In order to effectively arrive at a more concrete plan for the custom earbud it is necessary to learn about not only about the technological and design aspect of the product, but to inquire about what exactly is important to a typical earbud user (Is design customization all that important?  How long would they be willing to wait until the product is mailed to them?).  Therefore, the first step of the plan would encompass sending an inquiry to Lantos Technologies and asking more about their 3D scanning process and its overall use and expandability into the realm of using the data generated to actually upload to a 3D program.  Next, going the more traditional route, contacting an audiologist to understand the current molding process more in-depth would create a clearer picture of the current faults in the customized market.  Pursuing this further, contacting Ultimate Ears for a more direct price quote and inquiring about the actual timeframe from beginning to end and the material used for construction purposes would too paint a clearer picture of the whole process in its current state.  Finally, utilizing internet message boards such as head-fi which cater to audio enthusiasts whom most commonly resort to custom solutions, I would be able to learn more about their experiences with the whole process and the feedback , both positive and negative, or suggestions they can offer.

The rationale and inspiration for my custom-fit-earbuds produced via 3D printing derives out of a problem I and many of my friends as well as fellow audio enthusiasts (via head-fi; a forum dedicated to audio equipment) share, and that is the inability to often actually enjoy our music without the constant need to readjust, reinsert, or deal with discomfort that is often the case with consumer earbuds.  Here, aside from pursuing the expensive and time consuming custom approach which encompasses spending approximately $100 to visit an audiologist in order to get an impression made of the ear canal, and then having to send that impression to an audio company such as Ultimate Ears that specializes in the processes, which in turn means more time and money, there is no other real viable alternative for the time being (Guttenberg).  As a matter of fact, in order to address this issue, there have been a few business ideas that have been proposed and sometimes successfully funded via public funding sites like KICKSTARTER, but they all mostly center around a user solution dependent on the user themselves molding a pliable material.  Here, a variety of factors make the idea unattractive and these include that the material is often not able to isolate sound effectively and as a result the seal is poor and sound quality is sacrificed, the molding process can be complicated and prone to error, and the quality and longevity of the molded piece can be questionable.  The main idea of the 3D printed earbuds is to allow the user to have inexpensive, quick, customized, and no frills solution so that they may enjoy their music without having to accept the standard small, medium, large silicone tips that are often found with earphones.

The solution for the current problem is derived from what 3D printing is ultimately able to accomplish, and that is a fast, quick, and customized approach to creating a product that can be user specific and made out of materials that are durable and which will not compromise comfort or sealing ability.  Here, using 3D ear scanning techniques such as those created by a company like Lantos Technologies which use a handheld probe to fill the individual’s ear canal with a fluid-filled membrane and then shine a light throughout the liquid to create a “map” of the ear, the process can be made much more efficient and effective as a 3D file would automatically be generated (Hsu).  In turn, coupled with new scanning technologies, a user will no longer have to deal with the poor fit and discomfort that is generally found with today’s consumer earbuds nor will they need to endure additional costly expenses or wait time.  The end goal is to have a consumer have the scanning process of their ear made and then have the file stored on a database so that they may not only get a custom-fit earbud, but they would be able to personalize the product by picking their color and/or a variety of designs that would be offered by the company as well as the ability to reorder at any point.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-57454025-47/are-headphones-that-are-custom-molded-to-your-ears-worth-it/

http://www.technewsdaily.com/16304-3d-ear-scanning-headphones.html