO and Co-Founder, Essentium said: “Our ground-breaking 3D printing platform combined with Vorum’s expertise will not only help O&P customers embrace a faster, more efficient method for producing custom-made orthotics and prosthetics, but the medical devices will also be produced with high quality and durability. Together we are re-writing the business and production model for O&P professionals that bring profoundly important mobility and independence to their patients.”
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