Following on from a previous post we continue our interview with Cathy Lewis of Desktop Factory. Cathy will also be speaking at the MIT Smart Customization Seminar along with other Mass Customisation luminaries including Frank T. Piller, William J Mitchell, B. Joseph Pine II, Alison Page the Director of Mass Customization at Adidas, Jana Eggers of Spreadshirt, Monika Desai of Sole Envie and many more…

But for now, back to the interview with Cathy Lewis.

Do you think many/any major brands will open their products to customisation by releasing CAD files for manipulation in the same way that OpenMoko has? Or do you see 3D printing as being more for the Prosumer who wishes to design and make their own objects?

Initially the small business world, education and the prosumer will be the beneficiaries of affordable 3D printing. These early adopters have demonstrated to us that there is a pent up demand for the technology and with their existing applications they will pave the way for the rest of us.

As the printing technology continues to improve, more consumer oriented CAD software comes on line, we begin to see the availability of low cost 3D scanners and more and better choices in materials become available, contemporary brands will want to take advantage of the opportunity to more closely interact with their customers by offering CAD files of various products and replacement parts for a fee or even for free. This approach will also allow these companies to focus on high value activities – like the development of new products and services – versus getting the right number of replacement parts manufactured, shipped and stored in the right warehouse at the right time. Let’s face it – once people know how to design or scan and build their own objects they will have the ability to reverse engineer some products and replacement parts themselves. Therefore it will be in the manufactures best interests to share or sell the files – and this also gives them the opportunity to post suggested use and safety information as well.


Do you foresee more business models like fabjectory, shapeways and ponoko being realized with the lowering of the price point of the 3D printer, or do you think someone like Kinkos will flood the market by offering 3D printing in every store?

The 2D printing analogy is very instructive here. In the initial stages of the traditional printing market the service bureaus helped the manufacturers build the applications and teach people how to print more effectively. Over time the prices for printers came down and we all had them on our desks and at home. The service bureaus then moved into more value added and high volume printing like financial statements, etc. And 25 years later even though we can now print photographs in our homes most of us still have a retail outlet perform that task because it is easier and less expensive.

In essence, we are confident that a full 3D ecosystem will develop over time with a variety of service and printer providers, analogous to the traditional 2D printing industry. The success and longevity of the participants will depend on their ability to help develop the market and evolve their offerings as the users become more sophisticated and their requirements change.

What do you see as currently the most interesting adoption of 3D printing within a process of mass customization?

When I think of true mass customization the use that stands out in the business to business environment is customized hearing aids with dental modeling in close pursuit. The application in the consumer arena that best depicts mass customization is the Fabjectory / Figureprints application where users are ordering a 3D image of their game character or avatar. As I said before, who knew consumers would want to make their virtual world physical!

and finally, Often when I tell people about my research they stare at me blankly until I compare it to the Jetsons kitchen fabricator thing (I never could remember it’s name). What is the description of 3D printing and Desktop Factory you use when faced with a glazed stare of incomprehension?

This blank or glazed stare you reference was actually my tipping point in joining Desktop Factory so I have developed two approaches in response. For the creative set who are bent on designing, customizing or improving a product I ask them to envision a technology that allows them to realize that dream, almost instantly, in a physical embodiment right on their desktop. For the rest . . . I reference Star Trek and a picture of a 3D printer quickly forms in their mind. They still may not believe it exists – and that is where the fun begins for me!

Thank you so much to Cathy for sharing her insights into 3D printing and the opportunities it opens for prosumer design and mass customization.

For those of you lucky enough to attend the MIT Smart Customization seminar I am sure it will be even more revealing.

In a previous post we introduced Desktop Factory, and the fact that their 3D printer will be less expensive then the first desktop 2D printer when it was released.

We also mentioned Cathy Lewis, CEO of Desktop Factory who will be presenting at the First Annual MIT Smart Customization Seminar to be held on November 10th. For those of you who are not able to attend Cathy has been generous with her time to answer a few questions

Just to get a little background, before becoming part of the Desktop Factory you were General Manager at Siemens Information Systems and Vice President/General Manager, Xerox Corporation, what brought you to be involved with desktop factory, 3d printing and personal fabrication?

“The Desktop Factory board of directors launched a search for a CEO with a background from the 2D printer / copier industry. When contacted I was intrigued by the technology and the audacious plan for this young start-up but I needed to look beyond the obvious analogy to the explosive growth of the traditional printing market. When I was able to factor in the treasure trove of 3D content on the web today and the pent up demand for mass customization so evident in the DIY trend - I was hooked. The opportunity to lead the desktop 3D printing revolution was just too compelling to miss.”

Desktop factory is looking to seriously disrupt the 3d printing market with a unit priced under U$5000, who do you see as being your initial market of early adopters and what use do you expect to see them put to?

“This is an important question with a response that continues to evolve. Initially we targeted higher education and designers and engineers who were either employed by small to mid size business or running their own companies.

The early adopter surprise for me has been gamers and visual artists. Who knew that people would want to print out their virtual avatars? Did you know that it is not uncommon for game developers to use prototypes of the characters and their weapons to ‘act out’ the games as they are creating them? And imagine how costly a mistake can be for a sculptor who is working in marble. Desktop Factory provides the opportunity to ‘preview’ an object before committing to that expensive stone.”

What do you see as the most exciting aspect of personal fabrication?

“I see two very significant opportunities for personal fabrication. First of all we will unleash creativity and innovation in a way never seen before, enabling anyone anywhere to invent and / or customize object, toys, crafts, etc. Second, but perhaps even more profound, over time we have the ability to disrupt the manufacturing value chain as we know it today. Rather then relying on low cost geographies for the manufacture of millions of items, sometimes with questionable quality and safety standards, which are then transshipped globally to warehouses, then trained / trucked to stores where we drive to pick them up – we can literally download a replacement part from the web and print it in the comfort of our homes. While this may only impact 10 -15% of what we buy today, the ability to save time while reducing waste and our carbon footprint is exciting.”

More Cathy Lewis interview in next post. Or check out the Desktop Factory & the MIT Smart Customization Seminar site to read more about these exciting developments.

Sometimes we all NEED to cancel an order. That’s just life.

And because there can be a real cost to us if this happens (eg, we order materials for you or spend eons working with you prior to cancellation) we have updated our terms to give us the ability to say ‘yes’ to your cancellation request, without any worries.

Previous term: “Once you have placed an order, it may not be cancelled by you without our agreement.”

New term: “Once you have placed an order, it may not be cancelled by you without our agreement. A cancellation fee of costs incurred or USD$25 may apply.”

The new term takes effect from today.

Following on from the previous interview with Monika Desai of Sole Envie, here is part 2..

Who do you see as the target market for Sole Envie, and what differentiates them from you average shoe consumer?

Sole Envie is targeting upwardly mobile, fashion forward women between the ages of 18 and 54. These women are web savvy shoe lovers that are comfortable with purchasing online and who want the opportunity to be creative but don’t have an outlet. To these women shoes are a vehicle for self expression. They will come to Sole Envie for various reasons - they want something unique, they want a fun shopping experience, they are looking for shoes that match a specific outfit, they have hard to fit feet, or they want something special for an occasion such as a wedding.

I am such a unique person and it shows in the shoes that I own. One of a kind, now that’s sexy.


What manufacturing process do you foresee being used to produce customized shoes?

In an ideal world we’d implement a lean manufacturing process from the start. This includes having small teams, inventory bins that are replenished on demand, and relentless focus on reducing waste at every opportunity. Information managment is also critical. Desiging your products for ease of manufacturing also plays an important role.

Once we have the process in place and some traction, than we can start to leverage more sophisticated technology that is out there for producing custom shoes such as CAD and digital shoe design, laser cutters, rapid prototyping etc. At this stage, though, we’re more focused on finding a manufacturer that is willing to even consider small lots (or in our case “one at a time”). This has been our biggest challenge. It’s kind of the chicken and the egg situation - factories are hesitant to work with us because we don’t have orders but we can’t get orders if we can’t nail down a factory to work with us. We are currently working with a factory in India that does a lot of work by hand. While this is enough to get us going for the short term, we recognize that we will need to find a more scaleable solution as we grow. A really important factor in our future success will be establishing a repeatable process that we can continuously improve upon and that can be implemented regardless of what country we are producing in.

And finally, I have heard that customs agents always judge passengers by their shoes, what do you think a customized shoe would say to them?

I think that would depend on the shoe! The beauty of designing your own shoes is that you can create shoes that express your individual personality. Each shoe is going to be unique and will reveal different characteristics about the wearer. A strappy sandal could indicate you’re in a flirtatious mood, a pointy stiletto may express confidence, and a leopard print platform may show you have a playful side, you like to be the center of attention and you like to make bold statement. Regardless of what the shoe looks like, I do think if a woman is wearing custom shoes, she probably places a high value on uniqueness and individuality, she’s creative and she wants to be able to express herself. What else can her shoes reveal? Can a woman’s shoes reveal who she is going to vote for at next week’s election? Now that would be an interesting study!

One thing we should mention is that Sole Envie are right now only focusing on offering “custom design” vs. “custom fit” which means that they are offering shoes in standard sizes. They will have a wider range of sizes than most (4 to 12), and a wider selection of widths, but the shoes are not custom fitted. In the future Sole Envie will also explore custom fit.

Thank you so much to Monika for sharing such in depth insights into mass customization and women’s shoes. To find out more details of her research underlying Sole Envie you will have to attend the MIT Smart Customization Seminar. And to gather inspiration for your own shoe design check out the gallery at Sole Envie. And yes it would be interesting to see what woman’s shoes reveal who she is going to vote for at next week’s election? or what would Palin design????

More interviews from the MIT Smart Customization Seminar to follow..

‘Additiv’ is a footwear concept created in collaboration with ‘Adidas Originals and Berlin based designers PKNTS.

Additiv is a shoe designed to incorporate the brand archive including exchangable and additional parts. The simplicity of the pieces offers the consumer the chance to create new styles for the product. With the help of a communication platform on the internet, the user can express his own ideas in public and the brand is able to react on consumer wishes and creativity.

With what looks like velcro on components the shoe can be cosmetically transformed in a very Swatch type manner. A very simple form of additive mass customization.

Check out their portfolio for some very fresh design work, I especially like their Mini Music Machines..

Via Designspotter

In a previous post we introduced you to Monika Desai of Sole Envie, shoe customization entrepreneur. Monika is about to participate in the MIT Smart Customization Seminar. For those of us that could not make it there, we have asked a few questions to get her background, and take on mass customization.

Your inspiration for launching an online shoe customisation portal was born out of the experience of having bespoke shoes made for your wedding, what were you doing prior, and what was it about the process that drove you to make it a career move?

My interest in customization stems from a lifelong frustration of not being able to find shoes for my small feet (manufacturers don’t even make shoes in my size) and my own personal experiences with having custom clothing and jewelry made on trips to India, where my parents are from. I always enjoyed the process of seeing my ideas come to life and the compliments that followed.

Prior to Sole Envie I worked in Marketing for 13 years working at various companies ranging from small starts ups to large corporations such as Discover Card. A large part of this time was spent marketing to consumers through online channels.


How important to you is the online social community, and how will this be represented on your site?

The online social community is going to be the heart and “soul” (ha ha no pun intended) of Sole Envie. It will be an extremely important aspect of what we offer. One of the main tenets regarding customization is based around people’s desire for personal expression. They want to create something unique and to be able to share and be recognized for what they have created. When talking about women and shoes, this holds especially true. What woman doesn’t love shoes and doesn’t want to be complimented for having good taste? Why not leverage that desire and create a forum where they can do just that? I’m a member of a shoe club called Hello Stiletto, a nationwide “offline” social network with more than 12,000 members. Women get together a few times a month at different venues just to have an excuse to wear and show off their favorite shoes. At the end of each event, a signature pink carpet is rolled out and shoe club members compete for the title of “best in shoe.” The women go nuts over this and it’s the highlight of the event. We want to duplicate the same kind of involvement and excitement that we see at these events online - at Sole Envie. Sole Envie will more than just another e-commerce site that sells shoes, we want to be a destination for shoe lovers and give them an outlet to express themselves. We believe that by developing a thriving community and by also doing our part by listening to them, engaging them and showing them how they are shaping Sole Envie’s products and offerings, this will go a long way to building brand awareness and loyalty.

The Sole Envie site will have a number of standard social networking features like profiles, mini feeds, favorites, and connections as well as our own special features - for example giving users the opportunity to share their creations and have them rated and commented on by the community at large, writing feature stories on the highest rated designers, and opportunities to crowdsource and monetize designs. Of course we’ll have easy tools to allow users to post their creations to other social networking sites such as Facebook, My Space, and Stylefeeder. One thing we hope to use to create buzz in the community is to have celebrity guest stylists.We’ve also got some other ideas that involve using the community to help customers make buying decisions and close the sale that we’re keeping close to our chest right now.

You are to give a presentation at the MIT smart customization seminar, without giving away any trade secrets, what do you believe is the most critical issues in realizing a mass customization enterprise?

Without a doubt, on the back end, establishing an efficient, cost effective and rapid turn around manufacturing process, including the supply chain and logistics, is one of the most critical issue for a mass customization company. Tied to the manufacturing is good design that lends itself to “batch sizes of one” manufacturing.

Guaranteeing customer satisfaction is important in any businesses of course, but companies that produce mass customized goods have to ensure that their customer is going to be happy with the final product that they created when they see it in person. Most companies that are offering mass customized goods cannot offer the same kind of generous return policies that a traditional manufacturer can. MC companies can lower this risk by using good imagery on their configurator and by providing guidance to their customers while they are designing. Sole Envie is going to have the added challenge of ensuring satisfaction around fit and comfort. Finding ways to ensure good fit and comfort, online, is going to be extremely critical for Sole Envie and will be our biggest factor for success.

Stay tuned for more….

‘Your House’ is a book designed by artist Olafur Eliasson.

Created by a German laser-cutting service called Kremo, it’s made of 454 pages - each one an individually laser-cut cross-section of the artist’s house.

All I can really say about it is - wow. And that I lucked upon it over at the excellent blog of Minneapolis man Eric Gjerde, Origami Tessellations.

Ideally this should be done with some sort of CNC router… much like the guys at Lumenlab have done:

This was done using their RoGR Robot. Their instructions for getting from gourd to “glow” makes a great tutorial for those wanting to dabble in the world of robotic manufacturing.

Textile design, technology and tradition all come together in the gorgeous designs by Linda Florence. Her works incorporate laser-etching, screen printing, flocking, foiling and a variety of other techniques that push the boundaries of pattern design. Having earned her Masters in Design for Textile Futures at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in 2005 after her Bachelor of Design Printed Textiles at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in 2003, Florence is now running a London studio providing private residences and luxury retailers with one-of-a-kind wallpapers, flooring, and installations.

My intention was to contact Ms. Florence for an interview, but Lachlan Blackley, author of Wallpaper, did such a good one that I decided just to post a selection here. To read the full interview, visit the FAQ page at LindaFlorence.

What do you do?
I design and hand print wallpaper. I trained in textiles but now work in print and illustration. I design my wallpapers and print them to order for clients. Printing my own papers allows me to personalize each project and change colours to my customer’s request.  This also allows make the designs change across a room working with the architecture. I also design specifically for one off projects.  I have designed wallpapers for Ted Bakers shops world wide. On some of the projects I have printed the wallpapers and on others designed the patterns which are then laser cut for use inside and outside the stores.

What would you say are the main influences on your work or style?
Where do you draw inspiration?
Everything and anything; my work is a collage of pattern and shape from around my life.  I have always been attracted to patterns. I love gathering scraps and finding new textures and materials.  My imagery includes traditional Morris. I love drawing in the V&A archives, maze patterns, Bridget Riley paintings and also imagery from my childhood like Space Invaders and Pac Men.
What inspired you to work with wallpaper?
What is it you like about this medium?
The size is so exciting – you don’t run out of space, you just add another strip. You can make grand scales that are viewed from across the room and tiny images which can be explored close up.  I have scratchable papers, which were inspired by picking at puffy wallpapers as a child, and wallpapers that have flock and foil on them, mixing textile fibres with matt papers and foil surfaces.

What do you always notice or look for when you enter a space?
The floor and the pattern, whether it be a designed pattern or simply one caused by the objects or materials in the room.  I created a lot of flooring tiles and wallpapers which joined to the floor on my MA at Central Saint Martins.  It is an area not a lot of thought goes into when a space is being designed but can have a huge impact on how we perceive and move within the space.
For you, is wallpaper art or décor? Or both?
Both. I think the changing of materials and the bespoke hand printing of the work means it’s like art work in some ways.  It’s inspired by the world around me and the constant bombardment of information and inspiration. The use of different materials in the wallpapers and the 3D elements also differentiate it from being just a décor pattern.

Evident from her scratch-surface papers and flooring, Linda executes her patterns in a way that invites interaction. A truly incredible example was her sugared floor for the Victoria & Albert Museum this past winter.

(more…)

You know a technology is about to explode onto the mass market when businessweek covers it in its monthly CEO guide to technology podcast. This month they speak to Pete Basiliere, research director at Garter who specializes in research into print technology trends. In the podcast Peter explains the current status of rapid prototyping technologies with an insight into what the big name printing manufacturers are doing behind the scenes to prepare for the 3D printing revolution. According to Pete Basiliere there were 3000 3d printers in 2006, and predicts there will be 300,000 by 2011.

Pete seems to get most excited when he mentions the grass roots fabrication that is happening, where people are making their own 3D printers like evil mad scientist and reprap.

He also discusses some of the more interesting fabrication online portals like fabjectory and figureprints. Figureprints is a portal to supply 3D printed figurines of your World of Warcraft (WOW) avatar. According to Pete there is currently a 100,000 person waiting list to get their avatars printed, which is quite impressive, but it also looks like they are in bed with Dell. On the Dell Blog there is talk of the WOW Dell laptop and gold ticket holders(?) getting to have their avatar printed. Check out this video they posted of them explaining it to a guy who I actually think may cry with joy when he gets his….

So how far off is the Dell 3D printer???

Download the Podcast to get a great primer on 3D desktop printing.