Lemförde, Germany – Prosthetics specialist Össur has used BASF’s Cellasto microcellular PU foam in its Pro-Flex Terra foot prosthesis. The product will be highlighted at the forthcoming Chinaplas exhibition in Shenzhen, China.
The two companies collaborated on the product’s development. Cellasto’s progressive stiffness and high impact strength combines softness and flexibility with good energy return. This gives the prosthesis an intuitive response behaviour, the companies said, closely replicating the human muscle-tendon motion.
The three-step Cellasto design is said to address the limitations of traditional two-step designs. This allows the prosthesis to adapt to a wide range of load conditions without the need for any mechanical or electrical adjustments, making it suitable for activities as diverse as slow walking, hiking, and high impact sports across a wide temperature range. It can be used at the beach or pool, and in the shower.
The robustness and performance of the Cellasto was confirmed via rigorous tests, including a full lifecycle assessment with more than two million overloaded steps. It maintained its quality throughout.
The different foam densities for the product range were fine-tuned during user tests to ensure they worked well with each of nine specific user weight and size categories. BASF application development engineers supported the product from concept through to product, which was implemented with an efficient tooling concept on fully automated mould lines.
“Our ambition was to combine the features of many prosthetic feet into one product,” said Össur product designer Felix Starker. “Össur designed the innovative Pro-FlexTerra to blend the softness and flexibility of a comfortable daily-use foot with the high energy return of an active foot, thereby merging two separate attributes in one design. Our partnership with Cellastoexemplifies a successful collaboration that has advanced prosthetic technology. By prioritising comfort, performance, and durability, we strive to help our customers live through every step.”
