Are you reading for an influx of 3D-printed sandal and slip-on shoe designs? Shapeways, your one-stop shop for 3D printing when you don’t want to shell out for a printer of your own, is now offering a new material called Elasto Plastic, a flexible off-white elastomer. It’s soft and squishy, but it still returns to its original shape when deformed, so it’s ideal for printing shoes and other wearable items.
At the moment, Shapeways is rolling out Elasto Plastic as an experimental option, which means that it can only be used to print 3D models you’ve uploaded yourself, not in the company’s online store. If it’s found to be strong and durable enough though, it could eventually be offered as an option for everything on Shapeways’ site. And, most importantly, if this were the only option, 3D-printed guns would be far less scary. [Shapeways via TechCrunch]