Custom Fit
Custom-Fit has the ambitious objective of creating individualised designs and processes for customised products or components utilising Rapid Manufacturing techniques. Delcam are the project coordinator of this Pan-European integrated project, which is a part of the European Community Sixth Framework Programme.
Custom-Fit will focus upon the following individualised products to demonstrate their new process:
- Facial bone implants
- Knee implants
- Prostheses
- Backpacks
- Bike seats
- Helmets
Custom-Fit will engage customers in a "made to fit" process at the point of sale. This will involve scanning their body and manipulating the design appropriately to provide a better, more comfortable, more secure, more painless, more lasting fit.
Custom-Fit aims to bring a new paradigm to fabrication of these products through the development of new machines that build the products in a single process where the material is graded internally. This means that a single component can be made up of different mixtures of materials with varying structures and density. This result in assemblies with fewer parts and those parts can themselves be more flexible in their behaviour. For example, a single component may be stiffer on the outside, more cushioned on the interior and toughened around the edges. This capability will allow the designer freedom to match the performance needs of the customer or patient.
