Parts that sit against the human body have to be light, comfortable and shaped to the individual wearing them, which is a genuinely tall order for traditional manufacturing methods built around making thousands of identical units. SLS handles this beautifully because it prints complex, organic shapes without any supports and works happily in flexible nylon grades that move with the body rather than digging in.
From orthotics and braces to wearable sporting gear and ergonomic handgrips, SLS opens up genuine custom fit production where every single part can differ. We make exactly these kinds of parts through our Perth MJF & SLS printing service for healthcare, sport and consumer product customers.
Flexible, skin friendly nylon
PA11 is a firm favourite for wearables because of its combination of toughness and flexibility, which lets a part bend and move with the body rather than fighting against it or cracking under repeated stress. Its slightly soft feel is also noticeably more pleasant against skin than rigid plastics, and it stands up well to the constant bending a worn part endures over a long day.
Lattices can be added into a wearable to make it lighter and far more breathable, allowing air to pass through while keeping the part strong and supportive exactly where it needs to be, which makes a real difference to comfort over a long day of wear. The result is a part that supports without pressure points, since air movement keeps the skin cooler and the open structure flexes gently as the wearer moves.
Custom fit from a scan
The most comfortable wearables are those shaped precisely to one specific person, and that process naturally starts with accurately capturing that person's geometry. Using 3D scanning and photogrammetry, we can capture a body shape in detail and then design a part that matches it exactly in CAD before printing.
This scan to print workflow is ideal for braces, custom insoles, masks, prosthetic covers and grips, where a generic one size fits all shape simply will not deliver the comfort or the function that the wearer actually needs.
Finishing for skin contact
Comfort is not only about shape, it is also about surface. A raw bead blasted part has a fine matte texture that is perfectly pleasant for many uses, but for parts that rub against skin all day we can vapour smooth or seal the surface so it feels softer and is easier to keep clean. Dyeing the part black or a brand colour at the same time gives a tidy, finished appearance. For medical and orthotic work we can also keep the contact surface smooth and free of crevices so it is simple to wipe down and keep hygienic between uses.
Rounding every edge that touches the body, removing sharp internal corners and adding gentle radii all help a wearable feel comfortable rather than intrusive, and these refinements are quick to apply once the basic fit is right. A short fitting cycle, where a first version is printed, tried on and then refined, usually lands on a comfortable result quickly.
From one to many
Because SLS needs no tooling, every single wearable can be completely unique without adding any extra cost, so a build full of differently sized and shaped parts prints just as easily and economically as a build of identical ones. That is a freedom that traditional moulding could never offer.
undefined This makes SLS a natural fit for clinics and small product lines that serve many different people from the one digital workflow.
- PA11 flexes and moves with the body without cracking.
- Lattices add breathability while keeping support where it is needed.
- Scan the wearer and match the part exactly in CAD.
- Smooth or seal surfaces that sit against the skin all day.
- Every part can differ at no extra cost since there is no tooling.