MDNews - Minnesota

SINCE ITS FOUNDING in 1992, TCOP has served patients in need of orthotics and prosthetics while keeping an eye toward innovation. Twenty years later, TCOP's desire to advance the orthotics and prosthetics industry led to the creation of Tillges Technologies. This central fabrication facility is vital to product development and has allowed TCOP to craft new devices for patients both locally and worldwide. "Tillges Technologies was born out of our develop- ment of the PressureGuardian, a pressure-monitoring system used primarily for diabetic wound care," says Michael Tillges, CPO, Co-Vice President of TCOP. "Now, we're building products for other companies and sending them out on a national and international level — to places such as Australia, Europe and Canada." Today, TCOP provides services for a number of conditions, including foot drop, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, stroke, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, partial-foot amputation, ankle instabilities, vascular conditions, postmastectomy needs and more. TCOP is considered a one-stop shop for all orthotic, prosthetic, vascular and mastectomy needs. PREPREG AND PROPULSION Since the creation of the PressureGuardian, Tillges Technologies has manufactured a steady stream of new products, including its Propulsion line of orthotic and prosthetic devices. Prepreg carbon fiber, rather than conventional plastic materials, is used to make the devices. "Typically, lower-limb orthotic and prosthetic devices for partial-foot amputees are made of plas- tics," Michael Tillges says. "However, composites such as prepreg carbon fiber are becoming more popular for bracing purposes because they allow for a more holistic approach to treating lower-limb deficiencies." Prepreg carbon fiber is a light, durable and dynamic material made from a combination of carbon fiber and epoxy resin. Outside of orthotic and prosthetic devices, it has seen applications in both the military and race car industries. "We've been offering prepreg carbon fiber bracing for more than a decade, but we saw a big need for custom prepreg knee-ankle-foot orthoses among our patients," Michael Tillges says. "That's why we developed our own prepreg in house — we weren't happy with what other manufacturers were offering." The name prepreg signifies that the manufacturer has preimpregnated the carbon fiber material with the correct amount of epoxy resin before it arrives at TCOP. "We source the prepreg material in rolls and control how much resin per carbon strand is applied to each roll," says Thomas Tillges, Operations Manager at TCOP. "With the right resin-to-carbon fiber ratio, we can maximize the brace's structural properties while reducing excess weight and bulk." Once the resin bonds with the carbon fiber mate- rial, the fibers become fixed in a geometric shape. This semirigid structure causes the materia l to become stronger than many metals while retaining a dynamic quality. The material can absorb and release energy at a nearly 1-1 ratio when force is applied to it, which makes it perfect for the construction of ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) and knee-ankle-foot orthoses (KAFOs). "Compared to standard plastic AFOs and KAFOs, composite materials like prepreg carbon fiber allow for reactive motion, such as plantar flexion in the loading, stability and control of the tibial progres- sion," says Steve Tillges, CPO, Co-Vice President of TCOP. "They restore propulsion to a patient's gait, The Family Business ROBERT TILLGE S, OW NER, founder and President of Tillges Certified Orthotic Prosthetic Inc. (TCOP), has more than four decades of experience in the orthotic and prosthetic industry. His four sons, Michael, Steve, Thomas and David, have joined the family business over the years. "I wanted to be part of the orthotic prosthetic industry ever since I was a sophomore in high school," says Steve Tillges, CPO, Co-Vice President at TCOP. "I took an anatomy course and was intrigued, so I entered the orthotic and prosthetic field after graduating college." Some of the Tillges brothers joined the family trade after experience in other fields. "Many of us have grown up in the business, but I worked in mechanical engineering before going back to school for orthotics and prosthetics," says Michael Tillges, CPO, Co-Vice President of TCOP. All members of the TCOP family share a devotion to one purpose, however. "We value patient care and want to change people's lives," says Thomas Tillges, Operations Manager at TCOP. "That's why my brothers and I are here and why we find it so gratifying." Steve Tillges STE V E TILLGE S is an American Board Certified Prosthetic and Orthotic Practitioner who joined TCOP in 2001. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Minnesota State University, Mankato and completed the orthotic and prosthetic practi- tioner programs at Century College. He has more than 10 years of experience fitting complex orthotic and prosthetic devices for patients. M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S M I N N E S O TA ■ 2 019 1 5

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