shoe printed by a 3D printer

In September 05 PSFK talked about the future impact of stereolithography:

One day we’ll have a 3D printer in our homes that can ‘print’ items like chairs and lamps made from composite material, or so Janne Kyttanen of rapid prototyping firm Freedom of Creation believes. People will download a CAD type design from the web, customize it and then print it!

Now we see a development where 3D printing is already having an impact on our lives. A company in London called Prior 2 Lever has created a bespoke soccer boot called “The Assassin” using the method. The shoe is created by scanning the foot to get exact measurements and then printed off into a real 3D shoe. The PR lady told us:

“The technology used to make the sole is called Laser Sintering, one of a group of relatively new technologies in use since about 20 years in the highly technological field of “rapid prototyping” (RP). These technologies are increasingly referred to as “rapid manufacturing” or “3-d digital printing” and render new possibilities for creating a product directly from CAD data.

“RP technologies can enable the design freedom to create virtually any type of form, without the geometrical limitations imposed by moulding, as well as enabling the possibility of creating single-component parts that with moulding might need to be created in various components and then fitted together.”

The shoes are being created for Premiership Soccer Players right now.

P2L