Sustainable technology that’s 100% bio-sourced and recyclable is a hot topic these days. Daniel Robert Orthopedics, a Swiss-based custom technical orthopedics manufacturer, and Sculpteo, a 3D printing and digital manufacturing division of BASF 3D Printing Solutions, recently partnered to produce fully customizable orthotics from castor oil.
Starting from castor beans, Sculpteo makes Polyamide 11 (PA 11), a flexible polymer with suitable mechanical properties that can “breathe” with a patient’s body. According to Sculpteo CEO and co-founder Clement Moreau, creating custom orthotics with PA 11 enables the manufacturer to create custom products “in record time and at an advantageous cost while maintaining the ecological approach that is close to our hearts.”
Ortho prostheses created with PA 11 have a smooth, uniform surface and are available in black or white. Robert Daniels Orthopedics produces PA 11-based 3D printed orthotics with both SLS (selective laser sintering) and MultiJet printing technologies, which allows various finishing options. The complex designs created with PA 11 3D printing can support patients of all ages with scoliosis, hemiplegia, amputations, cerebral palsy, plagiocephaly, and other pathologies.
With the growing concern about sustainability worldwide, it’s encouraging to see health tech companies focusing on this aspect of materials and production.
