As both a pioneer in additive manufacturing and a transformative leader in mass customization, Shapeways collaborates with an incredibly diverse range of customers who are heavily involved in the design process, as well as choosing materials, technology, colors, textures, finishes, and options for shipping and packaging.

Mass Production vs. Mass Customization

In stark distinction from mass production, the ability to mass customize entails meeting the detailed needs of Shapeways customers as product development intersects with manufacturing of the future. Whether a business may need low-batch production or manufacturing on the mass scale, Shapeways delivers with choices for over ten different technologies and 90 different materials.

For example, industrial customers engaged in production of hundreds or thousands of parts may rely on Shapeways 3D printing services for Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) with durable materials like Nylon 12 [Versatile Plastic] or Nylon 11 [PA11 (SLS)], while for other applications they may look toward Mimaki 3D printers with High Definition Full Color for vibrant models made to suit for applications like medicine or architecture, as well as incredibly popular tabletop gaming miniatures.

The previous ‘way of doing things’ meant that mass production was completely controlled by the manufacturer, offering products with a set limit in terms of choices—and often none at all. From CNC machining to injection molding, traditional manufacturing ruled for decades, with highly customized or tailored products relegated to expensive, handmade items from the artisan realm. Consumers were confined to making choices based on what each business decided to sell in bulk and present to them. If the masses were not interested in particular items, then they had to be discontinued so the bottom line was not substantially affected with identical products rolling off assembly lines in bustling factories.

These days however, competition is fierce in the marketplace, and there has been a notable shift. Consumers are making their demands known for personalized products, realizing that one size does not have to fit all. For many, mass consumption has lost its appeal and minimalism has become the trend—whether in their home wardrobes or at warehouses where companies are tired of paying to keep large stocks of inventory that may just be collecting dust.

3D printing offers the perfect balance for saving on resources, adding new levels in sustainability for manufacturing, while serving a multitude of extremely useful applications that many of us are just learning more about, from futuristic drone technology to bespoke face masks. As consumers are busy making their exact preferences known, businesses are learning more about their target audiences and exactly where they are willing to invest their money.

Increased Customer Satisfaction with 3D Printing

With the ability to innovate at will and upload as many as 20 3D models at any time to Shapeways for 3D printing, the possibilities are truly infinite. Along with that comes the opportunity to collaborate in mass customization whether in producing devices for popular consumer goods or medical models that offer surgeons the ability to vastly improve or even save lives. In taking advantage of on-demand 3D printing, businesses can enjoy a streamlined system for customized products and orders that are sent directly to Shapeways for expedient 3D printing as needed.

Not only that, with on-demand production, 3D printed orders can be shipped out directly from Shapeways in customized packaging kept on site for fulfillment.

Every project is different at Shapeways, and every 3D print is unique. As many or as few customizations can be chosen on any scale, leading to low-volume or even mass production runs, quickly and efficiently. The LuminoGO is a great example. The Austrian-headquartered company Lumino was motivated to update the typical mask design, making it less disposable, as well as more comfortable and sustainable as a product overall. Available in 17 different configurations, Shapeways 3D prints the LuminoGO in multiple colors, with Lumino reporting amazing quality. The custom mask is ventilating and sterilizing and also includes a microphone, speakers, and even Bluetooth for ease in taking calls.

Producing the ultimate in bespoke masks, LuxMea Studio, headquartered in Toronto, also turned to Shapeways for 3D printing when mass customization of their product—the NuoMask—was required. Fitted to the consumer via artificial intelligence (AI), these incredibly progressive masks not only protect the health of the wearer, but offer sophisticated style in design, and better fit for individuals wearing glasses.

Explore other examples of mass customization case studies from Shapeways here.

About Shapeways

Contact Shapeways now to enjoy the benefits of advanced technology and materials for 3D printing creations for the classroom with accuracy, complex detail, and no limits in terms of mass customization or single part orders. Shapeways has worked with over 1 million customers in 160 countries to make over 21 million parts!Read about case studies, find out more about Shapeways solutions, and get instant quotes here.

The post One Size Does Not Fit All: 3D Printing and Mass Customization appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Consumers in today’s market expect more and more for their products and experiences to be tailored to them, and to have more control over what they pay for. The challenge in meeting that demand for mass customization is having to switch from producing hundreds to millions of the same item to efficiently producing small batches of personalized items within a similarly short time frame without costs going up astronomically. Additive manufacturing helps maximize efficiency in making large-scale personalization more accessible.

Customer-Led Designs

Companies that use 3D printing for customization set up design interfaces to allow customers to make their own design choices in regards to color, texture, material or fit. For example, some automotive companies have given their customers the ability to choose their vehicle’s colors or include personalized lettering on the interiors. Any product can potentially be customized according to what suits the buyer: cars, furniture, fixtures, jewelry and more.

3D Scanning for a Perfect Fit

With 3D scanning software becoming more prominent and user-friendly, it is easier than ever for customers to contribute to the design process themselves. The footwear industry is making use of 3D printing technology, allowing customers to make aesthetic choices for their shoes and also to personalize their insoles based on their specific foot shape, weight or running style. Customization is also becoming a standard in the tabletop gaming industry, with more and more companies offering customizable game pieces.

A smart-phone app can take a scan of a person’s face or other body part and generate a 3D file that can be used to create a product that fits them perfectly. LuxMea has used this technology to produce face masks that are not only aesthetically customizable but also provide a perfect fit for the individual wearer, making them safer and more comfortable.

3D scans can be used to personalize earphones, shoe insoles, eyewear and many more products thanks to 3D printing technology. This ability to creatively participate in the design process boosts customer satisfaction, as the ability to have more say in what they spend money on makes the process more fun and efficient for the users.

Customization to Improve Lives

Advances in 3D scanning technology contribute heavily to the medical industry, an area where personalization can be crucial. With the ability to scan specific parts of the body, more accurate and patient-specific improvements can be made to someone’s health and wellbeing. 3D printing allows for more affordable and personalized prosthetics, implants and other aids ensuring a higher level of comfort and support. This is an area where perfect fit as well as timely delivery can be of the utmost importance to the success of medical devices and equipment. 3D printing is able to surpass the limits of traditional processes because of its ability to produce highly complex parts quicker. Customization also improves the instruments and supplies that physicians use, making them more efficient and comfortable and improving surgical outcomes.

Understanding Preferences and Trends

By allowing customers to make more of their own choices, the process provides key insights into trends and consumer preferences. Customers’ tastes can be used to help companies evolve their products and make product developments to fit the needs of their customers.

On-Demand Manufacturing

Another benefit of using 3D printing for customized products is a shift towards more on-demand production. By placing more emphasis on smaller personalized products instead of mass-produced products before orders are received, inventories can be reduced and a substantial amount of waste can be avoided. This can save money in material costs and create a more sustainable manufacturing process.

The 3D printing industry is growing at a very fast rate, and is making it easier to transition to using 3D printing over traditional mass production methods as time goes on. However, the transition can still be expensive and time consuming. 3D printing services like Shapeways can ease that transition by giving you access to high quality manufacturing as well as tailored e-commerce support. Let us know how we can help with your mass-customization needs.

The post Why 3D Printing Is Key For Mass Customizable Products appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

As the concept of “one size fits all” falls short, especially when it comes to comfort and safety, the ability to customize on a mass scale efficiently and affordably is of the utmost importance. See how LuxMea and Shapeways’ partnership facilitates mass customization with the Nuo face masks:

How did your idea for the Nuo Mask start?

We have been working on Personalized Profile + Customized Products (PPCP) over the last two years to create a bespoke experience for everyone. Our first project was with doctors from Mass General Hospital. We have also been working on a bespoke glasses project and when we found out we couldn’t get a mask that fit, we naturally thought 3D printing and mass personalization was the answer.

How are the Nuo Masks made?

The masks use an interchangeable filter that filters 99.9% micropollutant particles and an ergonomically designed dual valve system. The fit is determined by an online smart guide that takes individual measurements of the face. A bespoke design is then generated based on those measurements. A customizable label on the mask is also offered. The design is then sent to Shapeways where it is printed and shipped out to customers.

What was involved in the initial prototyping stages?

Prototyping involved a functional test, fit test, structural optimization, and user data measurement test. Then we used 3D printing to quickly test our ideas.

Why 3D printing? What other manufacturing methods have you considered?

We have not considered other manufacturing methods. The geometry we are working with, for example, is not suited for CNC or injection molding techniques. We believe that 3D printing enables new possibilities for mass customization and personalization. It makes perfect sense to us to 3D print personalized products. There is the clear benefit of fast prototyping. With 3D printing, we have printed tens of revisions within a period of three weeks.

Aside from comfort and reusability, how does your 3D printed mask compare to a disposable one?

The 3-ply disposable (or surgical) masks are made from a soft material so there is no way to seal the nose, face and chin properly which makes for serious leakage problems. By creating a custom nose, face and chin profile, our mask has a much better fit and seal. N95 masks require professional training to wear them properly. Because they are “one size fits all”, a fair amount of pressure is required which often leaves a mark on the face. The Nuo 3D mask has passed the N95 fit test by one of our hospital clients at their facility.

How do you make personal customization possible virtually?

We have plans to release an online AI for users to get instant feedback. We are considering Autodesk Forge cloud. Autodesk has been very supportive in our past endeavors.

What materials are you using to print the masks and why?

We are considering versatile nylon, for two reasons. The first reason is that the material is very reliable. Second reason is the cost. We want to make sure it is affordable for everyone.

What are your expectations with the kickstarter campaign?

Kickstarter is the platform to validate our idea. Mass customization is a challenging task, and we believe kickstarter is the right community to bring our vision alive.

What role does Shapeways play in bringing your product to life?

We have been working with Shapeways since early 2016 and Shapeways has always been our trusted and go-to partner for commercial 3D printing production. We had a meeting last year and discussed the possibility for mass customization. The Shapeways API allows certain software platforms to export files directly to Shapeways, without the need of manually uploading each file. Without Shapeways’s API, we would have to limit the quantity and increase the cost to account for manually uploading and checking for each file.

Do you have a project that could benefit from a partnership with Shapeways? Tell us how Shapeways could help you with your manufacturing needs!

The post LuxMea’s Customizable 3D Printed Face Masks Are Designed For Individual Fit appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

The Kespry Aerial Intelligence Platform, which allows users to design and launch autonomous aerial surveying missions

When you’re pioneering a new technology, affordable iteration and scalability are key. Kespry needed a partner and a process that would help them do something that’s still extraordinary: develop parts using 3D printing, and then integrate those parts into end-use manufacturing. Reliability, repeatability, and proactive support would underpin the success of the collaboration. “We were a very small company trying to scale up our product and get it out to market as quickly as possible. We were looking for a supplier who had reasonable scale and the right combination of lead time and cost,” remembers Jordan Croom, Kespry’s lead mechanical engineer.

Croom came to Kespry, appropriately, from the aerospace industry, where he did additive manufacturing research and development with both metals and plastics. This background prepared him to apply 3D printing in a relatively novel way. “I had a good understanding of what was possible. We were in a unique place to be able to incorporate additive manufacturing into full-scale production, which I think is somewhat rare, even though it’s becoming more common these days. So that was new for me — to be making multiple hundreds of something per order and incorporate them into our production line.”

“We were a very small company trying to scale up our product and get it out to market as quickly as possible. We were looking for a supplier who had reasonable scale and the right combination of lead time and cost.”

Shapeways offered the kind of scalability and reliability that Kespry needed. “When we started with Shapeways, it was before we even had our first customer, and now we have hundreds of drones going out every quarter. And it’s been a smooth transition to get to that point. That’s definitely not true of all of our vendors. Shapeways is one of the few that’s held out throughout that scaling process.”

A look at Kespry’s 3D mapping software, part of their Aerial Intelligence Platform

Affordability and speed play equally important roles in the 3D printing-for-manufacturing calculus. “Leveraging 3D printing and Shapeways allowed us to get things out there faster without paying an exorbitant premium to do it. And it also allows us to make modifications and improvements to our product without interrupting shipping them out to customers. So we can make a change and incorporate it in production in a few weeks, whereas if we were doing injection molding, it would take maybe a couple of months to make that sort of change. Especially now at production scale, Shapeways can handle the quantities that we’re dealing with really well, without long lead times.”

“We do look for that teamwork and responsiveness in a partner, and Shapeways has shown that to us. I would definitely recommend Shapeways to other companies.”

This became particularly important when it came to the aesthetic covers that enclose the drone’s delicate inner workings. “I know for sure that if we’d tried to make an injection mold for that, it would have been exorbitantly expensive for us. We’ve been able to modify it relatively frequently without much cost impact at all because we’re not investing in fixed tooling,” making it possible for Kespry to bring the best possible product to market, faster. “Getting the right partner is definitely important to us. Somebody with repeatable quality, where we know we can prove a design once. We don’t have to worry about it changing or breaking in future orders.”

“Leveraging 3D printing and Shapeways allowed us to get things out there faster without paying an exorbitant premium to do it. And it also allows us to make modifications and improvements to our product without interrupting shipping them out to customers. Especially now at production scale, Shapeways can handle the quantities that we’re dealing with really well, without long lead times.”

Along the way, of course, there have been a few hiccups, but, “If we do have an issue, Neil, our account manager is very responsive, very proactive and patient. I’ll get an email, photos, a description, etc. asking us if it’s ok to ship, if they should reprint them. We do look for that teamwork and responsiveness in a partner, and Shapeways has shown that to us. I would definitely recommend Shapeways to other companies,” said Veronica Espiritu, Kespry’s production buyer.

In the end, the Kespry drone wouldn’t exist without Shapeways’ prototyping and manufacturing support. As Jordan put it, “We’ve been ordering Shapeways parts basically since the beginning. It’s been helpful to work with Shapeways because you’ve been able to scale with us, going from just a few parts a week to hundreds per month. Shapeways has been able to absorb the increase in demand. I think it’s reflective of both Shapeways and the state of the industry and technology that we’re able to do that in a reliable and repeatable way — without having any negative effect on usability and reliability as a product.”

start growing your drone business with shapeways

The post How Kespry’s Drones Are Mapping New Territories in Manufacturing appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

The super simple app guides you through a photo based ear and face scanning process to configure the headphones to exactly meet your ear shape.  This is possibly the first 3D printing apps designed to make functional products, not a figurine or toy, a major step towards the ubiquity of 3D printing to power customized products.

There are already over 10 million 3D printed hearing aids in the world, now with apps such as Normal, we can expect to see more customized consumer products hit the market.

Speaking of Quirky, check out the video below and download the app to customize your earphones now.

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