3D Printing Shoes for Production Manufacturing

This course will describe the advantages and challenges of using 3D printing for shoe manufacturing. It will include how OESH Shoes is using a special 3D printing process for production manufacturing. Key to the process is a pellet-based extruding 3D printer that is specifically designed for extruding elastomeric materials suitable for shoe components. The printer prints directly from readily available thermoplastic pellets rather than from filament, and enables us to use blowing agents in both chemical and physical form as well as microcellular expanding agents to produce cellular and foamed materials that are particularly suitable for shoe soles. We have a bank of these 3D printers all operating simultaneously, each printer producing its own made-to-order pair of shoes or components. This process enables us to offer a much broader range of styles and sizes than is achievable with traditional manufacturing, and it will enable us to produce customized shoes. This session features Fusion 360.