Design of Customized Shoe Soles Using Lattice Structures Fabricated by Additive Manufacturing

Lattice structures are a unique class of architected materials characterized by their array of spatial periodic unit cells. These structures can be designed and engineered to provide a range of desired mechanical properties. Their excellent energy absorption properties make lattice structures well-suited for the design of shoe soles. Leveraging the geometric complexity of additively manufactured parts, the mechanical properties of architected materials, and accurate non-intrusive medical data, this research proposes an algorithmic modeling approach for designing customized lattice shoe soles. By integrating conformal and functionally graded lattices with various unit cell types placed throughout the structure based on plantar pressure data, the flexibility of the sole can be controlled locally in areas with high plantar pressure. This can help reduce ground reaction forces during walking and standing, minimizing negative effects on foot health and increasing comfort for the wearer. We leveraged volumetric modeling techniques for error-free Boolean operations and reliable geometry smoothing. In this manner, our algorithm generates an STL file that contains a watertight mesh, ready to be imported into the slicing software.