Shoes are an item of luxury to many individuals around the world. To others, shoes are an absolute necessity needed to protect the feet from diseases and conditions like frostbite, gangrene, and trench foot. In any case, almost every individual on Earth knows what shoes look like, what shoes function as, and what difference shoes can make for those who are on their feet often. Few individuals know that shoes can be 3D printed or what those shoes are capable of doing.
3D printed shoes are shoes that have been created using 3D printing technology. When an item is 3D printed, a machine traces a pattern into an open space using a material such as plastic, metal, or rubber. A design is created by the user, put into a 3D printing machine, and the printer’s laser will both trace and fuse the product. The machine’s laser traces over itself in layers until the desired project has been completed.
Why Create 3D Printed Shoes?
3D printed shoes may simply seem like a luxury item with little value aside from its apparently costly production. 3D printed shoes can offer users far more than just a sense of luxury.
3D printed shoes are created individually for each person and each foot. No two shoes will ever be created in exactly the same way. Those that have created this 3D printing technology understand that feet can even vary in size from one side of the body to the other. In fact, many individuals have feet that are slightly thicker, wider, or longer than the half sizes available to them by many shoe brands. That is why the 3D printed shoe has come into existence.
The 3D printed shoe will eliminate the aches, pains, and complications that are typically credited to the “breaking in” of a brand-new pair of shoes from the store. The creators of this product aim to eliminate painful or hazardous shoes from the market in favor of the shoes that are custom fit for customers. These 3D printed shoes can even be made stronger and lighter for athletes and other active individuals.
The 3D printing concept for shoes is actually quite simple. A customer will enter their shoe store, assuming that that store has adopted this 3D printing technology, have each foot measured, have each foot photographed from various angles, and then the shoes will be 3D printed right in front of them. This custom fit technology makes a brand new, custom-fit pair of shoes available for every customer in a very short amount of time. The 3D printing process is even advanced enough to take information about the individual’s height, weight, and level of activity into consideration as the shoes are being constructed.
3D printed shoes can even be created with a medical purpose in mind. 3D printing can make these shoes orthopedically accurate for certain individuals with medical needs. This process is designed to alleviate pain associated with conditions like collapsed arches and other foot imbalances.