Medical prosthetics manufacturer Unyq (San Francisco, California / USA; www.unyq.com) recently unveiled its 3D-printed leg socket at the conference of the British Association of Prosthetists and Orthotists (BAPO) in Harrogate / UK. The company notes that it has "done away with much of the metal found in a traditional prosthetic leg, making the Unyq socket far lighter than the alternatives without losing any of the quality." The new device also has sensors that can record its wearer's activity, such as number of steps and calories burnt, and the company says clinicians can benefit from improved patient satisfaction, access to data and the ability to easily replicate the product.

Unyq co-founder Manuel Boza told Plasteurope.com the sockets as well as prosthetic covers are manufactured in Spain, where there are designers, 3D printers and painting facilities for prosthetics. The company delivers the sockets and covers from Spain to countries in Europe and North America.

The new sockets and prosthetic covers are all manufactured by 3D printing using polyamide 12. Boza says it is a highly resistant material for Unyq's prosthetic applications, as well as lighter than other materials used in the industry. "We have tested our sockets and its material by an external certification organisation to ISO 10328 [the structural testing of lower-limb prosthetics], and the results show it is certified for a 125 kg user with moderate impact levels."

Unyq was established in 2014 and produces medical prosthetics including spine wears, which are customised braces for people with scoliosis, and medical wears such as covers for prosthetic legs. Besides its headquarters in San Francisco, the prosthetics manufacturer has three other offices in Charlotte, North Carolina / USA, Seville / Spain and Stockholm / Sweden.