ActivArmor CEO Diana Hall details 3D-3D-printed waterproof orthoses as plaster cast alternative

ActivArmor, a Colorado-based medical device company, has served several thousand patients over the past eleven years with 3D-printed, patient-specific orthoses that replace traditional plaster and fiberglass casts. In a May 2026 interview, founder and CEO Diana Hall detailed the company's digital workflow: clinicians scan the affected body region, design a custom splint, and produce it via additive manufacturing at the point of care. The resulting orthoses are waterproof, ventilated, and removable, addressing common cast problems such as moisture, odor, hygiene issues, and difficulty monitoring skin or surgical sites. ActivArmor's system is deployed at leading institutions including the Mayo Clinic, St. Luke's, and multiple children's hospitals, covering fractures of the wrist, hand, finger, elbow, ankle, and foot fractures.

This development in which 3D printing in medical technology is not only used for prototypes, but also for individually manufactured aids in a regular care context. Interview with Diana Hall In an interview with 3Druck.com, Diana Hall, founder and CEO of ActivArmor, talks about the use of additive manufacturing in orthopaedic care and the development of patient-specific splints and orthoses. She discusses clinical experiences, feedback from users and patients and how 3D printing can change future healthcare treatment processes. How does ActivArmor with customized 3D-printed splints and orthoses change patients' everyday lives, clinical procedures and the healing process compared to conventional plaster casts? Founder and CEO Diana Hall ActivArmor's waterproof, breathable and hygienic orthoses enable patients to swim, shower, sweat and get dirty while acute injuries such as fractures or sprains heal - allowing them to largely continue their active everyday lives. At the same time, the technology is changing the clinical process: instead of the time-consuming application of a conventional bandage made of glass fiber-reinforced plastic material and the often unpleasant use of a plaster saw, the focus is on a painless digital process of scanning and fitting. This reduces the need for repeated plaster casts and complications. In addition, complementary therapeutic technologies such as bone and muscle stimulators, biomonitors or TENS devices for electrical pain therapy can be integrated, which can have a positive impact on healing processes, regeneration times and possibly also the need for opioid painkillers. ActivArmor's 3D printing system can be used directly at the point of care worldwide, giving physicians the ability to deliver clinically tested, safe and effective designs to their patients quickly and independently. What feedback from patients, doctors and athletes has particularly influenced your product development, choice of materials and design improvements? ActivArmor has served several thousand patients worldwide over the past eleven years, including at leading institutions such as the Mayo Clinic, St. Luke's and various children's hospitals. Doctors want evidence-based, clinically proven solutions that reliably protect and immobilize their patients while being fast, affordable and innovative. Patients, on the other hand, want medical aids that restrict their everyday life and activities as little as possible, look good and do not slow them down during the healing process. Athletes need customizable, low-profile solutions that support their specific needs and allow them to sweat, exercise or use ice baths during recovery. ActivArmor addresses these needs with ISO -certified materials that are individually adapted to the patient's anatomy and specially developed for the respective injury, indication and lifestyle. Which clinical cases particularly benefit from watertight, patient-specific immobilization solutions, and where do you currently still see limitations for 3D-printed orthopaedic medical devices? ActivArmor is used by doctors primarily in fracture care, where it can replace conventional plaster casts for injuries such as distal radius fractures (fractures of the radius near the wrist), scaphoid fractures (fractures of the scaphoid bone in the carpus), ankle fractures or boxer's fractures. Our company offers customized solutions for the wrist, hand, fingers, elbow, ankle and foot - from wrist and thumb

This story fits the pattern of additive manufacturing gradually embedding into clinical workflows, not through headline-grabbing bioprinting but through practical, reimbursable orthotics and prosthetics. ActivArmor competes in a niche that includes companies like Xkelet and Osteoid, but its differentiation lies in a complete point-of-care system that integrates scanning, design, and production. The medical-dental vertical remains one of the most mature for AM adoption, driven by patient-specific geometry requirements and regulatory pathways that, while rigorous, are more navigable than aerospace certification. ActivArmor's approach targets a clear pain point: the estimated 6 million+ plaster casts applied annually in the US alone, many of which cause secondary complications like skin maceration or infection. The company's ISO-certified materials and clinical partnerships at institutions like Mayo Clinic provide the evidence base needed for broader reimbursement and adoption.

From an expert perspective, ActivArmor's eleven-year track record and thousands of patients served demonstrate that the technology has moved beyond pilot stage into routine clinical use. The key execution challenge remains scaling the point-of-care delivery: convincing more hospitals to adopt the digital workflow and training staff to scan and design efficiently. For buyers, the value proposition is clear: reduced cast-related complications, improved patient compliance, and the ability to shower and swim during recovery, and potential integration of therapeutic devices. The company's focus on fracture care for wrist, hand, and ankle represents the highest-volume opportunity, and its point-of-care model avoids the logistics of centralized production. The next milestone will be expanding the range of covered indications and securing broader insurance reimbursement to drive adoption beyond early-adopter institutions.