Each year, it is estimated that around 2 million people in England receive care from orthotic services. An orthosis is a specialised medical device designed to improve the biomechanics of the body and enhance the quality of life for individuals with varying musculoskeletal conditions or injuries. Traditional production methods involve several steps that are labour intensive, using a combination of plaster model sculpting, moulding and lamination of polymers.
Jon Parrish is a design engineer with 20 years’ experience in orthotics who sees the potential in combining CAD with 3D printing in medical device design. Jon founded Simplify Othotics Ltd to exploit this opportunity. Simplify could significantly reduce the turnaround time in designing, building and delivering medical devices. His innovation will also reduce waste.
Jon says “When using 3D printing technology, there is very little waste as only the amount of raw materials needed to create the device are used. This is not the case with traditional manufacture as the process is highly subtractive, up to 90% of materials used are wasted. In addition, our 3D process is automated, making it much easier for users with limited CAD skills to adopt and produce orthotics at scale.”
Jon joined the Regional Talent Engines programme in 2023. He says that it has helped him in a number of ways “The funding has helped me build my MVP [minimum viable product], something that would have taken me far longer by personally funding it or by chasing investment. The workshops and mentoring also offer great support, they’ve really helped me to rapidly build up my business.”
Jon has set up Simplify Orthotics Ltd and is now testing his MVP with early adopters, developing and refining his production and service model. Simplify then aims to sell to customers and generate sustainable revenue in the coming year.
