ONEBra‘s personalized prostheses are created using state-of-the-art 3D printing technology and materials certified for direct skin contact. Every ONEBra prosthesis is unique because it reflects the person who chose it and adapts perfectly to her needs. Our products are certified as medical devices, making them eligible for tax deduction.
But how is it possible to create a bra prosthesis that restores a natural breast shape?
You can think of a scan as a three-dimensional photograph. While a normal photograph only shows you the width and height of an object, a scan also gives us precise information about depth. This is crucial for creating the 3D model that will be brought to life with a 3D printer. Most mobile phones use their built-in camera for scanning, but these are not very precise. Others, however, use a dedicated component called a LiDAR Scanner, which guarantees high precision, capturing the body’s shape with detail as fine as 0.5 mm.
This is why ONEBra only uses and processes scans taken with a LiDAR Scanner. It is our commitment to providing the women we support with a product that is of the highest quality and state-of-the-art.
During the ordering process, in addition to the usual personal and address details, we request a scan of your breast. We use this scan to construct the ONEBra prosthesis, which we then produce using 3D printing.
But how does 3D printing work?
It is an innovative method for creating objects with shapes and sizes that were once simply unthinkable. Our ONEBra prosthesis and Duo Comfort are prime examples.
In the figure below, you can see the “skeleton” of our prostheses. On one side—the side in contact with the body—it perfectly follows your anatomy, while on the other, it compensates for the asymmetry (the difference compared to the other breast).
Looking at the image, you can see that the prosthesis is hollow inside, with small holes near the edges for greater stability, and larger holes near the nipple area for greater breathability, elasticity, and softness. The hollow design of the prosthesis is intended to house material of varying densities to achieve the optimal weight.
It would not be possible to produce such an object with traditional manufacturing techniques.
This object is created using HP’s Multi Jet Fusion technology, a 3D printer that starts from a personalized geometry, different for every woman, called a 3D model, and generates a completely unique prosthesis.
The breast scan we receive after an order is placed is not, by itself, a 3D model ready for printing. To transform a breast scan into a 3D model, we use 3D modeling software, which creates the ONEBra prosthesis through a series of semi-automated geometric manipulations.
Once the process is complete, the 3D model is sent to the 3D printer, which brings the skeleton of the ONEBra prosthesis to life.
The material that makes up the prosthesis’s skeleton is a thermoplastic polyurethane, a flexible material that can be recycled in the same printing process, supporting a truly circular economy. It is also certified for direct skin contact.
The skeleton is then coated with an additional 3D-printed structure made from a different material, a thermoplastic elastomer, to increase softness and provide a natural feel to the touch. The choice of a thermoplastic material is based on its properties: excellent resistance to weathering, high temperatures, and sun exposure, but above all, it can be easily melted and printed into new products without losing its properties.
The sustainability of our bras lies in their compliance with the STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®,
learn more on our dedicated page:
International Patent Application No. PCT/IB2023/062706 (an extension of application No. 102022000025716) titled: “Breast Prosthesis” was filed on December 14, 2023.
Declaration of Conformity as a medical device, registered in the European database EUDAMED and with the Italian Ministry of Health on February 13, 2024, as an external breast prosthesis.