What are the differences between vacuum-formed and direct-milled (CD) polypropylene orthoses?
There are three main differences: • Production Method • a. A vacuum-formed device is a ProLab exclusive technique which results in the polypropylene being precisely formed over the positive. The mold can be either a wood positive or a plaster positive mold. This vacuum-forming method ensures an exacting fit, long life, and allows the widest variety of orthotic modifications. • b. The direct-milled method produces a custom orthotic device without creating a physical positive mold. We individually scan, correct, and store the image of each cast in our CAD/CAM system. The orthoses are then milled directly from polypropylene based on the individually-corrected “virtual mold”. This production method allows us to offer fully corrected custom orthoses at a value price. • Rigidity or thickness – For the same thickness of polypropylene, a direct-milled orthosis will be more rigid than a vacuum-formed orthosis allowing you to prescribe a thinner device when using a direct-milled orthosis. Practi
