Swiss orthopedic practice Affolter Orthopädie GmbH uses a 3D body scanner for compression garments. The scans give its team objective measurements for fit checks and insurance questions.
Beat Affolter, founder and owner of Affolter Orthopädie GmbH, opened the practice in Switzerland in 2016. Many Swiss practices cover a broad range of products, from insoles to prosthetics. Affolter chose a narrower path and now focuses on compression garments, mainly for clients living with edema, including cases related to cancer or major surgery.
Precise body measurements are central to that work, so a few years ago Beat started looking for a scanner.
Beat looked at several scanners. Some of the systems he found required clients to stand on a rotating platform, which is hard for clients with limited balance. TG3D’s body scanner suited his clients far better. He calls it a perfect setting for them: it does the measurement without being invasive, and nobody has to stand on a moving platform.
It is also easy to use and self-serve. In store mode, clients enter their name, get their own account and follow the on-screen guide. Some need a hand with their pose the first time, and by the second scan they manage on their own. All three members of Beat’s team run scans.
What sealed the decision was the software. Beat wanted a partner that stays open to new ideas, and he says he has found that in TG3D.
That’s what I am experiencing with you guys: that you are open for new opportunities, that it’s an evolving story.
Beat AffolterCompression garments have to fit precisely, and a client’s body can change between fittings. When a client said a garment no longer fit, Beat used to have no objective way to show that the original measurements were right, which made for difficult conversations.
Now the team scans the client again and compares the two sets of measurements. Both sides see the same facts, and the conversation stays calm.
It just shortcuts a lot of discussion.
Beat AffolterClients take it well, and none has ever turned a scan down.
In Switzerland, health insurance pays for the compression garments Affolter fits, and insurers sometimes ask what a client’s condition looked like before treatment. Before the scanner, Affolter had nothing to show. Now Beat can send the scan data, along with a small avatar that insurer staff can explore on screen even if they are not medical specialists.
It makes it visual for everybody, and if they are keen, they can still compare the data or the circumferences.
Beat AffolterPregnancy is the simplest case Affolter sees, since clients are usually fitted from a size chart. The team offers a quick scan on top and prints a small avatar on a compact desktop 3D printer for the client to take home. Clients appreciate it, and it takes the team little time. They leave with something in their hands.
Affolter shows how a 3D body scanner for compression garments can support more than sizing. For a practice that serves people in difficult medical situations, repeat scans give the team a measured record to compare, a visual that insurers can follow, and a small extra that clients remember. Beat sees many more opportunities ahead with the scanner.
Talk to our team about adding body scanning to your measurement and documentation workflow.
Explore the 3D Body ScannerSource: Interview with Beat Affolter, founder and owner of Affolter Orthopädie GmbH, conducted by TG3D Studio on August 24, 2026.
