Prevention instead of correction in orthopaedics: 3D printing is revolutionising the possibilities in the manufacturing of foot orthoses. This could be beneficial not only to athletes, but also to the health of anyone whose daily routine includes a lot of walking or standing.
Picture: Orthopodo Malgaroli
At inconspicuous business premises in Baden, the only prominent feature is the Orthopodo Malgaroli podiatry practice on the ground floor. Three storeys higher, another world opens up – the world of the eponymous orthopaedic specialist shop: pair after pair of brand-name trainers, pair after pair of sports shoes. All models can be personalised with orthoses or other adjustments: so-called ‘shoe tuning’. Conventional orthopaedic shoes are the exception; the range of shoes looks modern and appealing. Malin Malgaroli, Head of Strategic Projects at Orthopodo Malgaroli, confirms this impression and goes on to explain the firm’s philosophy: “The shoes should not just correct problems, but also please the wearer and make them happy.”
The company tour begins in a room with a specialised treadmill, on which detailed gait analysis is carried out. Company founder and owner Mario Malgaroli explains that specially developed software compares the results with the norm and indicates any deviations: Not only is the pressure load on the feet measured, but also the tension of the lower leg muscles, and the forces in the feet and joints. This is because the cause frequently does not reside in the perceived problem area, but elsewhere in the foot or in the musculoskeletal system. Using computer simulation, a three-dimensional model of the foot orthosis is created from the results and sent to production. There, the customised foot orthosis is made on a CNC mill, and subsequently by hand on a grinder. This is done by specialists with years of experience, who usually work by eye.
Foot orthoses are made from blocks of plastic; the grinding process is time-consuming, noisy and dusty, and generates a lot of waste. In the meeting room, a cube demonstrates the amount of waste generated per foot orthosis: Its sides are twelve centimetres long and it is 80 percent full. Although the conventionally manufactured foot orthoses do fulfil their purpose, there is room for improvement. Firstly, no two orthoses are ever exactly the same, even if based on the same 3D model, as the manual process makes this impossible. Secondly, the piles of waste that accumulate in the workshop every day cannot be ignored. In every problem, Mario Malgaroli sees a challenge and possible solutions, which he has developed and tested in the small, newly established R&D department. His driving force is the fact that he sees standing still as a step backwards. He saw 3D printing as the solution to the problems with foot orthoses. To realise his vision, Orthopodo Malgaroli needed a research partner, which the firm found in Daniel Seiler’s team at FHNW. Within months, a prototype 3D printer had been built: a multi-material 3D printer that can process plastics of different hardnesses simultaneously thanks to multiple print heads and a filament-based procedure (see the showcase: Foot orthoses from a 3D printer). The result is foot orthoses with a skeleton of harder plastic and softer zones for the sensitive areas of the feet.
3D printing overcomes both of the aforementioned challenges: The orthosis is identical every time it is printed and, as filaments are used for the printing, the waste generated during the process is virtually zero.
The first prototypes were soon made and greeted enthusiastically by the test subjects, who provided valuable feedback that was passed on to the researchers at FHNW. Those involved at Orthopodo Malgaroli and FHNW thus became a real team, discussing successes and any arising problems in a WhatsApp group. Cooperation is characterised by respect and trust, and thrives on a shared vision, a common passion and the participants’ enjoyment of the project.
The nature of this vision becomes clear to anyone surveying the display of printed foot orthoses: They are personalised and colourful. In the future, they will not just be used when problems are already apparent, but also as a preventative measure, or to increase comfort when walking or standing. A lifestyle product that is also visually appealing. It is hardly surprising that the employees swear by these foot orthoses – they actively contribute to the health of the staff, who simultaneously constitute a large-scale testing laboratory. Various professional golfers, padel tennis players and triathletes also play a part, as they too use the orthoses and provide valuable feedback for further development.
The vision goes even further though: Orthopodo Malgaroli is aiming for decentralised production and would like to reach more of the ‘preventive’ target group. The first step has been taken by drastically reducing printing time. It still takes between 30 and 45 minutes to print an orthosis – about as long as the size of the shoe in centimetres.
Malin Malgaroli says the goal is “to make orthopaedics less dusty”: literally, by reducing waste dust in the workshop, and figuratively, in terms of freshening up its image. Our feet deserve it, as they carry a load of 1,000 tonnes every day, take 1.9 million steps a year and walk a distance equivalent to four round-the-world trips in a lifetime.
