UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (WJAC) -- Nick Unis is a senior at Penn State University. He also runs his own shoe company, UnisBrands.
But Unis’ does not make your average sneaker. His brand’s footwear is made using 3D printers.
"I wanted to solve kind of, both problems of fit, as well as design," said Unis, the founder and CEO of UnisBrands.
Unis has been working on the brand since he was in high school. He got the idea from working at a shoe store.
"Customers would come in, they would either find something that would look beautiful but it just didn't fit, or it would fit beautifully but it was horrendous looking," said Unis.
So Unis came up with a solution. He designed his own, personal 3D printers that can create a custom shoe.
"The easiest way to explain it would be a glorified hot glue gun,” said Unis. “How a 3D printer works -- it's essentially the same thing -- pushing material through. It'll go through, it'll lay one layer down, lift up ever so slightly, lay another layer down, lift up ever so slightly, lay another layer down, until you have a complete, 3D-printed object."
Unis’ printers make shoes that are designed for each customer’s individual feet, using their specific measurements so they fit perfectly.
Customers can also submit their own custom designs.
“They fit your personality and size. They fit you. We don’t do size eight, or eight and a half. We do size you,” said Unis.
Unis also explained that using 3D printers allows the company to remain completely eco-friendly.
“The benefit to being about a 3D-printed product -- there's little to no waste. So, you can recycle whatever support material you use," said Unis.
Unis also believes eventually, the production cost of 3D printing will go down.
“A lot of manufacturing overseas is going to come back -- locally -- local hubs,” said Unis.
Unis is also planning on using his company for charity. He is working with THON at Penn State to create custom shoes for THON kids.
Unis has launched a Kickstarter for his brand that you can find by clicking here. Customers can be some of the first to own a pair of their own custom UnisBrands shoes.
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