MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Protosthetics
By DEBORAH CONN
Digital Design Company offers 3D printing and traditional fabrication to support O&P professionals
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ROTOSTHETICS BEGAN AS
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AUGUST 2022 | O&P ALMANAC
The Protosthetics team
COMPANY: Protosthetics OWNER: Darren Jacoby LOCATION: Fargo, North Dakota HISTORY: Seven years
Jacob Kinsella, head of fabrication, works on a socket.
Anthony Zaragoza, a product technician
time on devices to 12 hours or less, according to Jacoby. “And we include printer replacement every few years, so they always have the latest technology.” The contract has different pricing tiers based on clinic volume, unlimited customer support, and a full warranty and repair program. Protosthetics also offers short-term contracts that enable clinics to try 3D printing with very little risk, and the program can be cancelled without penalty, according to Jacoby. At this point, Galileo can produce check sockets, flexible inners, and copolymer definitive sockets that accommodate a range of suspension and attachment methods. When a patient needs a new socket, the stored digital data makes it easy to recall patient information without going through the entire design process again. “Our team of engineers is always figuring out new devices to offer to customers, so our product list will continue to grow,” says Jacoby. “Instead of every clinic having to reinvent the wheel on new devices, we can hire amazing biomedical
Deborah Conn is a contributing writer to O&P Almanac. Reach her at deborahconn@verizon.net.
PHOTOS: Protosthetics
a student project at North Dakota State University. Founded as a university engineering project, the company aimed to make myoelectric arms that incorporated 3D printing, but soon moved to leveraging the technology to create more traditional O&P devices. Darren Jacoby, who is now CEO and company owner, began offering full-service central fabrication services to clinics, with an emphasis on 3D printing and digital design. Recently, Protosthetics launched a new program in response to feedback from O&P clinicians. “Our customers liked working with us on 3D-printed projects, but they wanted to have the technology in house,” explains Jacoby. “What they didn’t want was to have to learn digital design and become experts in 3D printing, taking time away from their ability to provide patient care.” The result was the Galileo program, an end-to-end offering that places 3D printers in clinics while Protosthetics does all the digital design work as requested by clinicians. Using a proprietary app, clinicians scan the patient and transmit the information to Protosthetics, where product engineers design the device and send digital instructions to the printer, which creates the product on site. This entire process happens seamlessly for the clinician, essentially providing a central fabrication clinician experience, but delivering the efficiency and cost savings of on-site 3D printing, says Jacoby. This system reduces turnaround
engineers and 3D printing experts to figure out new materials, designs, and products that can be done with 3D printing. These are then made available to Galileo members at no additional charge.” Protosthetics continues to offer central fabrication services using traditional methods, 3D printing, or a combination of the two. Additional products include its flagship fully custom 3D-printed pectus carinatum and rib flare braces, the Amphibian Water Leg, and functional, diabetic, and accommodative orthotic inserts. The company also makes ankle-foot orthoses and definitive sockets and offers 3D-printed check sockets. As technology evolves, the company hopes to be front and center, driving a trend toward more on-site fabrication while leveraging external support for clinicians so they can be as efficient as possible while maintaining control of the patient experience. Protosthetics occupies a facility of about 10,000 square feet in Fargo. Its 20 employees include biomedical engineers, kinesiologists, and certified fitters, and its equipment ranges from traditional tools to automated CNC mills and a fleet of 3D printers. The company works with a local nonprofit, Hope Inc., that offers children and adults with mobility challenges opportunities to participate in sports and recreational activities. Protosthetics employees volunteer at many of these events, including an upcoming golf tournament. As the company evolves, Protosthetics will continue to do what it can to help practitioners provide optimal O&P care. “Practitioners have a lot on their plates,” Jacoby says. “We want to make it as easy as possible for them.”
