UCO's Quality Tips
Check Durometer for Your Materials
Did you know that a material's durometer (hardness) can vary within the same sheet?
It is important to test the durometer of materials which come into your facility before use for consistency with previous batches of the same material and consistency in the sheets received. This will help to reduce rework and hassles for you and your patients. If you buy a durometer, Shore A hardness is the appropriate scale for foam orthopedic materials.
It is important to test the durometer of materials which come into your facility before use for consistency with previous batches of the same material and consistency in the sheets received. This will help to reduce rework and hassles for you and your patients. If you buy a durometer, Shore A hardness is the appropriate scale for foam orthopedic materials.
The Importance of Adjustable Premolded Foot Orthotics
Did you know that all of our pre-fabricated foot orthotics can be adjusted with heat and grinding. This allows you to provide a better fit to a wider range of patients, resulting in a cost-effective alternative to custom orthotics. Most of our prefabricated orthotics can also be heated in an oven and remolded to a cast, if necessary.
Reinforcements to Improve Your Orthotics
Use of a reinforcement layer can greatly increase the durability of your orthotics, resulting in improved clinical results and patient satisfaction. In addition, an orthotic produced with a reinforcement can offer cushioning and strength without bulk, allowing proper fit in a wider range of shoes.
Watch out for Unbalanced Grinder Attachments
Practitioners and technicians appreciate the ability to create a perfect finish on the orthotics which they produce. Unfortunately, we see many facilities where poor quality equipment and tools make this a virtual impossibility. One common problem which can be easily corrected is the use of unbalanced grinder/sander attachments (e.g., Tycro wheels and sanding cones). The high rotational speed of these attachments creates a significant wobble when they are even slightly out of balance, resulting in uneven grinding. Updating these attachments when necessary is a good way to help ensure that you keep up your high quality standards.
Limitations of Multi-Laminate Materials
Using multi-laminated materials (e.g., tri-lam sheets or blanks) can sometimes be a time saver. However, there are some issues to watch out for which can affect the quality of your finished orthotic:
1. Material Stress. Different materials have different rates of shrinkage/expansion. If a pre-laminated piece consisting of several materials is heated, the varying shrinkage/expansion rates of these materials can put significant stress on the adhesive and structure of the finished orthotic. This can result in delamination and/or warping. Using individual pieces which are heated before being glued and molded can greatly reduce these issues, and usually will not add significant time to the production process.
2. Uneven Heating. Depending on the varying densities of the materials used, multilaminated materials may be quite difficult to heat evenly. Either the center material is not properly heated for molding, or the outside material is damaged by overheating.
3. Can't Add Reinforcement. Pre-laminated materials eliminate the possibility of including a reinforcement layer within the orthotic. For heavier or active patients, a reinforcement layer may be a critical component of the device.
1. Material Stress. Different materials have different rates of shrinkage/expansion. If a pre-laminated piece consisting of several materials is heated, the varying shrinkage/expansion rates of these materials can put significant stress on the adhesive and structure of the finished orthotic. This can result in delamination and/or warping. Using individual pieces which are heated before being glued and molded can greatly reduce these issues, and usually will not add significant time to the production process.
2. Uneven Heating. Depending on the varying densities of the materials used, multilaminated materials may be quite difficult to heat evenly. Either the center material is not properly heated for molding, or the outside material is damaged by overheating.
3. Can't Add Reinforcement. Pre-laminated materials eliminate the possibility of including a reinforcement layer within the orthotic. For heavier or active patients, a reinforcement layer may be a critical component of the device.
