SBIR Phase II: Pellet based 3D print extrusion process for shoe manufacturing

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力在于开发一种具有成本效益的新型3D打印工艺来制造鞋类。目前，大多数鞋类都是大规模生产的，通常是在海外，使用固定的模具，不能满足个人的特定需求。3D打印鞋提供了提供个性化定制的承诺，不仅适合，风格和颜色，而且还满足个人生物力学和/或医疗需求。然而，存在许多技术挑战，使3D打印的鞋类具有足够的成本效益，它可以提供超出只是少数人选择。该项目开发了一种新颖且具有成本效益的3D打印工艺，使用现成的可回收热塑性塑料颗粒来制造鞋类的关键部件。这种新颖的3D打印工艺将能够制造出新的、创新的鞋类设计，这是任何其他制造工艺都无法制造的。此外，它将使大规模定制鞋类成为现实，为许多个人提供健康的定制鞋类。与目前在海外进行的传统制造工艺不同，这种新颖的制造技术非常适合在美国本地实施。因此，这个项目不仅有助于将鞋类制造业迁回美国，创造税收收入，还将在制造业创造全新的清洁、安全的工作岗位。该项目由一位女医生兼科学家领导，她在生物力学和制造业方面拥有独特的专业知识，开发了一种新颖且具有成本效益的3D打印技术，将专有的弹性体材料混合打印到新颖的鞋底设计中，该技术是在20多年的生物力学研究基础上开发的。该项目正在开发的主要创新是安装在3D打印机上的专用塑化螺杆挤出机，该挤出机专门设计用于制造鞋类，该挤出机独特且可靠地从最具成本效益的原始形式：颗粒中挤出最适合鞋类的可回收热弹性体材料。该项目还基于首席研究员的生物力学研究，开发了一种新颖的健康和可定制的鞋底设计，这种设计只能通过这种制造技术创新来实现。最后，该项目开发了一种基于生物力学研究的算法，用于根据个人特定的生物力学特征和/或特定的医疗需求定制使用该技术制作的鞋类。该项目将允许一种新颖的，具有成本效益的制造工艺，其中一组3D打印机同时运行，每个打印机生产自己的定制鞋和/或鞋部件，不仅适合个人的特定生物力学特征和/或医疗需求。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project lies in the development of a novel cost-effective 3D printing process to manufacture footwear. Currently most footwear is mass manufactured, typically overseas, using fixed molds that do not meet the specific needs of an individual. 3D printing of footwear offers the promise of providing individual customization tailored not just to fit, style, and colors, but also to individual biomechanics and/or medical needs. However, a number of technical challenges exist to make 3D printing of footwear sufficiently cost-effective that it can be provided beyond just a select few individuals. This project develops a novel and cost-effective 3D printing process to manufacture the critical components of footwear, using readily available and recyclable thermoplastic pellets. This novel 3D printing process will enable the manufacture of new, innovative footwear designs that cannot be made with any other manufacturing process. Additionally, it will make mass customization of footwear a reality, providing access to healthy customizable footwear for many individuals. Unlike traditional manufacturing processes currently being done overseas, this novel manufacturing technology is very amenable to implementing in the United States on a local level. Thus, this project will not only help move footwear manufacturing back to the United States, generating income for tax revenue, it will create entirely new clean, safe jobs in manufacturing.This project, led by a woman physician-scientist with a unique combination of expertise in both biomechanics and manufacturing, develops a novel and cost-effective 3D printing technology to print a proprietary mix of elastomeric material into a novel sole design that was developed on the basis of over twenty years of biomechanics research. The primary innovation that is being developed in this project is a specialized plasticizing screw-based extruder mounted on a 3D printer, specifically designed to make footwear, that uniquely and reliably extrudes a recyclable, thermo-elastomeric material that is most suitable for footwear, from its most cost-effective raw form: pellets. This project also develops a novel healthy and customizable sole design, based on the principal investigator's biomechanical research, which can only be made with this manufacturing technology innovation. Finally, this project develops a biomechanically research-based algorithm for customizing footwear made with this technology based on an individual's specific biomechanical profile and/or specific medical need. This project will allow for a novel, cost-effective manufacturing process where a bank of 3D printers operate simultaneously, each producing their own made-to-order pair of footwear and/or footwear components customized not only to fit but to an individual's specific biomechanical profile and/or medical need.