Medical 3D Printing,revolutionizing personalized healthcare

WASP printers are valuable for customization and personalized fit, rapid production and research.

Used applications are :

• Custom orthoses
• Orthopedic Corset/Braces
• Sockets
• Supports
• Prosthetic components
• Large-scale pieces
• Ergonomic devices
• Experimental medical solutions
• Insoles
• Immobilizers
• Protectives

• Full customization
  Every orthotic device can be fully personalized to match the patient’s anatomy, posture, gait, and clinical needs. The possibilities for intervention are potentiallty unlimited in the design of assistive devices and in corrective applications.
• Faster production times
  3D printing simplifies the production workflow by reducing the number of manufacturing steps and minimizing waste. In many cases, an orthosis can be produced within a single day, an important advantage for patients who travel specifically to receive treatment.
• Reduced material waste
  Additive manufacturing uses only the material necessary to create the device, making the process more sustainable compared to traditional subtractive methods such as milling.
• Complex and lightweight geometries
  3D printing enables the creation of structures that are difficult or impossible to achieve with conventional manufacturing, allowing for lighter, more breathable, and more comfortable orthoses.
• Adaptive digital scanning
  The scanning process can be adapted to patients with disabilities or limited mobility, improving accessibility and precision during data acquisition.
• Knowledge transfer from traditional milling to digital manufacturing
  The expertise developed through traditional orthotic milling can be translated into digital workflows, preserving professional know-how while improving efficiency and reproducibility.
• Long-term patient digitalization
  Patient data and orthotic models can be digitally stored, allowing practitioners to track the evolution of the patient over the years and easily share information with specialists worldwide.
• Reproducibility and material reusability
  Once a digital model is created, the same orthosis can be reprinted when needed. The possibility of reusing and recycling materials is also evolving, contributing to a more circular and sustainable production process.

Yes,the customer can integrate 3D scanning and CAD software for a highly customized solution. If you already have scan you can use yours. We can also advise you on brands of scanner that can support you (es. Shining 3D). We do not directly resell scanners.

Our machine is not a certified medical grade product! Our machines are manufacturing tools.  Certification applies to the final product and process, which must be validated by the customer according to current regulations (e.g., MDR).

We are able to offer a dedicated training program for the 3D printing part that will guide you through the production of your product.

A recorded course on how to use it is available:
3D Printing Basic and Advanced Course
3D Printing Advanced Course for Technical Materials
Big Dimensions 3D Printing Advanced Course
Blender for Orthotics 3D Printing

Ad-hoc courses
We can also connect with our partner Ortopedia 3D that will follow you throughout the whole process of production.

It is used for both prototyping and production, depending on the application. Many customers adopt 3D printing for low-volume, highly customized production workflows. However, at WASP the focus is not on prototyping (even if it is possible), but on final, functional products ready for clinical use. The objects we print are not models, but real devices intended for patients. These include prostheses, orthoses, and a wide range of assistive medical devices. For example, it is possible to produce spinal braces, orthopedic supports, and insoles that are directly used in daily clinical practice.

It depends on size, material, design, and complexity. For example

• Braces between 5 and 40h
• Mold between 5 and 40h

• Production optimization
  Pellet-based 3D printing can significantly optimize the manufacturing process, especially for large orthotic devices and high-throughput production.
• Reduced printing time
  Compared to filament printing, pellet extrusion allows much higher material flow rates, drastically reducing production times.
  Examples include:
  Orthotic corsets reduced from approximately 40 hours to 4–5 hours
  Orthotic sockets reduced from approximately 10–20 hours to less than 2–3 hours
  Some PETG components printable in only 20–30 minutes
• Different manufacturing logic
  Pellet printing changes the entire production approach. Instead of focusing only on precision and fine detail, the process becomes oriented toward speed, scalability, and functional manufacturing.
• Greater extrusion capacity
  Pellet extrusion enables the deposition of much larger material volumes, including the possibility of printing with a single 4 mm extrusion line, which is generally not feasible with conventional filament. Filament printing is constrained by predefined filament diameters, nozzle sizes, layer heights, and lower extrusion rates. These limitations can restrict production speed and structural strategies.
• Material flexibility and sustainability
  Pellet systems can facilitate the use of recycled or customized materials more easily than filament-based systems, supporting more sustainable and cost-effective production workflows.

The two technologies offer different balances between speed, mechanical performance, and surface resolution:

Filament printing typically provides higher precision and finer surface quality.
Pellet printing prioritizes speed, structural robustness, and large-scale manufacturing efficiency.

WASP machines offer high precision, but final accuracy depends on material, settings, and post-processing. If extended time is less relevant than precision, maybe filament is a better solution.

3D-printed orthotic devices can be mechanically and thermally suitable for many non-invasive orthopedic applications, provided that the material selection and manufacturing parameters are properly validated for the specific use case. Many of the materials currently used in 3D printing are already tested and adopted in orthopedic and medical applications.

Polypropylene (PP) — widely appreciated for its flexibility, fatigue resistance, low weight, and comfort.

3D modelling for the creation of medical and orthopaedic products can be carried out using various software programmes. The user can choose to use the software they are already familiar with or focus on a new, more specialised programme.

The key is to end up with a 3D model of a closed solid (mesh) that can be exported in STL format. This allows you to move on to the next step and convert the geometry into code that is read and executed by the machine. This code is generated using so-called ‘slicing’ software supplied by WASP. We provide Simplify 3D, which is the software we offer support for.

Other software may be used, but we cannot provide support or assistance with any issues or optimisations.

We do not handle the modelling aspect by supplying software or providing training.