Materialise, through a partnership with RSPrint, has entered into an agreement with HP to scale an end-to-end 3D solution to design and manufacture custom 3D printed footwear, specifically insoles.

FitStation powered by HP will integrate Materialise software for 3D design automation, print preparation and production management. This alliance offers footwear brands the opportunity to express their unique brand proposition by allowing them to produce individualized products on-demand.

FitStation powered by HP is a platform that delivers custom-fitted and individualized footwear through innovative 3D scanning, dynamic gait analysis and manufacturing technologies. It provides individual off-the-shelf shoe and insole recommendations, 3D-printed insoles and individualized custom footwear. The Materialise software suite will be integrated into FitStation, enabling brands to design innovative and custom insoles. The Materialise software suite manages and automates the print preparation and production process of the insoles, allowing manufacturers to scale their 3D printing business with efficiency and reliability.

“3D Printing holds the promise of revolutionizing the footwear industry by offering a level of customization never seen before”, says Fried Vancraen, Materialise CEO. This makes it possible and cost-effective to mass manufacture entirely individualized products. As a complementary manufacturing technology 3D Printing allows for fundamental design optimizations and functional improvements, such as lighter designs, that are impossible to create with standard manufacturing technologies.

3D Printing also empowers companies to transition towards an end-to-end digital manufacturing process, allowing for decentralized, on-demand manufacturing. As a result, retailers can sell products without keeping an inventory. In addition to minimizing stock-related costs and risks, retailers can also anticipate fewer product returns by providing customers with a precise fit and individualized design.

Materialise is a pioneer in creating personalized 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 create 3D-printed insoles based on dynamic measurement footscans.

Materialise
www.materialise.com