Collaboration in Motion: HP Additive Manufacturing Solutions, PVA Med and Radii Devices Shape the Future of Veteran Prosthetics
The Department of Veterans Affairs has long stood at the forefront of prosthetic care in the United States, setting new standards in research, rehabilitation, and innovation for those who have served. Today, that commitment continues through a pioneering initiative with HP Additive Manufacturing Solutions, PVA Med and Radii Devices—a program advancing a fully digital socket workflow that improves speed, consistency, and patient-centered outcomes across VA clinics.
At the heart of this project is the work of VA prosthetists themselves. Through hands-on training and collaboration, clinicians are building new digital skills that bring together data, design, and additive manufacturing. The result is not just a faster process, but a new level of digital literacy and precision in prosthetic care.
The process begins with a data-driven approach to prosthetic socket fitting. Radii Devices’ software platform, riiForm, analyzes scans of a patient’s residual limb and draws on a library of data from previous successful fittings to provide real-time, evidence-based recommendations for socket modification.
Developed alongside clinicians, riiForm fits naturally into existing workflows and fabrication methods such as those offered by PVA Med and HP Additive Manufacturing Solutions, guiding prosthetists step by step with objective, data-driven insights. By combining professional expertise with this unique predictive guidance—the only software of its kind—clinicians can make precise adjustments that consistently improve comfort and fit. As one VA clinician put it, using riiForm in the clinic feels like having “another expert at your shoulder.”
Once a digital design is created, it’s converted into a printable model using PVA Med’s Rapid Plaster® software, then produced as a durable, testable device with WalkStrong™ reinforced check sockets. Leveraging PVA’s experience in high-quality, repeatable manufacturing, these 3D-printed sockets printed using the PVA Med Emergence Pro ™ 3D printer deliver exceptional strength—lasting up to 3 million cycles, compared to roughly 80,000 for traditional test sockets. This durability allows Veterans to use their devices with greater confidence, while clinicians refine and perfect the fit. For many prosthetists in the pilot, the move from fragile test sockets to robust, modifiable 3D-printed versions has opened new opportunities for personalization and precision.
Bringing these designs to life at scale, HP’s Multi Jet Fusion additive manufacturing technology makes definitive sockets available within days instead of weeks. The process begins with a computational design algorithm which instantaneously transforms clinical input into a robust printable device. This design engine reflects the collaboration between HP and VA engineers to optimize a strong and lightweight definitive socket, tailored for each individual veteran.
The success HP Additive Manufacturing Solutions have had in creating strong, yet lightweight definitive sockets continues to drive ongoing improvements and innovations. HP’s O&P Design Services are setting out to establish a new standard for digitally produced prosthetic devices. This approach empowers VA clinicians to work at the top of their skillset and to act as co-innovators in the progression of prosthetics. It enables them to refine, iterate, and deliver with speed and accuracy—while also offering the highly desired customization and personalization of sockets based on each Veteran’s wishes.
Across the pilot sites, early outcomes speak for themselves. 27 sockets have been produced so far, with turnaround times as short as 48 to 72 hours. More importantly, Veterans report noticeable improvements in comfort and fit with each iteration. The collaboration has also highlighted how quickly clinical teams can adapt to digital change when given the right tools and training, with 15 VA prosthetists now fully onboarded and using this digital workflow. Building on this success, the partners are now working to scale the process nationally—initially for transtibial patients, with the long-term goal of extending the approach to many other limb amputees.
By supporting prosthetists in developing new digital competencies, from scanning and CAD design to additive manufacturing and data analysis, this collaboration is building not just better sockets, but a stronger, more future-ready clinical workforce. This partnership between HP Additive Manufacturing Solutions, PVA Med and Radii Devices ensures that innovation is grounded in patient need, clinician expertise, and the shared goal of improving lives.
As Joshua Steer of Radii Devices summarises: “This isn’t just about better sockets—it’s about a care system where Veterans feel the benefits immediately, and clinicians can innovate without compromise.” As the team describes it, “This journey isn’t about technology. It is about restoring identity, dignity, and motion for those who served. Every socket fitted is a step toward healing bodies and rebuilding trust.”
