Mosaic Manufacturing surprised everyone with a new 3D printer, one designed specifically for orthotics.
Orthotics are the perfect application for 3D printing: every single orthotic should match the customer’s foot geometry. Traditionally, orthotics were either hand-made, or wearers would buy generic versions that fit poorly.
Mosaic Manufacturing has figured out a complete solution to produce both flexible and rigid orthotics, including hardware, software, and materials.
The printer is called “Orion”, and, as you might notice in the images, it’s a belt 3D printer. The toolhead prints at an angle, and the belt slowly moves as the print proceeds. Eventually, the print will peel off the belt at the end, presumably to drop into a catch bin. This setup allows for continuous production: no one is required to remove completed prints; they are removed automatically.
Two materials are available: rigid and flexible. There’s no mention of third-party materials, but it’s very likely that Orion operators will not care much: they just want the orthotics printed, and printed correctly.
Mosaic Manufacturing said that completed prints are indeed “complete”: they are ready for customer use immediately.
They say that Orion can print a pair of custom orthotics in 105 minutes, which is decently fast. That, according to them, corresponds to 300 pairs per month, at about US$6 per pair.
This is critical information, as it allows an orthotics seller to judge whether the Orion would be a feasible option to pursue. For example, if a custom orthotic pair was sold for, say, US$100, then the Orion could theoretically generate US$30,000 per month, or US$360,000 per year.
Hardware is important, but it’s only one part of the equation. The other part is software, and Mosaic Manufacturing seems to have that figured out, too.
They offer a new software tool, “Stryde Software Suite”. What can it do? They explain:
“Stryde Software Suite connects patient capture, prescription-driven design, case management, and production into one workflow for custom 3D-printed orthotics.”
This is quite important. Here, Mosaic Manufacturing is providing what appears to be the entire set of functions for the customer, not just software to “run the machine”. Show me a 3D print slicer that has customer management embedded — this software does.
The pricing of the Orion system is not clear, and you’ll have to speak directly with Mosaic Manufacturing for that.
However, this is an extremely interesting strategic move by the company. They started years ago with the Palette, a filament swapping system. They subsequently abandoned that device when it became clear that other alternatives (filament swappers) would take on that function. They moved into 3D print production array systems.
Now they’ve introduced Orion, a system that is very tightly tied to the customer. In the event their array systems face competition, they now have another relatively safe product line, Orion.
