The use of a second generation synthetic casting tape for the manufacture of functional foot orthoses is reported. The material is lightweight, strong, inexpensive and moulds intimatelyto the contours of a plaster model without the use of special heating apparatus. Because of the laminate structure of the orthosis, it has advantages in being capable of offering localized flexibility over thermoplastic materials of a uniform thickness. The mechanical strength of the material is also reported, comparing it with the same material laminated without vacuum assistance. Of the parameters studied (impact energy, tensile and four point bending strengths) a typical increase of between 100% and 200% is achieved by the vacuum forming process, together with an improvement in surface texture.