Validating Just-In-Time Manufacturing for Custom Consumer Products
Protos Eyewear
Contributor
Before DTC customization was a trend, we launched a real-world test of whether digital manufacturing could replace traditional inventory. I used custom eyewear as the Trojan horse: a visually distinct, high-variability product that let us prove out parametric design, local production, and the business logic of selling mass-customized goods online.
Before DTC customization was a trend, we launched a real-world test of whether digital manufacturing could replace traditional inventory. I used custom eyewear as the Trojan horse: a visually distinct, high-variability product that let us prove out parametric design, local production, and the business logic of selling mass-customized goods online.
Highlights
Launched a 3D printed eyewear brand to test distributed manufacturing economics
Built a parametric modeling system to auto-generate custom-fit SKUs
Manually refined early lenses to validate optical tolerances and product viability
Organized early ID community launch, sparking industry partnerships
Collaborated with an optician to ship 24 prescription-ready models
Highlights
Launched a 3D printed eyewear brand to test distributed manufacturing economics
Built a parametric modeling system to auto-generate custom-fit SKUs
Manually refined early lenses to validate optical tolerances and product viability
Organized early ID community launch, sparking industry partnerships
Collaborated with an optician to ship 24 prescription-ready models