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The integration of computer aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) has been around for five decades. The technology, which was originally developed in the mid-1950s for use in the U.S. military, quickly spread to use by the automotive industry. As the technology grew in sophistication, so did its applications. Today, CAD/CAM technology is being used to manufacture everything from fine china and jet propulsion systems to-you guessed it-orthotic and prosthetic devices. Patients are already benefiting from digitally designed and created cranial helmets, AFOs, and multiple other orthotic applications, all or most of which have been made possible by the laser scanner, which has changed the way shapes are captured and enabled immense progress in the ways O&P practitioners are able to care for their patients.
