Using 3D printing technologies to create custom parts is nothing new. But using it to mass-produce them is. Thanks to start-up Carbon's technology for additive printing using liquid rather than filament using a process similar to injection molding ("Terminator style") and its new Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) resin-curing technology, for faster, more precise layering, customization is coming to footwear.

In a partnership with Adidas, the company is providing the technology to produce custom soles for the sportswear-maker's Futurecraft 4D sneakers, starting in limited production and ramping up to about 5000 pairs for sale by the end of the year.

3D printing produces fairly rigid output. With its DLS, which uses "digital light projection, oxygen-permeable optics, and programmable liquid resins to generate high-performance, durable polymeric products," the company claims the output is both durable and flexible. The latter, of course, is an essential for sneakers.

Get ready: The future of pampering your tootsies is nigh. It remains to be seen if that price is high.