Custom Orthotics with ENCY Robot: A New Machining Program in Under Five Minutes

At Orteam, the geometry changes with every order. The company makes custom orthoses that support the foot and lower leg, with each device shaped to fit the individual patient.

Producing these devices requires a physical model that reproduces the prescribed contours. This is what the robot mills. The challenge was to automate machining while keeping preparation fast enough for a steady flow of custom orders.

Orteam previously made its models by hand using plaster, a physically demanding and labor-intensive process. The company later outsourced milling abroad, but the results did not consistently meet its requirements.

To bring this stage of production in-house, Orteam turned to CNC Solutions, an ENCY partner in Belgium. Together, they evaluated the application and tested the proposed approach before implementing a robotic cell built around a Stäubli TX200.

The team now controls the process on-site, from programming through inspection of the machined mold.

Once the patient scan has been processed and the digital design is complete, a specialist imports the model into ENCY Robot and prepares the machining program. According to Orteam CAD/CAM Manager Pomarin Phonsavatdi, this takes less than five minutes.

That short preparation time matters in a workflow where each order introduces different geometry and requires its own toolpaths.

ENCY Robot also lets the team simulate the machining process before sending the program to the robot. Specialists can review equipment movements and identify potential collisions on-screen before cutting begins.

The infeed conveyor holds eight pallets. An operator secures a workpiece to each one and assigns the corresponding machining program.

Once the cycle starts, the Stäubli TX200 automatically retrieves a pallet, places it on the rotary table, and mills the mold. It then transfers the completed workpiece to the outfeed conveyor and moves on to the next job.

This setup allows Orteam to process different custom orders in a single automated sequence. The operator prepares the workpieces and programs in advance, and the cell handles them in turn.

Orteam reports a milling accuracy of 0.5 mm, comfortably meeting its production requirements. The company also notes better quality than its previous manual process and a substantial reduction in production errors.

According to Production Manager Wouter Van Assche, labor savings allowed the robotic installation to pay for itself within three to four years.

Fast programming in ENCY Robot and automated pallet handling now support the same goal: producing patient-specific molds efficiently, with control over quality at Orteam’s own facility.

Based on the CNC Solutions case study.