3D Printed Shoes

Project developed by User:Sjhelmin

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Abstract

"A lack of adequate footwear is more than a simple inconvenience or lack of comfort. Millions are infected or dying each year due to the spread of diseases contracted through unprotected feet. It is estimated that two billion people worldwide are currently plagued with parasitic diseases that could be prevented by wearing proper footwear." [1] Walking barefoot hardens the skin on the bottom of your feet and cracks may form. These cracks allow parasitic infections such as hookworm and threadworm to penetrate the skin. [2] In addition to shoes protecting against harmful parasites, shoes also protect against burns, cuts and punctures. If untreated, these injuries may lead to serious infections. Many organizations exsist that donate shoes to people in need such as Toms [3], Soles4Souls [4], Samaritan's Feet [5] and many more.

Completed shoe.jpeg

Bill of Materials

  1. 1.7mm dia. PLA plastic or similar ($22.50 for 1 kg) [6]
  2. A shoe lace like material - I used 4mm dia. bungee cord ($5.73 for 75 feet) [7]

Source Files

  1. File:Shoe ver 2.stl
  2. File:Shoe ver 2.scad

NOTE: The files are designed around a US men's size 8 shoe. They can be changed to fit any size foot.

Tools needed for fabrication of the OSAT

  1. MOST Delta RepRap or similar RepRap 3-D printer
  2. Filament - I used PLA
  3. Drill

Skills and Knowledge Necessary to Make the OSAT

Technical Specifications and Assembly Instructions

  1. Place your bare foot on a piece of paper. Trace the outline of your foot on the paper.
  2. Take the trace of your foot and measure: (20 minutes total)
    Trace foot.jpeg
    1. The length of your foot
    2. The cross-section of your heel and the distance from the back of your heal to the where you measured the cross-section of the heel
      Measure trace.jpeg
    3. The cross-section of your arch and the distance from the the heel cross-section and arch cross-section
    4. The cross-section as your foot begins to widen and the distance from the arch cross-section to this new cross-section
    5. The cross-section of the balls of your foot (this should be the widest section of your foot, close to your toes) and the distance between the last cross-section and the cross-section of the balls of your feet
      Trace foot measure balls.jpeg
  3. In openSCAD change the dimensions regarding the cross-section measurements and distances between cross-sections to the measurements from your trace. (refer to the comments in the .scad file for help)
  4. Once the scad is complete, export to .stl
  5. Open the .stl file using Cura [9] or similar program for generating G-code
  6. Save the G-code and open with printer controller
  7. Begin the print. Printing of the shoe substrate will be approximately 3 hours per substrate at 20% fill (6 hours total)
    Printing shoe substrate.jpeg
  8. Once printed, 4 (5/32" Dia.) holes will need to drilled on each side of the strap supports and 4 (5/32" Dia.) in the ankle support (30 minutes total)
  9. Take the 4mm dia. bungee cord and tie a double knot on one side
    Knot shoe strap.jpeg
  10. Thread the rest of the holes with the bungee cord. Once complete, tie a knot and cut off the remaining bungee cord.
    Threading strap.jpeg
  11. Take the remaining bungee cord and tie a knot in one of the ends.
  12. Begin in one of the bottom holes of the ankle support and thread the hole, pulling until the knot hits the substrate.
    Knot ankle loops.jpeg
  13. Make a loop that will go around the ankle, return to the hole on the other side of the ankle support, thread and tie a knot
    Knot ankle support.jpeg
  14. Take the bungee cord and thread the hole that is directly above the current hole and create another loop ending with a knot on the 4th and final hole (20 minutes total to thread all holes)








The entire process from tracing the foot to assembly took approximately 7 hours; 6 hours for printing and an hour for assembly. The completed assembled shoe should look as follows:

Completed shoe on foot.jpeg














Common Problems and Solutions

  • Include common mistakes/problems to avoid in building your OSAT and how to overcome them

Cost savings

  • If your solution is not a low cost one then it is not really appropriate.
  1. Estimate your costs
  2. Find a commercial equivalent
  3. Calculate $ savings and % savings

References

  1. web page: Dying Without Shoes: An Epidemic We Can Eliminate. Available: http://samaritansfeet.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/SFDyingwithoutShoes.pdf
  2. web page: Soles4Souls: Why Shoes? Available: http://soles4souls.org/why-shoes
  3. web page: Toms One for One Available: http://www.toms.com/one-for-one-en
  4. web page: Soles4Souls Hompage Available: http://soles4souls.org/
  5. web page: Samaritan's Feet homepage Available: http://www.samaritansfeet.org/
  6. Filament Available: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JQK4RSG/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687642&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00F0TK8E4&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0MY89AQDE3JRXEQ524H2
  7. web page: Bungee cord Available: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Pepperell-Bungee-Cord-Super-Value-Pack-5-Colors-15/35461590
  8. web page: OpenSCAD. Available:http://www.openscad.org/
  9. web page: Cura homepage Available: http://wiki.ultimaker.com/Cura
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