HP Powers World’s First 3D Printed Mountain Climbing Shoes from ATHOS

IMTS

Share this Article

Last year, Barcelona-based apparel startup ATHOS announced that it had developed a design for customized mountain climbing footwear, 3D printed from TPU. ATHOS is now announcing that its vision has become a reality, thanks to 3D printing service bureau Sculpteo, as well as HP’s Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) technology.

For a variety of reasons, footwear is an especially promising sector for the consumer goods segment of the 3D printing market. Moreover, as astutely realized by the team at ATHOS — started by students at Barcelona’s ELISAVA School of Design and Engineering — 3D printing’s potential for customization makes the technology particularly optimal for footwear used by mountain climbers.

In a statement announcing the ATHOS’ release of the world’s first 3D printed climbing shoes, Alexandre d’Orsetti, Sculpteo’s CEO, commented, “Mass customization allows ergonomics that seemed inaccessible in climbing. With ATHOS, the custom-made slipper fits the foot perfectly, for the benefit of comfort when climbing.” Emili S. Taixés and Romina Milesi, the co-founders and managing partners of ATHOS, explained, “It was very important for us to implement additive manufacturing [AM] in an innovative way, which is why HP [MJF] 3D printing technology is the perfect choice for creating more customizable and sustainable products. The benefits of customization and on-demand production help us to deploy a more environmentally responsible consumer and manufacturing model.”

The main problem that the ATHOS shoe addresses is one specific to the market for climbing footwear. Typically, in order to get the necessary support, consumers need to purchase climbing shoes that are two to three sizes smaller than their usual shoe size. This leads to debilitating discomfort — in addition to being, presumably, rather confusing for newcomers to climbing.

By customizing each pair according to scanned images of the customer’s foot, that confusion is eliminated. And, even more crucially, since every pair is designed for each individual customer, the shoe adapts to the wearer with use, greatly enhancing foot comfort while climbing.

Of course, customization and on-demand purchasing circle back to the broader advantages of 3D printed footwear, in general. Currently, the business model of the footwear market involves overproducing by around 20 percent. In other words, on average, shoe manufacturers plan that at least one out five of the pairs they make will go unsold. It is estimated, then, that 3D printed footwear could ultimately reduce the footwear sector’s carbon emissions by almost half, simply by reducing the amount of wasted product being transported.

Beyond footwear, the involvement of HP adds to the relevance of ATHOS’ release, given that HP just released its S100 MJF metal printer to the commercial market. The concept that, due to the existence of the underlying technologies, as well as service bureaus that can handle the jobs, a startup could go from idea to market in barely a year, obviously encapsulates much of what is so compelling about the 3D printing sector. It will be interesting to watch for similar developments that might unfold in the metals market.

Images courtesy of ATHOS

Share this Article


Recent News

Liquid Metal 3D Printing Sector Emerges with Fluent Metal’s $5.5M Investment

3DPOD Episode 191: Amy Alexander, 3D Printing at the Mayo Clinic



Categories

3D Design

3D Printed Art

3D Printed Food

3D Printed Guns


You May Also Like

3DPOD Episode 190: Generative Design for 3D Printing with Novineer CEO Ali Tamijani

Ali Tamijani, a professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, has an extensive background in composites, tool pathing, and the development of functional 3D printed parts,...

Featured

3DPOD Episode 189: AMUG President Shannon VanDeren

Shannon VanDeren is a consultant in the 3D printing industry, focusing on implementation and integration for her company, Layered Manufacturing and Consulting. For nearly ten years, she has been involved...

3DPOD Episode 188: Clare Difazio of E3D – Growing the Industry, and Growing With the Industry

Clare DiFazio’s journey into the 3D printing industry was serendipitous, yet her involvement at critical moments has significantly influenced the sector. Her position as Head of Marketing & Product Strategy...

Featured

Printing Money Episode 15: 3D Printing Markets & Deals, with AM Research and AMPOWER

Printing Money returns with Episode 15! This month, NewCap Partners‘ Danny Piper is joined by Scott Dunham, Executive Vice President of Research at Additive Manufacturing (AM) Research, and Matthias Schmidt-Lehr,...