In the footwear industry, 3D printing is making it possible to manufacture customized, sustainable and on-demand products. In this context, the combination of artificial intelligence and additive manufacturing is democratizing access to footwear design, allowing independent creators and emerging brands to realize their ideas without relying on large manufacturers. To learn more about how this combination of technology is changing the paradigm of modern footwear, we spoke with the team at startup Syntilay.
Based in Florida, this company offers a platform where designers can create, produce and launch unique shoes in as little as three months. Its founder explains below how this model works, what opportunities it opens up for digital creatives and what the role of 3D printing is in the future of footwear.
3DN: Could you introduce yourself and tell about your relationship with 3D printing?
I’m Ben Weiss, CEO of Syntilay, an innovative brand that aims to give the opportunity to make shoes to creators, brands and other talents that have never been able to do so before. We have been interested in 3D printing for a while and realized it would be the best way for creators to get their own shoes.
This technology doesn’t have typical molds, and all shoes are made on demand. This greatly reduces the risks of trying something new.
On the left, Ben Weiss, CEO of Syntilay.
3DN: What is Syntilay and how did the company come about?
Syntilay is a totally different take on footwear, designed for a whole new generation. The idea was based on the fact that, in general, YouTubers and other social media stars sell all kinds of commercial items, but never shoes. If they can’t strike a shoe deal with one of the major brands out there, they have two options: do it themselves, for which they need a lot of capital, or not do it at all.
We realized that this had to change and that there were three major problems in entering the footwear sector. It now takes us three months to create a new shoe from scratch and launch it, as opposed to the usual 18 months.
3DN: Can you tell us more about Syntilay’s range of 3D printed products?
What sets Syntilay apart is that the three major phases of footwear are no longer so time-consuming and costly. These include shoe design, for which we use AI to automate most of it. There’s also the collaboration with our Zellerfeld 3D printing factory, which allows us to dispense with molds for sizes like 6, 7 or 8, etc., saving thousands of dollars. Finally there is the printing of the shoe on demand at any time the customer requests it, so there is no need to keep inventory.
We print with TPU and this is handled by our partner factory Zellerfeld, headed by Cornelius Schmitt. Zellerfeld has also produced Nike’s first fully 3D printed shoe, among others. The internal structures of our shoes are triangular and have an intelligent design that allows them to be both comfortable and printable at the same time.
3DN: What role does artificial intelligence play when combined with additive manufacturing?
Artificial intelligence is primarily used to automate our design process. Instead of sketching immediately, we generate concepts and refine them with precision. We then make a sketch and use Vizcom AI to generate a 3D model based on it.
In addition, we use generative AI to create the patterns and textures of the shoes. Seventy percent of our shoes are made with AI under the supervision of a human designer.
AI creates entirely new structures and concepts, and the best way to translate them into reality so that the end consumer can benefit from them is by using 3D printing. Zellerfeld, our partner factory, uses AI to avoid manufacturing errors. They have trained models to ensure that the process is smooth and errors are avoided.
3DN: What advantages do you see in additive manufacturing over traditional methods?
The biggest advantages are the ability to prototype quickly so that changes can be made if necessary, speed to market and the ability to customize the design. The biggest disadvantages are the cost of the final product unit, which is two to three times that of traditional production, and that scalability is still difficult.
Still, we see it as a great way to allow anyone to get the chance to create their own shoes. Then we can evaluate traditional production for the top sellers and, as 3D printing becomes more scalable, adopt that as well.
3DN: How do you see the future of 3D printing in 10 years? And Syntilay?
We see that 3D printing costs to produce one unit will be very competitive with traditional, localized production options around the world. You only need a certain number of printers to handle different regions, it’s a portable model.
We see Syntilay producing AI-developed footwear that is 3D printed at scale, as well as innovative AI-designed footwear produced in the traditional way. We foresee many brands and creators collaborating with us to bring original designs to market during this time.
3DN: Any last words for the readers?
AI has a lot of potential, but the physical world is an area where it has not been applied much. We are seeing revolutionary software programs and this opens the door to product development and design. AI-designed footwear is already here and we have shown that it is possible to embody AI design with 3D printing. Experiment with your own ideas using these two methods and see what you can build! You can find more information about Syntilay HERE.
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*All Photo Credits: Syntilay