IMTS 2018 Conferences: Opening up design freedom and mass customization through 3D printed lattices

Plan to attend The IMTS 2018 Conferences to gain deeper insight into new manufacturing technologies & ideas!

About the presentation
3D printing is fundamentally changing the way products are designed, engineered, made and delivered. Specific to design, 3D printing software, materials and processes have ushered in a new era of design freedom in which designers are no longer beholden to the limitations of traditional manufacturing where aesthetics and performance don't often converge. Moreover, 3D printing allows for novel innovations like lattices, which for the first time allow designers and engineers to develop single products or parts with unique functional zones and tunable mechanical properties. A prime example of this is adidas' new Futurecraft 4D shoe, which was developed in partnership with 3D printing company Carbon.

Adidas is just one example of a product team now able to create and customize complex geometric structures with Carbon's technology. Product design teams will find that this innovation is breaking new ground for the industry given the limitations of printing and injection molding complex, customized structures. Creating complex parts also put limitations on product development time, especially when design and multiple iterations are often needed when parts are put to the test.

In contrast, Carbon's rapid product development process enabled adidas to iterate over 50 different lattices for the midsole using the same process and material as the final product, which allowed the team to test the midsole performance in the design stage and essentially get rid of the prototyping stage.

Carbon is hopeful that the ability to print tunable lattices using a wide variety of resins will serve the existing need of product development teams seeking to improve end-user experiences by incorporating lattice structures into their products and enable engineers to achieve a new type of design freedom.

This presentation will:

• Discuss the developments in 3D printing that make design freedom possible
• Explain the benefits and innovations provided by lattices structures using Futurecraft 4D and others as examples
• Examine the potential that design freedom and lattice structures have for mass customization

Registration opens soon, so check out the IMTS 2018 website for more information.

Meet your presenter
Phil DeSimone was a part of the founding team at Carbon in 2013 and currently serves as VP of business development. In his role, he manages partnerships and key customer accounts. Previously, DeSimone co-founded and was the VP of business development at Buystand, an ecommerce company. DeSimone received his BA in business and econometrics from Ursinus College and was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 List in 2016.