3d Printed insoles

Written by Graham Dunn on Mar 05, 2020. Posted in Orthotics

3d Printed at the Buchanan Clinic

Buchanan Orthotics is pleased to offer 3d printed insoles at our clinics. We have had a close eye on this technology for a number of years and feel that it is finial up to our high production standards.

Why 3d print insoles?

Previously we milled all our hard shelled (plastic) insoles. This involves using a milling machine to carve out the insole from a solid block of plastic.

Milled plastic block for hard shell insoles

Needless to say, there is a significantly amount of plastic wastage from this process.

When you 3d print only the insole is printed minimising waste.

3d printing also enables different design options that are no available to traditional manufacturing such as sections of mesh to reduce pressure. There are also options to reduce the bulk of devices while still providing support enabling more slimline devices.

Are 3d printed insoles better than traditional manufacture?

3d printing is just a tool that a skilled clinician can use. We don’t believe that one type of manufacture is better than the other and its about selecting the correct process to meet the required goal.

Every material has its strengths and weakness which is why it is important that the correct material is selected to achieve the required goals.

Am I suitable to have 3d printed insoles?

Not everyone or every situation is suitable for 3d printed insoles. Only a details assessment by a clinician can decide if they will be suitable. However, generally as a rule of thumb if you are suitable for a hard shell insole you would be able to have a 3d printed orthotic device.

What printer are we using?

After extensive testing of various printers we decided that multijet printing using a nylon based material best met our needs.

While we do not own such a machine due to the large cost of such devices we have close ties to companies who print our orthoses for us.

Who designs the insoles?

Our clinicians are trained to design the insoles using CAD software and will design then print any device that they order.

I am a clinician can you make 3d printed insoles for me?

We are happy to design and print insoles for suitably qualified clinicians. In ordered to order our 3d printed insoles we would require either a cast, foam impression box or 3d scan of the feet. Please contact us for further information or ordering form.