{"id":403046,"date":"2025-09-06T16:13:24","date_gmt":"2025-09-06T16:13:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/403046\/"},"modified":"2025-09-06T16:13:24","modified_gmt":"2025-09-06T16:13:24","slug":"hp-deepens-healthcare-role-with-new-material-and-prosthetic-trials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/403046\/","title":{"rendered":"HP deepens healthcare role with new material and prosthetic trials"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your seat at the Additive Manufacturing Advantage awaits! Register free for\u00a0AMA: Energy<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0AMA: Automotive & Mobility<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At this week\u2019s AOPA National Assembly<\/a>, multinational printing firm HP<\/a> announced new healthcare 3D printing case studies, alongside plans for a material set to be launched later this year.<\/p>\n

Long associated with industrial prototyping, HP\u2019s latest efforts show how its additive manufacturing expertise is being tested as a tool for faster and more accessible patient care.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Named HP 3D HR PA 11 Gen2, the forthcoming material offers up to 80% powder reusability, which HP says can cut part costs by as much as 40% compared with earlier versions while delivering the lowest carbon footprint yet on its Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) platform. Although aimed at orthotic and prosthetic (O&P) devices, it is also being positioned for industrial and automotive components that require strength and flexibility.<\/p>\n

\"3D3D printed ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) made with HP\u2019s MJF technology. Photo via HP.<\/p>\n

Attendees saw a demonstration of the full digital workflow, covering limb scanning, design, printing, post-processing, and patient fitting. The session featured specific tools and partners, including Structure\u2019s scanning system, Leopoly<\/a> design software, HP\u2019s MJF printing via Endeavor3D<\/a>, post-processing with DyeMansion<\/a>, and clinical fitting with input from Hanger Clinic<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Leveraging Multi Jet Fusion in healthcare<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alongside the product announcement, HP highlighted how its MJF technology is being applied to patient care<\/a>, particularly in underserved regions. In Kenya, it partnered with the nonprofit Limb Kind Foundation<\/a> to provide five sockets for children through a fully digital workflow.<\/p>\n

Local hospitals conducted 3D scans, which were sent to design teams in the United States. Within 48 hours, the sockets were printed and shipped back, cutting more than 24 hours from the typical turnaround time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis project showed us what\u2019s possible when compassion meets innovation,\u201d said Robert Schulman, Founder of Limb Kind Foundation. \u201cWhat excites us most is the potential to produce a significantly greater number of prostheses in a much shorter time frame, allowing us to help more children than ever before. It\u2019s more than just speed, it\u2019s about restoring mobility, dignity, and joy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Encouraged by that pilot, the team expanded the model to Sri Lanka this summer, where ten children received sockets produced through the same process. Local clinicians were trained as part of the deployment, with the goal of building lasting capacity rather than relying on outside support.<\/p>\n

Back home, VA Puget Sound<\/a> clinicians recently produced a transtibial prosthetic socket entirely in-house through the VA\u2019s X_Labs program, working with HP and design firm Radii Devices<\/a>. The device was refined in real time with patient and clinical feedback before being manufactured in a durable, bio-compatible polymer.<\/p>\n

VA officials describe it as the first fully in-house definitive 3D printed socket in the system, created through a workflow that integrated anatomical data, custom design, and post-processing. They see the project as a potential model for other clinics seeking faster production and more personalized rehabilitation.<\/p>\n

According to the multinational firm, its technology delivers consistent results with less waste and enables lighter, more breathable devices, a key factor in pediatric care. Beyond sockets, it is already being used to produce scoliosis braces, cranial orthoses, ankle-foot supports, and prosthetic arms.<\/p>\n

\"QuorumQuorum Quatro prosthetic socket. Photo via HP.<\/p>\n

3D printing in O&P sector<\/strong><\/p>\n

Additive manufacturing has broadened access to O&P devices, enabling the rapid production of customized designs that improve fit, function, and adaptability compared with traditional fabrication methods.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, researchers from Johns Hopkins University<\/a> (JHU), Florida Atlantic University<\/a>, and the University of Illinois Chicago<\/a> created a hybrid prosthetic hand<\/a> that blends soft robotic joints with rigid 3D printed structures to provide both flexibility and strength.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Its fingertips contain multilayered sensors modeled on human skin, able to detect touch, vibrations, and slipping objects with remarkable precision. Using neuromorphic encoding to process these signals, the hand distinguished 26 textures with 98.38% accuracy and identified 15 common objects with 99.69% accuracy in tests, significantly outperforming conventional soft or rigid prosthetic designs.<\/p>\n

Last year, Eqwal<\/a>\u2019s digital arm Qwadra<\/a> partnered with Denmark\u2019s Create it REAL<\/a> to bring Programmable Foam technology to its Sona Flex and Sona Edge 3D printers. The integration lets clinicians adjust rigidity, flexibility, and foam density within a single device, enabling production of orthopedic devices<\/a> and other supports with a more personalized fit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Beyond improving comfort and therapeutic outcomes, the approach is designed to cut waste and support recycling, combining precision manufacturing with a push toward more sustainable orthotic production.<\/p>\n

Help choose the\u00a02025 3D Printing Industry Awards<\/a>\u00a0winners \u2013 sign up for the Expert Committee now!<\/p>\n

To stay up to date with the latest 3D printing news, don\u2019t forget to subscribe to the\u00a03D Printing Industry newsletter<\/a>\u00a0or follow us on\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While you\u2019re here, why not subscribe to our Youtube<\/a> channel? Featuring discussion, debriefs, video shorts, and webinar replays.<\/p>\n

Featured image shows Quorum Quatro prosthetic socket. Photo via HP.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your seat at the Additive Manufacturing Advantage awaits! Register free for\u00a0AMA: Energy\u00a0and\u00a0AMA: Automotive & Mobility. At this week\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":403047,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4316],"tags":[138928,138929,138930,138931,4946,105,4348,32062,138932,138933,138934,138935,16,15,138936,138937],"class_list":{"0":"post-403046","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-create-it-real","9":"tag-dyemansion","10":"tag-endeavor-3d","11":"tag-eqwal","12":"tag-florida-atlantic-university","13":"tag-health","14":"tag-healthcare","15":"tag-hp","16":"tag-john-hopkins-university","17":"tag-limb-kind-foundation","18":"tag-qwadra","19":"tag-radii-devices","20":"tag-uk","21":"tag-united-kingdom","22":"tag-university-of-illinois-chicago","23":"tag-va-puget-sound"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115158240651171185","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=403046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403046\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/403047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=403046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=403046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=403046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}