Additive Manufacturing Hub case study: Bodd Technology

Bodd Technology is a 3D body scanning and data business founded in 2013. The intellectual property (IP) for its technology is owned by Bodd and has been developed with leading Australian academic institutions including UTS and RMIT University. Bodd’s hardware prototyping of both 3D scanners and 3D printers, and now commercial manufacture, is conducted through a partnership with Bosch Australia, based in Clayton, Victoria.

In its first application of the technology, Bodd has developed a suite of proprietary ‘fit’ technologies for the $2.4 trillion apparel industry. In addition to apparel, Bodd will enter multiple other verticals that also value and use data around body shape and size.

Bodd recently signed both a major South-East Asian apparel brand and a major Australian uniform producer, and has also secured a distribution partnership for the US and Europe. Bodd has a strong revenue pipeline with 17 additional Australian merchants ready to begin trials of the new technology.

The challenge

Bodd sough to develop technology that can quickly capture the sizing and exact 3D body curvature using a portable and/or fixed unit. The exact body shape is required both for size matching and the creation of more complex custom clothing.

As an extension to this, 3D printing of a person’s mannequin at the point of manufacture allows for perfect custom clothing without contact with the customer. It enables global customer scaling and perfect fitting clothing, with no returns. The 3D printing technology combines Bodd’s own IP both in the hardware and software processes. The Additive Manufacturing Hub directly supported Bodd’s 3D printing hardware development.

The 3D scanners needed to be high-tech and portable, yet robust enough to operate seven days a week within a retail location. The scanners were required to provide high-end 3D human data for the 3D printers.

The 3D printers would require rapid printing capability, using a lightweight, recyclable material cheaply. The priorities were speed, quality, cost and no environmental impact. As the printers were intended for factory use, safety was also critical in the design. The IP combines both hardware and custom software.

The solution

The Additive Manufacturing Hub directly supported Bodd, taking the internally developed 3D printer prototypes to Bosch, who worked with Bodd to create the first commercial units for customer trials.

The units created went through months of trials and testing prior to being approved for customer trials. As this technology is both new to market and manufacture, the process of commercialisation had to include internal stress testing, and then customer application and ROI. Shipped in December 2020, the final commercial customer prototypes had gone through multiple parts and engineering adjustments.

The resulting customer trials will also result in additional refinement of the main production units for late 2021 shipping.

How The Additive Manufacturing Hub helped?

Funding of $20,000 was provided, with all of it allocated against Bosch. Bodd’s expenditure both on engineering and prototype manufacture exceeded $150,000.

The outcome

Both retail and uniform customers completed highly successful trials, resulting in the first commercial orders being placed in April/May 2021. Bodd has a significant amount of interested companies in the pipeline, and is also exploring representation of the technology in both Europe and the USA.

The AM Hub is an initiative delivered by AMTIL in partnership with the Victorian State Government to promote the adoption of additive manufacturing technology.

For more information, please contact John Croft, AM Hub Manager, on 03 9800 3666 or email amhub@amtil.com.au
www.amhub.net.au 
www.bodd.io