Every Hand Is Different
Formrise Delivers Better-Fitting Orthoses

For highly customized medical devices, achieving a good result once is not enough. Functional performance, fit, and assembly must be achieved in the very first production run and reproduced reliably. This is where the new EOS system generation makes a difference. Improved temperature distribution throughout the build chamber creates homogeneous process conditions. Based on this foundation, energy input is adjusted specifically to the requirements of each part geometry. The result is exceptional dimensional accuracy across the entire build volume and significantly improved consistency of manufactured components.

The uniform temperature distribution also contributes to a more homogeneous part density, which directly improves color consistency. The orthoses consist of multiple components that can be positioned flexibly within the build chamber in order to make full use of the available build volume. Despite different locations within the build job, the parts have a uniform color result after dyeing and form a visually consistent orthosis after assembly. This is particularly important for HKK Bionics because patients can choose their orthosis in their desired RAL color.

For HKK Bionics, this means one thing above all: desired component properties are achieved much more frequently in the first production run. Development and adjustment loops can be reduced while creating the foundation for long-term reproducible production. “The orthosis sits directly on the hand,” says Dominik Hepp. “If it did not fit perfectly, it would affect both comfort and functionality. The higher precision helps us achieve results much faster that are both technically and ergonomically convincing.”

The higher dimensional accuracy does not come at the expense of productivity. On the contrary, build time per orthosis set was reduced from 1.5 hours to one hour. On a per-part basis, productivity increased by approximately 35% compared to the previous system. For Formrise, however, the build time of a single part is less important than the performance of a fully loaded build chamber. This is where the economic impact becomes particularly apparent. Production time for a print job decreased from 28 hours to 21 hours. As a result, approximately two-thirds more build jobs can be completed per week within the existing single-shift operation, without adding additional capacity.

In addition, the higher process reliability opens up new possibilities for applications that place particularly high demands on fit, repeatability and function. "We appreciate the higher productivity," emphasizes Peter Spitzwieser. “But the real value for us is that we no longer have to compromise between precision, repeatability, and economic efficiency. The new system generation improves all three simultaneously and delivers consistent results regardless of a component’s position within the build chamber.”