Custom Horseshoes Made by 3-D Printer

How does an owner get a shoe guaranteed to be an exact fit for his horse’s hooves?

It’s easy—but rather expensive—with a scanner and printer that have three-dimensional capabilities. The first horseshoes formed by this method were made in Australia from titanium, a strong but lightweight material.

The horse’s hooves were imaged using a handheld scanner, and the shoes were designed from the scans for a perfect fit. Printing the four shoes took several hours at a cost of around $600 (Australian dollars).