Advanced application of additive manufacturing in the footwear industry: from customized insoles to fully 3D-printed shoes

Document Type

Syllabus

Publication Date

1-1-2024

Abstract

Although in its early stages of development three-dimensional (3D) printing, also known as additive manufacturing (AM), has had a dramatic impact on various aspects of manufacturing and engineering; likewise, the footwear industry is going to be revolutionized by this new technology. Reducing production costs, cutting down waste material or zero-waste production, higher time and labor efficiency, the possibility of producing customized shoes in small batches, more flexibility in design, and applying more sophisticated materials in different colors are some of the benefits offered by 3D printing. Nevertheless, the full potential of 3D printing in the footwear industry has not been yet fully discovered. Besides the new trend towards the production of fully 3D-printed shoes, these techniques have been applied to the fabrication of shoe parts and shoe lasts. In the current chapter, after introducing the most common AM techniques, different required steps for the production of a 3D-printed shoe are mentioned. Then, recent research considering the fabrication of the customized shoe sole is reviewed. Since many researchers studied the medical application of the 3D-printed insole, a separate part was allocated to the therapeutic insoles. This part was also subdivided into insoles for diabetic patients and orthopedic insoles. Finally, the future of AM techniques in the footwear manufacturing process and its requirements and challenges are discussed.

Identifier

85193420022 (Scopus)

ISBN

[9780323953832, 9780323953849]

Publication Title

Medical Additive Manufacturing: Concepts and Fundamentals

External Full Text Location

https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-95383-2.00015-9

First Page

153

Last Page

178

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