In recent years, 3D printing technology has gradually penetrated into the field of shoe making, from Kanban shoe mold, to sand turning shoe mold, to production mold, even the customized sole of finished products, it seems that 3D printing technology can be seen everywhere. Although 3D printing shoes are not popular in shoe stores, due to the design potential and customization possibility of 3D printing shoes, Adidas, Nike, peak and other shoe makers at home and abroad have been frequently engaged in this new technology field in recent years. So what innovation does 3D printing bring to shoe making industry

1. Accelerate design verification and shorten R & D cycle. In the early stage of shoe product design, the shoe mold samples usually use lathe, drill bit, stamping machine, mold making machine and other traditional tools, which is very time-consuming in the production process, and increases the time of preparing for the design and verification of shoe mold. In contrast, 3D printing can automatically and directly and accurately transform the computer shoe sample design into a model, which not only overcomes the limitations of traditional technology, but also can better restore the design concept, and cooperate with product testing and optimization of practical use.

2. It is not limited by structure, and it is efficient and flexible. Based on the advantages of digital fast production, 3D printing technology is not limited by structure, so designers can release inspiration without restriction. In addition, 3D printing flexibility provides designers with the convenience of modifying design scheme, and can reduce the early cost of die re production. For example: the Kanban shoe mold made by the FDM 3D printer in Aurora Erwo has high precision, especially fine mesh structure of upper, and the forming speed is fast, and the printing time is less than 2 days.

3. 3D printing shoes are expected to achieve civilian customization. Usually, due to the cost of process, raw materials, R & D, the price of customized shoes is much higher than that of ordinary shoes. 3D printing can reduce the cost of mould, shorten the R & D cycle and improve the utilization of materials. In the future, it is expected to meet the needs of consumers in the process of production, and minimize the production cost of enterprises.

3D printing is based on 3D data information modeling of customer's feet, and then the finished products such as insoles, sole and shoes which are fully in line with the customer's foot are made by using 3D printer. It speeds up the optimization iteration of product line, and brings practicality to the personalized customization platform of the shoe industry. With the development of the integration of 3D printing technology and shoe making industry, 3D printing shoes are expected to realize the customization of civilian personality, and make everyone have consumer grade 3D printing shoes.