The United States’ National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded OESH Shoes of Charlottesville, VA a Small Business Innovative Research Phase II Grant to finalize the development of a patent pending pellet-based 3D printing process for footwear.
OESH Shoes, a subsidiary of JKM Technologies LLC, founded by Casey Kerrigan, woman-physician-scientist-engineer, has been making and selling shoes for women since 2011. Based upon Dr. Kerrigan’s research on biomechanics and gait performed at the University of Virginia where she was professor and chair in the School of Medicine and originally at Harvard Medical School, where she received her M.D., OESH Shoes are made from a complex blend of engineered elastomer materials that are designed to work in sync with the body to minimize loads on joints, ligaments, muscles and tendons while maximizing performance.
OESH developed the 3D printing process as a means to not only prototype new designs but to actually use the process for production manufacturing. The NSF-funded technology overcomes a host of developmental challenges faced by other shoe manufacturers but will enable OESH’s 3D printing of footwear for large-scale production manufacturing. Already, OESH’s Athena, Artemis, Apollo, and Ares Sandals are being manufactured using this 3D printing process and meeting robust consumer acceptance. By pushing the limits of 3D printing technology for both prototyping and production manufacturing, OESH has also been able to minimize the need for the toxic adhesives and noxious material used in traditional shoe manufacturing while maximizing the performance of the engineered elastomer OESH Sole.
OESH footwear is currently being sold online at OESHshoes.com.
Photo courtesy OESH Footwear
