Materialise, through a partnership with RSPrint, has entered into an agreement with HP to develop an end-to-end 3D solution to design and produce fully customised 3D printed insoles. FitStation, enabled by HP, will integrate Materialise software for 3D design automation, print preparation and production management. This alliance allows footwear brands to express their unique brand proposition by enabling them to produce truly individualised products on-demand.
Customised footwear
FitStation powered by HP is a platform that delivers customised and individualised shoes through innovative 3D scanning, dynamic gait analysis and manufacturing technologies. It offers individual, standard shoe and insole recommendations, 3D printed insoles and individually customised footwear. The Materialise software suite is now integrated into FitStation, allowing brands to design innovative and customised insoles. The Materialise software suite manages and automates the print preparation and production process of insoles, allowing manufacturers to scale up their 3D printing operations efficiently and reliably.
"3D Printing offers the promise of revolutionising the footwear industry by offering a level of customisation never before achieved," said Fried Vancraen, CEO of Materialise.
This makes it possible and cost-effective to mass manufacture fully individualised products. As a complementary manufacturing technology, 3D Printing enables fundamental design optimisations and functional improvements, such as lighter designs, that are impossible to make with standard manufacturing technologies.
3D Printing also enables companies to move to an end-to-end digital manufacturing process, enabling decentralised, on-demand production. As a result, retailers can sell products they do not need to keep in stock. Besides minimising inventory-related costs and risks, retailers can also anticipate reduced product returns by offering customers an accurate fit and individualised design.
Dynamic foot scans
Materialise, with more than 27 years of experience in 3D printing, helps footwear brands unlock the full potential of the technology by providing support and automation during every step of the Additive Manufacturing process, from design to printed part. Materialise is a pioneer in making personalised 3D-printed insoles. With the introduction of Phits in 2014, Materialise, together with gait analysis experts RS Scan, became the first company in the world to make 3D printed insoles based on dynamic foot scans for measurements.
Materialise is also driving transformations in other industries. When the hearing aid industry discovered the transformative power of 3D Printing, the change was rapid and irreversible. Within 500 days, more than 90% of hearing aids in the US made the switch from traditional manufacturing to 3D printing. Materialise is now using this blueprint to transform the eyewear industry as well.
Source: Materialise
