A system for making custom orthotic devices includes a housing, and the housing includes an opening sized to receive a body part. The system also includes a plastic sheet mounted to the housing such that the plastic sheet is in a position to receive pressure from the body part. The system also includes a ferrous material positioned within the housing. The system further includes an electromagnetic source that generates electromagnetic radiation to heat the ferrous material such that, in conjunction with the received pressure, the plastic sheet molds into an orthotic device for the body part.

A method of forming z-channels in a fibrous ceramic preform includes mounting the preform in a tooling assembly, the tooling assembly comprising a first fixture and a second fixture, heating the preform mounted in the tooling assembly to a temperature above a glass transition temperature of a polymer binder within the preform to induce a softened state of the polymer binder, inserting a plurality of needles sequentially through respective first holes in the first fixture, the preform, and respective corresponding second holes in the second fixture, and removing the plurality of needles leaving behind a corresponding plurality of z-channels in the preform.

A method for making custom orthotic devices includes mounting a plastic sheet to a housing. The method also includes receiving, by the plastic sheet, pressure from a body part of a patient. The method further includes directing electromagnetic radiation to a ferrous material mounted within the housing. The electromagnetic radiation heats the ferrous material, which heats the plastic sheet such that the plastic sheets forms into an orthotic device that fits the body part.

A method of forming z-channels in a fibrous ceramic preform includes mounting the preform in a tooling assembly, the tooling assembly comprising a first fixture and a second fixture, heating the preform mounted in the tooling assembly to a temperature above a glass transition temperature of a polymer binder within the preform to induce a softened state of the polymer binder, inserting a plurality of needles sequentially through respective first holes in the first fixture, the preform, and respective corresponding second holes in the second fixture, and removing the plurality of needles leaving behind a corresponding plurality of z-channels in the preform.