‘Modular’ 3D printed shoes on show at the V&A
A shoe created by avante-garde footwear designer Marloes ten Bhöer called the ‘Rapidprototypedshoe’ is on display as part of an exhibition entitled Power of Making, which runs 6 September 2011 to 2 January 2012 at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), London. Produced using Objet multi-material 3D printing, the Rapidprototypedshoe is designed and manufactured in a modular way so that it can be dismantled and reassembled for the purpose of replacing parts.
“My work is very much about liberating design – I use new materials and methods because this helps to break away from conventional approaches,” said Marloes ten Bhöer. “The rapid prototyping process stimulated the idea for this shoe, as the name suggests. I explored the technology and saw that rapid prototyping – adding material in layers – rather than traditional shoe manufacturing methods – could help me create something entirely new within just a few hours.
“Objet Connex printers make it possible to print an entire shoe – albeit a concept shoe – including a hard heel and a flexible upper in one build, which just isn’t possible with other 3D printing technologies,” said Mr ten Bhöer. “The shoe is printed as a single entity so the parts come off the printer already assembled, and you can still take the shoe apart later on. It is inspiring and opens up the possibility of interchangeable heels and creating customized designs. Also, the possibility of repairs allows for a more realistic product and changes the idea of rapid prototyping into rapid manufacturing.”
Objet 3D printing can combine rubber-like materials and rigid materials in a single prototype. Gilad Gans, executive VP of Objet said: “The highly detailed models produced by Objet provide the benefits of physically reviewing and testing designs that just can’t be matched by 2D drawings. As an affordable alternative to factory-produced samples, the process encourages users to review more design alternatives, increasing the potential to produce a more creative or better designed concept.”
Power of Making is a free V&A and Crafts Council exhibition. Curator Daniel Charny’s aim was to encourage visitors to consider the process of making, not just the final results.
