3D Printing: Printing insoles (2 Solutions!)
Channel: Roel Van de Paar
Date: 2019-06-26

3D Printing: Printing insoles


The Question: I would like to make custom insoles for my wife.
This company makes a flexible filament that will be soft to stand on: 
recreus.com/en/
I do not currently own a printer.
How can I measure her feet and transfer the measurements to the printer? (one
of these comes to mind: www.eggheadtoys.com/pin-art/)
How can I measure the inside of the shoe?
What kind of printer can print with the flexible filament?

Solutions: Please watch the whole video to see all solutions, in order of how many people found them helpful

== This solution helped 1 person ==
In short, my opinion is that 3D printing is not the most ideal or cost
effective means to accomplish your objective. I'm sure with just as much
research, you can find an existing consumer product.
However, to answer your question, you have a few options that come to mind:
 * Simply make a mould using supplies from your local craft store. Once a
 mould is made, look into a castable material that will be comfortable,
 though this may be difficult.
 * If you're dedicated towards 3D printing the insole. Try getting hold of a
 local service that can use a 3D Laser Scanner to get a mesh model. The
 same service might even be able to create solid model of the desired
 insole if you have dimensions of the shoe you wish to use. Next, you'll
 need to contact another service to 3D print the insole (most likely in
 nylon or similar) or, if you have a 3D printer, print the insole
 yourself. If you are considering printing yourself, and have not before
 used a material like nylon, please review the material specifications.
 Some suppliers recommend the use of a heated build plate with these type
 of materials to ensure the material properties are retained during
 heating/cooling.
I'm suggesting Laser Scanning as it will be the most economical and flexible
means of reverse engineering the dimensions you're requesting. Other options,
such as a Coordinate Measuring Machine or X-Ray may would be quite
uncomfortable and impractical.
Ultimately, I would look into something like www.drscholls.com/
productsandbrands/customfitorthotics/
?pse=google&matchtype=b&Keyword=%2Bdr%20%2Bscholl%27s%20%2Bmachine&network=g&placement&campaignid=194231145&adgroupid=9255309945#tablink_2
instead. I'm not endorsing any product or company, but something like this may
be the best solution for you.

With thanks & praise to God, and with thanks to the many people who have made this project possible! | Content (except music & images) licensed under cc by-sa 3.0 | Music: www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music | Images: stocksnap.io/license & others | With thanks to user tjb1 (askubuntu.com/users/233), user tbm0115 (askubuntu.com/users/98), user Michael Potter (askubuntu.com/users/1048), and the Stack Exchange Network (3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/783). Trademarks are property of their respective owners. Disclaimer: All information is provided "AS IS" without warranty of any kind. You are responsible for your own actions. Please contact me if anything is amiss at Roel D.OT VandePaar A.T gmail.com.