We all know, as a consumer, we always buy shoes (we like) based on its size (length & width). So far, the footwear industry works like this. A new footwear is designed in a company’s design center; mass-produced into standard shoe sizes/styles probably in a low-cost country on the other side of the globe; shipped around the globe to fill up inventories in different markets; made sales via shoe stores/websites by using various marketing tools. Well, a footwear revolution is taking place now, thanks to 3D printing.
We are proud to introduce a 3D printed custom sandal, first of this kind, which opens up a brand new footwear category with mass customization and on-demand manufacturing.
Our 3D printed custom sandal is created by using a full-length 3D printed custom midsole, a custom outsole and conventional sandal uppers. Each sandal is tailored to each person’s unique foot to match the length, width and more importantly the 3D contour of the bottom of your foot. It will fit perfectly to each foot to provide ultimate comfort and the right amount of arch support. As a result, it improves your balance and distributes the body weight more evenly because they are 3D printed from the impressions or scans of your own foot.
For those who use foot orthotics to manage their foot conditions, such as plantar fasciitis, bunions, metatarsalgia and leg length discrepancy, a prescription from a medical practitioner (podiatrists, pedorthists and chiropractors…) can be incorporated into the 3D printed midsole to create 3D printed orthotic sandals.
Our 3D printed custom sandals are more than a pair of sandals. It takes personalization to a totally new dimension and represents a brand new footwear category of mass customization and on-demand manufactured via 3D printing. Imagine walking into a shoe store, getting both feet scanned in minutes, watching how the shoes are going to fit your foot’s 3D contour on a computer screen, making modifications, placing an order and few hours later getting a pair of 3D printed custom shoes. The future of on-demand shoe manufacturing with mass customization via 3D printing is now available for the first time.
Are you ready for a pair of 3D printed custom sandals?
We go through the following steps to bring the world’s first custom sandals with a full-length 3D printed midsole into life.
- Foot Scan
Accurate 3D data of a person’s foot is the foundation of making every customized footwear. We treat this very seriously and don’t cut corners. We believe only accurate true 3D foot scan, focusing on the bottom of your foot, can provide a good starting point to build a truly custom footwear. We don’t guess 3D contour shape from a 2D picture of the side of a foot. This would be comparable to a regular 2D picture of me and asking you to guess my height. This practice doesn’t meet our standards. That’s why we only use our true 3D foot scanner.
It takes about 2 seconds for our foot scanner to generate over 10,000+ XYZ points with 0.2mm (0.008 inch) accuracy of each foot. As a result, please don’t be surprised that wrinkles on the bottom of your foot can show up sometimes in your foot scan data (unintentionally). Our foot scanner can scan a foot directly. It can also scan a foot casting/impression box too. If you don’t have access to one of our foot scanners, we will mail you a foot impression foam box. After the foot impressions are taken, please send the foam box back to us. We will use the same foot scanner to scan your foot impressions.
- Midsole Model Generation
Feet are different from person to person. Some people’s feet, whether it be the left foot or right foot, differ in shape and size. Your left food might be slightly higher or lower arched, wider or more narrow, and/or longer or shorter than your right foot. After a foot is scanned, a custom midsole is digitally designed for each foot (not mirrored left to right) to make sure it will fit perfectly for the length and width as well as the 3D contour shape.
For those who use functional foot orthotics to manage their various foot conditions, a prescription can be incorporated during this digital design process, such as heel medial skives, full to minimum contact arch shape, rearfoot posting varus/valgus angles, heel lifting, and 1st ray cut-out. If you need to compensate a leg length discrepancy, the left and right midsoles can be 3D printed into different heights. Finally, all midsole designs will be virtually fit your foot scan data on a computer screen before 3D printing.
- 3D Printing
A special desktop 3D printer is used to turn the digital designs into a physical midsole. These 3D printed midsole has a built-in lattice structure used to alter the firmness at the different sections of the midsole.
- Final Assembly
The digital design of the midsole is also used to laser-cut the sandal outsole. Finally, the custom outsole, 3D printed midsole and sandal uppers are assembled together to create a pair of custom sandals only for you. We have various styles and colors to choose from.
SUPPORT THEIR CAMPAIGN: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/oltfootcare/join-the-footwear-revolution-3d-printed-custom-san
