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Socket comfort is still the problem that won’t go away, and “good hands” can only take you so far when patients need consistency, speed, and healthier tissue loading. We sit down with Matt Wernke, Director of Research and Development at WillowWood, to talk about what changes when prosthetic socket design becomes measurable and repeatable instead of mostly interpretive.

Matt walks us through the real origin story: a Department of Defense funded clinical trial built to answer a blunt question, how should we distribute pressure on a residual limb in a way that protects skin health and reduces tissue injury? That research led to TIG, a handheld tool designed to quantify tissue stiffness, basically turning what clinicians already feel during palpation into data that can be used in a digital workflow. We talk outcomes, iteration, and why proving what you deliver matters as much as the design you intended.

From there we get into the modern workflow: TIG measurements feeding into WillowWood’s revamped Omega platform, AI-assisted mapping of measurement sites onto a scan, and a socket recommendation the clinician can verify and personalize. We also dig into the practical benefits clinics actually care about, fewer disruptions for patients, stronger documentation over time, and the long-term roadmap of monitoring fit changes and even automatic adjustment at the interface. Along the way, we touch on how WillowWood uses 3D printing for prototyping, components, fixtures, and safety, plus a candid look at adoption and the fear of “replacing” craft instead of enhancing it.

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AOPA always shows you what’s next, but the real story is what people are trying to fix right now. We walk through our on-the-ground takeaways from the exhibit hall and the education tracks, starting with the shift from “look what we can print” to “how do we remove the worst friction in prosthetics and orthotics.” AI is popping up as a serious workflow tool for documentation, admin, and turnaround time, but we also talk about the non-negotiables: HIPAA, patient health information, and why bolt-on tools can create double work if systems don’t talk to each other.

From there, we get practical. We shout out traditional manufacturing strength in areas like custom liners, break down why “cheap materials” aren’t the whole cost story, and highlight hardware that matters, including compact suction valve design that could make both traditional fabrication and 3D printed sockets cleaner. We also talk 3D printing in O&P with an honest lens: belt printers for foot orthoses, low-cost model printing, material limitations, and why controlled thermals in smaller build volumes can produce better parts.

Finally, we zoom out to the business side with the Hanger and Numotion announcement and what it could mean for complex rehab technology, wheelchairs, seating, and the broader platform direction of patient care. We explore potential synergies, the clinician shortage, “care extender” models, and the uncomfortable reality of consolidation and private equity incentives. If you’re building, buying, or simply trying to deliver better patient outcomes in orthotics and prosthetics, this one is full of signals worth tracking.

For the awards you will just have to listen!

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If you’ve ever left a conference thinking, “I talked to a lot of people but learned very little,” this one is for you. We’re getting practical about AOPA and how to work a prosthetics and orthotics trade show with purpose, so you come home with better contacts, clearer buying decisions, and real ideas you can apply in your clinic or lab.

We share our rules for protecting your calendar: don’t take in-person meetings you could handle online, cluster appointments by location, and spend your booth time on what the internet cannot give you. That means hands-on testing, honest conversations, and questions vendors rarely put on a website, like pricing, leasing, daily throughput, material costs, and failure rates. We also talk about why you should seek technical people, not just sales reps, and how simple kindness and random hallway chats can lead to long-term partnerships.

From there, we zoom out to what we’re watching at AOPA across 3D printing and additive manufacturing in O&P: printer ecosystems, automation, and where digital manufacturing actually improves margins without tying up a traditional fabrication lab. We call out the underrated “outside booths” with handwritten signs, university research tables, and early-stage materials that might become tomorrow’s standard. We even add a quick warning about hotel solicitation scams so your trip planning doesn’t become a costly mistake.

Subscribe for more conversations on prosthetics, orthotics, additive manufacturing, 3D printing workflows, and patient-focused innovation, then share this with a colleague heading to AOPA and leave a review. What’s the one question you always wish you could ask vendors face to face?

Special thanks to Advanced 3D for sponsoring this episode.

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