Old made new: mass personalization through leather stamping & additive manufacturing

August 25, 2021
 
Leather stamping is a traditional and paramount technique for finishing luxury fashion accessories or car interiors. Consumer brands currently mainly apply it to emboss logos, model, or edition names. But the possibilities of leather stamping go way beyond standard emblems. Incorporating innovative technologies such as additive manufacturing enables personalization through leather stamping.  

Customization adds even more value to luxury products.  

 

Designing your own stamp: a unique customer experience

Through Twikit’s bespoke software solution, consumers can design unique stamps that are 3D printed on-demand for leather embossing. Through a customizer, visualizing the product in high-quality, customers can create their own image or text that is stamped onto the leather. Being part of the design process adds a personalized feel and allows the consumer to interact with the brand on a deeper level.  

3D printed leather stamps can be very detailed due to the high resolution of the machinery.

Customization options can include text, logo, structure, size, and position, among other features. Studio Twikit assists its clients with designing products fitted for customization and defining the personalization possibilities.  

 

Additive manufacturing enabling personalization

When the customer has decided what they want to be embossed on their item, the connection with manufacturing is made. Through Twikit technology, the production file of the personalized stamp is sent to the right manufacturing facility.  

 

The stamps can be very detailed because they are 3D printed in the highest resolution. Using additive manufacturing does not mean loss of detail or quality; it enables more possibilities and allows brands to use leather stamping in new ways. Such as the personalization of products. Because the digital workflow facilitates the production of unique stamps on-demand and at-scale, integrating customization into your business model is made possible and viable.

Stamps used for leather embossing are usually crafted from metal alloy with CNC technology and bear a considerable price tag. This durable stamp manufacturing process is suitable for thousands of stamp sessions using the same stamp over and over.
The result: a highly personalized product through leather stamping

As the final step, the 3D printed stamp is embossed onto the leather with legacy machinery such as classical leather embossing presses. The result is a highly personalized product using leather stamping, partly designed by the customer.  

 

Luxury items such as handbags, belts, and watch bands or headrests, center consoles, and dashboards can portray more value to end consumers by adding customization. If brands want to stand out, personalization is definitely something to consider.