In development

AFO (Ankle-Foot Orthosis) Module

A desktop flow that turns a leg and foot scan into an AFO shell is in development. The planned line: the scan is aligned, the shell thickened, edges and strap slots added, then exported as STL. The CNC mold line is separate and outside this module.

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Key Features

Leg and foot scan import (PLY/STL)
Neutral-position alignment and crop
Shell thickness and edge line
Strap slot and trimline editing
STL export after clinician approval
Versioned revisions from the same scan

Alignment

Shell thickness

Strap slots

The clinical problem it targets

The most labour-intensive steps in AFO fabrication are the casting session, hand-correcting the positive model and grinding the trimline. Holding the foot in a neutral position matters enough that casting is often a two-person job, and with spastic patients it may have to be repeated. Correcting an ill-fitting orthosis means running the whole chain again.

This module aims to replace the plaster chain with a scan-based line: designing repeatedly from one scan, revising without a new casting session, and setting the trimline on screen instead of at the grinder. The module is in development and will not ship before clinical validation is complete.

The planned workflow

The flow is designed around four steps. The leg and foot scan is imported, the foot aligned to a neutral position and unneeded regions cropped. A shell is then derived from the surface, with thickness adjustable per region — the ankle flexes with every step while the heel section has to stay rigid.

In the third step edges are smoothed and strap slots are cut. In the fourth the clinician approves the trimline, the shell thickness and the stiffness distribution — a step we are not removing; it sits at the centre of the module. The file is exported after that approval.

Intended measurements and output

The intended output is an STL file ready for 3D printing. For clinics working with thermoforming, CNC mold production is a separate line and outside this module's scope; we state that plainly because conflating the two lines is a common misunderstanding in transition plans.

On the measurement side we plan to record scan-derived values such as foot length, ankle circumference and calf circumference in the case file, so revisions can be compared with what came before. This module has no published clinical results or patient counts yet; we run it as co-development with clinics on the waitlist.

AFO workspace: from scan to export

The limb on screen is afo_limb_orig.ply from the desktop repo. The steps are the real rail of the AFO 3D-print line.

1Import
2Align
3Grow
4Export

Drag to rotate the model · Stages advance as you scroll

01 · Import

Import

The lower-leg scan is loaded. The CNC line is a separate mold flow; this view is the 3D-print path.

Workspace: AFO
Step: Import

Real sample: desktop afo_limb_orig.ply — no identity

AFO

AFO (3D-print line)

Steps of the desktop AFO workspace for 3D printing. The CNC line is a separate variant (mold).

1
Import
The lower-leg scan is loaded.
2
Alignment
The model is aligned to the reference axes.
3
Toe rotation
Foot/toe orientation is adjusted on the scan.
4
Toe cap
Toe-cap geometry is added.
5
Crop
Unwanted regions are cropped.
6
Sculpt
The surface is raised or carved with a brush.
7
Grow
The surface is thickened into a solid.
8
Edge flare
Edges are flared outward and softened.
9
Strap slot
Strap channels are cut.
10
Holes
Ventilation / connection holes.
11
Volume
Volume and thickness check.
12
Export
The finished model is exported as a file or report.

Other orthotic and prosthetic design modules

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