4x More Efficient: How Mindware Experts Helped Scale 3D-Printed phits Orthotics

"Within our facilities, we have five certified 3D printing production lines," says Giovanni Vleminckx, Process Engineering Manager at Materialise. "These include lines for highly regulated industries, such as healthcare and aerospace. When we enter a project like this one with phits, we draw from the knowledge of what makes these work. We knew exactly which processes to address in order to replicate this success with orthotics."

Although there were many tests and adjustments completed during this process, there were a few examples where the experts created concrete impact. Our experts began by reviewing the scanning pattern of the builds.

Scanning patterns are important to address with expert care because this influences speed, heat transfer, and the drift of excess powder. After running various experiments, the team developed a pattern that scans the cross-sections more efficiently. This involved increasing the size of the laser beam and significantly changing the filling pattern.

Tom Craeghs, Research Manager at Materialise, explains, "By determining the optimized scanning pattern, we created significant reductions in time and unit costs. After scanning the contours of the orthotic, the team could now complete the scan with just one pass of the laser rather than 200 passes with a smaller beam. Plus, we saw an improvement in accuracy due to fewer laser jumps and an increased marking speed."

Secondly, they optimized nesting, ensuring that as many orthotics as possible could fit into a single build. By tweaking the orientation of the individual parts and reducing the spacing between them, productivity was instantly increased.