Advertisement: Click here to learn how to Generate Art From Text
Dogsoxx, the order-made dog shoes from Japan, have been featured in numerous media as the world’s first order-made dog shoes fabricated on a 3D printer. The company has also patent the dog shoes. The shoes have become so popular that pre-orders for the month are filled in minutes. Original Prusa Printers play an important role behind-the scenes.
Inspiration for Shoemaking for dogs
Mitsunori Chiba founded the company after his dog suffered from foot problems. Chiba runs a marketing firm and had never made shoes, or seen a 3D printer, nor been involved in manufacturing. His beloved dog could not walk due to hardened paw pads, weakened leg muscles, and depression. He tried several dog shoe styles from Amazon in hopes that the dog might be able walk again, but none fit well or were easy to remove.
It is because 70 percent of dogs kept as pets by Japanese people are very small compared to dogs on average overseas. The dog shoes sold in Japan, however, are almost entirely made overseas. This makes it difficult to find shoes for small dogs in Japan. After his beloved, almost bed-ridden dog, died from old age, the owner decided that his newly welcomed dog should wear footwear to protect her pawpads.
There began his journey of creating shoes for dogs. “I tried buying shoes on the market that looked like rubber balloons but they came off when the dog stretched her legs out. When I looked closely, I saw that they were designed to come off when the dog extended her legs. I began experimenting with the fit. I first took the idea of Japanese Tabi socks and added a silicone layer to them to keep them in place. Then I had the idea of a shoe that can be quickly put on like a pair of Crocs.” When I modified the shoes on the market, they fit the dog’s legs so well that she started wearing them every day on her walks. The design attracted the attention of other dog owners as they haven’t seen it elsewhere. And after hearing numerous complaints about dog shoes and the need to protect their dog’s feet from the heat of summer asphalt and dangerous objects on the road, he decided that commercializing the product would solve other dog lovers’ problems.
The original development path
“At first, I tried to make them out of silicon by injection molding and found a company that could make the molds for me, but the cost was about 3 million yen per mold. It was too expensive and I had to think of another way to make molds for different sizes.“
At that time, the pandemic began and Mr. Chiba’s company was forced to go into lockdown mode. “I’m not the type of person who can sit still so I decided to take this opportunity to learn about 3D printers and make a prototype of the dog socks I was experimenting with,” he said, and purchased his first 3D printer.
It was a Chinese-made printer that cost about 50,000 yen. It was quickly discovered that the printer did not print well enough to produce the results Chiba desired. He then bought a different machine made in Taiwan, the Infinity, which cost around 500,000 yen. That too didn’t work well, so he decided to buy a Prusa MK3S. This decision was based on comments he frequently saw on YouTube and Twitter where users said: “I should have chosen Prusa from the beginning.”
He was really impressed with the printer from the beginning: “The design is good, as well as the movement. And the sound is awesome. When the MINI came out, I immediately thought it wouldn’t take up much space so I could put them all together and build a small farm’. From there, I added more MINIs.” “The MINI is really an ideal printer for Japanese houses, because it’s small, takes up very little space and does not make too much noise.”
The path to the “right” pair of shoes
Chiba claims that it was difficult at first to laminate the shoes properly. “I tried various TPUs and repeatedly found them too soft or they would tear. I didn’t think it was impossible though. I enjoyed the process of creating and ‘producing’ again and again after each failure.”
When he came across an obstacle, he would conduct his own research via YouTube, Twitter, or the community to solve it. He tried 20-30 different types of Velcro and silicone adhesives. He laughed and said that he reinvested the money from his sales into more MINIs.
“The Printables community group ‘Prusa Community Japan’ is very helpful because there are always members who are willing to help me when I have a problem. When I have a question, I get an answer quickly. It’s great to have a place like this where the community is there to answer.”
What are 3D-printed dog shoes?
We input the data for each dog’s legs into our own program created in Fusion360. The customer sent three sizes of the circumferences for the legs and feet, along with photos taken from different angles. And we model for them, taking into account the amount of dog’s hair as well. The upper and sole materials are both TPU, and we use a 0.6mm nozzle and 0.1mm layer.
Printing a pair of shoes takes about two hours if you use filaments that don’t have any visible lamination. Then, he cuts off the printed cylindrical body. The second half is a detailed manual work, mainly on the shoe processing.
They also make their own silicone labels to be used on the inside of the front part, using 0.1mm laminated moldings printed with PrusamentPLA and PETG
Prusament can also be used to make clips that hold Velcro in position. “There’s a difference in the silicone results between Prusament and filaments from other companies.”
Dogsoxx demand is a sign of the future
The product is available in six different colors. Orders are limited to 30 sets per month, as only two or 3 pairs can be made daily. However, they are so popular we always sell them out within minutes.
Chiba’s own encounter with Prusa enabled him to produce and sell custom-made dog shoes. He is also considering creating a network and system that would allow people to produce products in-house using a single printer. This would create jobs and help contribute to society, by increasing the opportunities for people who find it difficult to find regular employment.
Website: dogsoxx.jp