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At this week’s AOPA National Assembly, multinational printing firm HP announced new healthcare 3D printing case studies, alongside plans for a material set to be launched later this year.
Long associated with industrial prototyping, HP’s latest efforts show how its additive manufacturing expertise is being tested as a tool for faster and more accessible patient care.
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.
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’s scanning system, Leopoly design software, HP’s MJF printing via Endeavor3D, post-processing with DyeMansion, and clinical fitting with input from Hanger Clinic.
Leveraging Multi Jet Fusion in healthcare
Alongside the product announcement, HP highlighted how its MJF technology is being applied to patient care, particularly in underserved regions. In Kenya, it partnered with the nonprofit Limb Kind Foundation to provide five sockets for children through a fully digital workflow.
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.
“This project showed us what’s possible when compassion meets innovation,” said Robert Schulman, Founder of Limb Kind Foundation. “What 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’s more than just speed, it’s about restoring mobility, dignity, and joy.”
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.
Back home, VA Puget Sound clinicians recently produced a transtibial prosthetic socket entirely in-house through the VA’s X_Labs program, working with HP and design firm Radii Devices. The device was refined in real time with patient and clinical feedback before being manufactured in a durable, bio-compatible polymer.
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.
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.
3D printing in O&P sector
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.
Earlier this year, researchers from Johns Hopkins University (JHU), Florida Atlantic University, and the University of Illinois Chicago created a hybrid prosthetic hand that blends soft robotic joints with rigid 3D printed structures to provide both flexibility and strength.
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.
Last year, Eqwal’s digital arm Qwadra partnered with Denmark’s Create it REAL 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 and other supports with a more personalized fit.
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.
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Featured image shows Quorum Quatro prosthetic socket. Photo via HP.
