Tag: customization

With 3D printing, design your own personalized eyewear and made-to-fit running gear, and benefit from a host of customized prosthetics, implants, and other therapeutic devices 3D printing is expected to revolutionize healthcare fields, not unlike the way that the printing press transformed publishing. What makes the technology so significant in the medical arena is the ability to mass customize, to create personalized items that fit each individual’s body shape without tooling— such that every 3D-printed part is unique. The technology is particularly powerful because 3D printing does not require a mold, so nonstandard parts can be produced without increasing the costs of production. A growing number of pioneering companies are exploring the benefits of made-to-fit products, using 3D printing to develop cutting-edge solutions to a wide range of health problems. 1. No More Aching Feet—Customized Shoes, Orthotics Nike was recently granted a key patent for technology for 3D printing, and New Balance, Adidas and Under Armour are also planning to start using 3D printing technologies to produce midsoles this year. The advantages of the new, 3D-printed midsole are, according...