Materials

To make professional plantar orthesis IMAGO suggests you a wide range of innovative and traditional materials.

To make insoles we use two kind of materials: the synthetic and the natural ones.

As we speak about the natural ones we mean those substances of animal source (hides, leather, cork, ...); the synthetic ones are those substances from chemical source.

In the last case we refer to polymerics: plastomers or elastomers.

When the Plastomers are under pressure they can get permanent deformations. To these ones belong:

• POLYETHYLENE FOAMS (PE) with close nested cells ; they are thermoforming at low temperatures (from 60° to 120°), they are used as plate and they are available in different thickness and toughness, they are comfortable and they fit both for diabetis foot and sportman’s foot and also for kid’s feet. They have got a good return memory.
• The ETHYL VINYL ACETATE (E.V.A) with close cells, they are thermoforming at middle temperatures (from 80° to 140°), they are used as plate and they are available in different thickness and toughness, they perform excellent in mechanics (a good compression-set). They have a fairly return memory.
• E.V.A.+PE: such compound gives the right mix of reliability and the suitable comfort.
• POLYURETHANS (PUR), with open cells can be used in different ways: either as foams (yeasting process) or as plates. They aren’t thermoforming.
• POLYCARBONATES: it is about an atoxic Polymere, it belongs to the “hard” and “vitreous” materials. It is thermoforming and very flexible with a strong ultimate strength in order to bear very heavy people and it is normally used for strong correction (wrapping insoles/shell insoles).
• CARBON FIBRE: it is a specific product of the textile industry , made of a series of yarns (coming from textile fibres but also from metal, carbon and glass fibres), woven and then “resin-bonded” to gain the hot plantar orthesis.
• POLYESTERS: insaturated, they belong to the thermosetting materials.

The Elastomers (rubbers) are very strength resistant and after the deforming strength they become again as they were before: among them you can also find the here below mentioned materials:

• LIEGE: it is about a mix of natuarl caoutchou with cork; it is a very good material because of its duration and thickness, it fits particularly for sport insoles and antalgic insoles;
• ENAbsorber (ENergy Absorber): a syntehtic rubber with a strong shock-absorber.

To make high performed insoles IMAGO suggests materials like these: