PedMill - Orthotic Automation

What you need to know about Automation for an Orthotics Lab 

Simply stated, automation of an orthotics lab is the use of computers and automated machinery to replace the manual labor associated with plaster, cast modification, oven use, vacuum forming (in the case of direct milling), and most shell trimming and finishing.  It will either replace or greatly reduce the time and labor involved in every step of orthotic manufacturing,  up to the application of final polishing and cover materials.  Automation has evolved, in the orthotic manufacturing process, to allow a small number of technicians to produce very large numbers of orthotics in a much shorter time than by conventional means.  Computerization  has additionally enhanced the consistency, accuracy, and quality of custom orthotics. 

The Components and Their Functions  

3D Scanner:  The 3D scanner or digitizer captures an image of the foot. It digitizes the data in a format that can be used to design the desired orthotic or positive.  The scanner should be capable of capturing the images from direct foot scanning, box cast, slipper cast, or any other common method of casting. For the practitioner, a 3D scanner will replace other casting methods. When comparing scanners, you should avoid 2D technologies that use mathmatical constructs to project the true foot shape.  Examples of 2D systems are pressure mats and some laser scanners.  Also, it is best to pick a scanner which allows non-weight bearing, subtalar neutral casting, in true 3D.  Finnaly, the scanner must be capable of outputing the image in  industry standard formats such as stl, vrml, obj, etc. The Vismach 3D digitizer meets these criteria.

CAD Design Software:  CAD stands for Computer Aided Design.  Modern specialized design software like PedMill's CAD program , is capable of designing a pair of orthotics or positives in as little as one minute complete with all desired corrections and modifications. PedMill's CAD is a plug-in, written to function seemlesly within the powerfull and proven Rhino 3D 4.0 CAD.  The design program must also be capable of handling files in a variety of industry standard file formats.  

CAM Software:  Once the Design is complete, CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) software will convert the design into a machine code such as g-code.  This code actually directs the movements of the milling machine so the desired shapes are milled from the materials placed on the milling table.  This can consist of a simple file with only one positive or shell to be milled. Or, it can involve several pair of orthotics, organized to maximize the abilities of the table and optimize the material use to avoid waste.  This process is called nesting. The CAM operation is optimized so that it is virtually an automatic process as far as the operator is concerned.

Machine Control Software:  After the g-code is produced by the CAM operation,  you are ready to produce the orthotic or positive on the CNC table.  CNC stands for Computer Numerical Control.  CNC tables have control boxes attached which can interpret the g-code and direct the movements of a router accross the table.  Machine control software such as MACH 3, is used to interface with the controller on the table and direct the router's movements. 

CNC Table:  All the above steps can be preformed in only a few minutes. If you were using plaster, it would be done before you even got the plaster poured.  Now you are ready to mill your product which will usually take  2-4 minutes per foot. There are many variables in milling speed,  and actual time will vary based on what you are milling,  and your particular table.  As your operation grows, one operator can actually control multiple tables and produce many times the output of  traditional orthotic manufacturing methods. In the recent past, large labs have invested many thousands of dollars in very large industrial use tables.  The trend now is to chain several smaller tables because there are very dependable tables available that are much more reasonable in price.  Having multiple tables avoids down time in the event a repair is necessary. It also allows for the quick switch from one material to another, and other advantages.