14 DAY TRIAL // Joining the ranks of the 3D Printed fashion shoes and Sneakerbots are the Aphrodite Shoes developed by a person by the name of Michele Badia.
The Aphrodite Shoes are high heels printed with NinjaFlex filament, a flexible polymer that provides a degree of flexibility that PLA and ABS plastic lack.
That isn't to say that the shoes are entirely made of NinjaFlex. That would have been criminally dangerous, since it would have made the heels prone to bending with every step. Instead, while the main bodies of the shoes were made of PLA or ABS plastic, the heel and toe pads were printed out of NinjaFlex.
This ensured that the shoes looked nice enough to deserve their name, while also providing a measure of comfort that hard plastic/PLA would have failed to impart upon the footwear. The t-bar straps of the shoe are made of NinjaFlex as well, in case you were wondering.
Making the points of pressure “squishy” ensures that there is a reasonable shock absorption effect. Very important for any footwear, not just high heels.
You can find the design of the Aphrodite Shoes on the MyMiniFactory website, where Michele Badia has some other shoe models, like a pair of high heels with detachable guns as the, well, heels.
The guns don't actually work, of course, but they'd probably be a great asset for a cosplay or masquerade outfit, if you're into things like that.
As you can see in the image gallery, the material you choose to produce the shoes from will determine what they are colored like. Of course, if you have some paint and a modicum of skill at using a brush, you can also just paint the shoe after you're done printing it (and before you attach the t-bar straps of course.
It took Badia 20 days to develop and perfect the shoe design, but the print should not take more than 19 hours, for a size-6 shoe at least. Then again, it ultimately depends on your 3D printer's speed. Also, not every 3D printer might possess the necessary layer resolution. Something like that new Airwolf 3D printer will do better than a random $500 / €500 model.
All this is moot if you don't have a 3D printer, of course, but fear not! You can order a pair of Aphrodite 3D Printed high heel shoes for $99 / €99.
