NinjaTek Helps Shoe Designer Reach the Cutting Edge

A budding computational and parametric designer has harnessed the unique attributes of new NinjaTek Edge 3D printing filament to create a one-piece sandal that he believes can help transform not just shoe-making but the entire fashion industry.

Nader Alkhabbaz, who recently graduated from Princeton University, used the unique characteristics of NinjaFlex® Edge to fashion his seamless Pegasus sandal with a winged, asymmetric design that takes comfort to a new level. Alkhabbaz operates an independent footwear design studio called Nos Ailes (French for “our wings”).

Alkhabbaz used a footwear scan program to capture the exact dimensions of his own feet, then imported the information into intuitive modeling program Gravity Sketch. He used the program to sculpt the basic form of a sandal, then transferred his concept over to the Rhinoceros/Grasshopper 3D environment, where he performed hundreds of texturing experiments to optimize
the design.

“By working with sliders I could parametrically configure the thickness of the texture and its patterning all within seconds. If changes need to be made to the overall shape or form of the sandal, all it took was a brief refinement in the VR space,” Alkhabbaz said. “Using this parametric logic I was able to work seamlessly between VR sculpting and computational design modeling to develop a range of design options that otherwise, by manual means, would have taken weeks or many months to create.”

With his final model in hand, Alkhabbaz explored alternative 3D printing filaments, looking for just the right combination of flexibility and wearability. He tested a variety of choices and settled on Edge, the newest member of the NinjaTek family, an 83A-durometer filament combining NinjaFlex flexibility and NinjaTek’s innovative printability. The sandals were produced on Artillery Sidewinder printers at DiveDesign, a 3D printing industrial design firm located in Boonton, NJ.

While he had some initial concerns about the printability of flexible TPUs, the final results won him over.

“I was really amazed to see how smooth and bouncy the filament came out to be,” Alkhabbaz said. “The feeling of stepping in the sandal honestly felt unlike anything I had ever worn before; there is a unique squishiness to the sole and just enough bounce retention to where it can be worn for long periods of time without feeling any pressure or stress on the foot.”

“When Nader came to us with the idea I was intrigued,” said Adam Hecht, Co-Founder, Designer, & Director of Additive Manufacturing at DiveDesign. He explained that he had seen designs for 3D printed shoes in the past, but none had actually attempted to produce the design, for a variety of reasons. “But, with our experience in manufacturing custom animal prosthetics using Ninjatek materials, I was confident that we’d be able to help Nader find the right balance of detail, speed, and functionality even on a low-cost machine, by taking advantage of NinjaTek’s new material, Edge.”

Three-dimensional printing technology changes how shoes will be made in the future, Alkhabbaz said. “The ‘Gravity Sketch – Grasshopper – 3D Printing’ workflow will be, I believe, a heavily sought out workflow option for rapid prototyping needed in today’s current footwear and fashion industries.” As a result, Alkhabbaz believes 3D printing is a game-changer not just for the shoe-making process, but for the fashion industry as well.

“A great benefit of the integrated design-to-production workflow is that now when further refinements or changes are needed, prototypes could be made within the very same day,” Alkhabbaz said. “This creates an iterative and circular feedback loop between the product and designer that completely elevates end production quality.”

The process is a glimpse into the future of the shoe-making industry, Alkhabbaz said, pushing the footwear industry to a new level.

“Every step of the way there was just an excitement that I could have a design in my mind the previous day and that I could literally see it being made right in front of my eyes the very next,” he said. “In the near future, people, will be able to scan their foot and get to see a design automatically get customized to that foot. Then watch in real-time the production of their own personal sandals!”

Alkhabbaz gave the team at DiveDesign a lot of credit for backing his efforts, adding, “I’d like to acknowledge the tremendous help and support on this project from the amazing team at DiveDesign!”