For eons, clothing has been made the old fashioned way, by factories filled with sweaty children that seem taken straight from a Charles Dickens novel. However, the wearable technology boom not only extends to the clothing we put on our bodies, but also to the way that clothing is manufactured. One of the greatest inventions towards that is the 3D printer. These bad boys are like regular printers, only they print actual objects. If you need a new shower ring, you are in luck if you have one of these. Now, however, there is a 3D printer that can handle flexible materials that will be perfect for shoes, boots and other sturdy clothing items. The future is awesome.
Stratasys’ has  developed a new 3D printer, called the Objet500 Connex3. This beast of a printer uses rubber and plastic as base materials, so it can print rubber and plastic objects. Rubber is new to the 3D printing world, and brings with it a whole host of new opportunities. Want some new rubber boots? It can do that. Want one of those fully rubberized hazmat suits? It can (probably) do that. Want a brand new rubber duckie for bath time? Of course, it can do that too. The rubber sky is truly the rubber limit with this one.
Of course, there is always a price when it comes to developing tech. In this case, the price is the, uh, actual price. When these launch later this year, they will cost a whopping $330,000. Once you buy materials, you can finally have that $330,095 pair of boots you’ve always wanted.
