3D technologies in fitting footwear: Perspectives from a custom shoe maker

A free talk as part of the NW Materials Show January 31 from 11:00am – noon.

This presentation is about the experience of using various 3D scanning technologies and CAD programs to visualize the fit of custom shoes. Jeff Mandel will discuss how scans of feet can be compared with models of lasts in an attempt to interpret these images and predict fit. He will also cover key aspects of the analog processes of measuring, fitting and last adjustment that are still functional parts of the digital processes of scanning, modeling and CNC milling in the production of custom shoes. The work of designing and producing custom shoes today is not isolated from the world of advanced manufacturing and design. Come see how Jeff uses digital tools productively and affordably to understand the relationships among shoes, feet and fit.

Presented by Jeff Mandel

Jeff on Schumacher Straße

Jeff Mandel has been creating bespoke shoes in his Portland-based workshop, ExIT Shoes, for over 15 years. In addition to his focus on making custom shoes for individual clients, he has also designed shoes, lasts, and manufacturing processes for mass production.

Jeff has an extensive background in information technology and has worked in finance, government and biotechnology as a systems analyst, network engineer, and application programmer. 

Jeff started out in footwear with an intentionally analog interest. Nonetheless, simmering in the background has always been the intersection of computers, mass production manufacturing techniques, and visual modeling.

Jeff has also studied with orthopedic shoemakers across the Netherlands and at the Dutch Shoe Academy in Utrecht.

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