Sufferers need consolation and mobility whereas labs need security and reliability, so why are supplies nonetheless letting either side down? The result’s a cycle of discomfort, early failures, and dear inefficiencies that frustrate each sufferers and practitioners.
That’s the place Filaflex steps in. As a substitute of asking clinicians to decide on between security, sturdiness, and adaptability, it delivers all three in a single materials household. Developed by Spanish 3D printing supplies producer Recreus, Filaflex is a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) filament that has already earned the belief of orthopedics, podiatry, and prosthetics professionals.
Advances in 3D printing have made it doable to tailor orthotic and prosthetic gadgets to every affected person’s distinctive anatomy and situation. When these designs are delivered to life with Filaflex, personalization turns into each clinically efficient and sturdy, serving to ship better consolation and reliability in affected person care.
Filaflex first entered medical 3D printing in 2014 when Gyrobot’s Steve Wooden used it to create the Flexy Hand, a 3D printed prosthetic hand with versatile hinges that changed conventional springs. He later developed Gensole, a free software for designing customized TPU insoles utilizing foot scans and variable densities.
Made doable with Recreus’s Filaflex, these early tasks confirmed how versatile 3D printing may advance prosthetics and orthotics by means of sensible, patient-specific design.
What units Filaflex aside is not only efficiency on paper however confirmed ends in real-world use. Licensed beneath ISO 10993 requirements, Filaflex has handed impartial exams for cytotoxicity, irritation, and sensitization. In plain phrases, which means it’s protected for direct pores and skin contact, one thing that’s important when gadgets are worn day-after-day.
“One of many biggest benefits of Filaflex is its confirmed biocompatibility — it’s protected for direct contact with wholesome pores and skin. For foot orthotics, we regularly use a liner, however for finger or hand splints, it’s extraordinarily helpful to skip it. Sufferers can expose the fabric to water with out worrying about sluggish drying or pores and skin points attributable to trapped moisture,” mentioned Clara Soriano, founder and orthotist at ORME.
Efficiency you possibly can depend on
Relating to medical gadgets, security alone isn’t sufficient with out the best mechanical habits. Filaflex combines flexibility with what is named a reminiscence impact. Bend it, twist it, or stretch it, and the fabric snaps again into its unique type with out deforming.
That resilience exhibits up in prosthetic joints that transfer naturally and insoles that take in impression with each step, whereas on the similar time giving practitioners confidence that the gadget will hold its type and performance lengthy after it leaves the printer.
The proof of Filaflex’s reliability comes not solely from testing but in addition from use within the area. Greater than 240 prostheses have been printed with Filaflex, and none have suffered structural failures even in delicate, high-stress areas.
That type of monitor document issues in drugs, the place reliability isn’t non-compulsory. It additionally provides designers the liberty to create monolithic elements that keep away from weak factors like adhesives or joints. The print workflow advantages too: Filaflex 82A specifically has been in comparison with PLA when it comes to ease and consistency, however not like inflexible plastics it produces elements that flex and get well, which helps laboratories reduce down on trial-and-error and get sooner outcomes.
One of many qualities that makes Filaflex stand out is its adaptability, with completely different grades suited to completely different wants. Filaflex 95A and 82A present stability for semi-rigid or structural prosthetic elements, whereas Filaflex 70A, with its silicone-like texture and stretch of as much as 900%, is suited to prosthetics, orthopedic insoles, anatomical fashions, and versatile footwear.
On the softer finish, Filaflex 60A gives cushioning and shock absorption for orthotics and luxury layers.
For lighter and extra environment friendly elements, Filaflex Foamy introduces dynamic foaming expertise, producing elastic elements with adjustable hardness from 82A to 60A and lowered density. This makes it doable to create footwear, biking elements, and damping components whereas getting as much as 40% extra prints per spool.
Alongside it Filaflex 95 Foamy is designed particularly for light-weight, sturdy customized insoles. Its dynamic foaming expertise creates elements which might be delicate but supportive and, not like conventional foams, it holds up beneath repeated movement and physique weight with out breaking down.
This implies clinics can provide longer-lasting insoles that scale back alternative cycles, and sufferers can get pleasure from consolation that doesn’t fade after just some months.
Consolation that lasts past step one
The sustainability advantages of Filaflex add yet one more dimension of worth. Conventional foams and resins have a tendency to wear down shortly, which results in frequent replacements and extra waste for clinics and sufferers.
Alternatively, Filaflex 95 Foamy is engineered to retain its cushioning and supportive properties over time, even beneath fixed movement and physique weight. That prolonged sturdiness reduces the variety of discarded gadgets, cuts down on materials use, and lowers long-term prices whereas nonetheless delivering consolation and efficiency. In a area the place prices and supplies matter as a lot as consolation, that is no small benefit.
“We consider the subsequent decade in orthotics and prosthetics will likely be outlined by digital workflows that make personalization normal. With additive manufacturing and supplies like Filaflex, the sector can transfer past incremental enhancements to completely new methods of designing and delivering care. Our dedication is to maintain constructing supplies that give clinicians the liberty to innovate with out compromising security or effectivity,” mentioned Ignacio García, CEO of Recreus.
Over time, Filaflex has turn into extra than simply one other filament. It represents a shift in how orthotics, prosthetics, and customized insoles may be made: safer for sufferers, simpler for labs, and extra dependable for on a regular basis use. For professionals prepared to maneuver previous the bounds of typical supplies, Filaflex gives a transparent path ahead.
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Featured picture exhibits a finger prosthesis with Filaflex 82A. Photograph by way of Recreus.
