Located in Ontario, Canada, Premier Orthotics Lab (POL) produces custom orthotics and footwear for a variety of different clients including chiropractors, podiatrists, doctors, and foot care practitioners. With over 15 years of expertise, POL has cemented itself as an industry leader, earning a reputation for delivering high quality custom orthotics while offering exceptional customer service.
The Challenge
Prior to working with additive, POL relied on traditional orthotics manufacturing methods in order to produce their customer orders. This method consisted of creating an insole via a powder-based milling machine, and then working with a skilled technician to refine the orthotic and adhere a foam covering. The process of finding technicians with the qualifications necessary to produce these orthotics became increasingly difficult; this was especially apparent during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the POL team felt there was opportunity to enhance overall product quality for patients.
The combination of a labor shortage and the desire to create more comfortable orthotics prompted the POL team to explore new production methods. They initially turned to powder-based additive manufacturing, using it for several years with moderate success before determining it wasn’t the most scalable solution. After learning about Mosaic through a mutual connection, they began investigating FFF printing as a potential alternative.
The Solution
When it came to purchasing their first Mosaic additive manufacturing solution, the partnership between Mosaic and LutraCAD proved to be an influencing factor. Mosaic’s factory-connected products offer a seamless integration with LutraCAD’s orthotics design software, creating a powerful end-to-end solution for orthotics manufacturers. The ability to adjust design elements, print settings, and then send files to production within minutes of first scanning a patient, offered a much more seamless alternative to POL’s previous production processes, which required more manual intervention and file management.
With the new technology available to them through Element, Mosaic's industrial-grade desktop 3D printer, POL was able to manufacture more precisely engineered insoles. This, in conjunction with Mosaic’s selection of innovative, patented orthotics materials, allowed them to increase the quality and comfort of their product.
"In my years as a pedorthist, I have finally found a product that feels soft on the foot yet has enough support."
Fareen Samji
CEO and Founder, Premier Orthotics Labs
After becoming more accustomed to their new workflow, POL made the decision to further increase their throughput by purchasing an Array, Mosaic's automated 3D printing system powered by an industrial gantry and intelligent software. For orthotics practitioners, Array enables the ability to produce insoles outside of working hours, while simultaneously reducing the demand placed on skilled labourers. Prints can be initiated from anywhere in the world, enabling up to 72 hours of uninterrupted, lights-out production for maximum efficiency and flexibility. The ability to schedule print jobs to run overnight allowed POL to drastically accelerate production. Now, when staff arrive at the lab in the morning, a full run of insoles is completed, allowing them a head start on new orders.
Mosaic’s Array system has been integral to our growth and innovation and Premier Orthotics Lab…My throughput, my output, my capacity has increased tremendously, and the quality of the product is incredible.
Fareen Samji
CEO and Founder, Premier Orthotics Labs
The Future
With Array and Element 3D printers, orthotics manufacturers like POL are able to unlock new levels of throughput while also maximizing product quality and comfort for patients. Instead of being limited by their production processes, with additive manufacturing, practitioners are able to scale and innovate, granting them a valuable advantage in a highly competitive space.
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