This week’s selection is the surprisingly practical Sneakers I by Recreus3D.
I say practical because this item can actually be 3D printed and worn. You can make wearable shoes with this 3D model!
However, you’ll have to use a flexible filament to make the shoes able to fit snugly around your foot. And that’s where Recreus3D comes in: this is a company that’s been designing unique 3D printer filaments for the public since 2013. One of their filaments is FILAFLEX, a flexible substance made from TPU.
The Sneakers I 3D model is one of several the company has produced to demonstrate the versatility of their filament, but in fact this 3D model could be produced in other flexible filaments as well.
It’s printed in a single piece and includes holes for laces that are added later. One piece of printing advice for this model: be sure to size it correctly to fit the subject’s feet before printing.
You’ll need to carefully measure the foot’s length, height and width to ensure a proper fit. These measurements will indicate how you should resize the shoe model. Remember that it’s possible to resize a 3D model on three axes: you can lengthen the shoe at the same time as shortening the width, for example.
Regardless of how precise you measure, I suspect you’ll end up redoing the process a few times to get it right. And note that feet are very often slightly different sizes, so both must be measured for accurate fit.
Once printed, I strongly advise putting metal aglets in the lace holes. These will certainly prevent strong lace pulls from ripping through the shoe material.
I’m interested to see if any readers are able to 3D print these to fit your feet. Let us know!
