New Balance Develops 1st 3D Printed Running Shoe

NEW BALANCE LAUNCHES FIRST 3D PRINTED RUNNING SHOE

 

BOSTON, NOVEMBER 19, 2015
‰ÛÓ Global athletic leader New Balance announced today they will be
launching the first high
performance running shoe with a 3D printed midsole. Through an
exclusive collaboration with 3D Systems and their newly developed
elastomeric powder, DuraForm® Flex TPU, New Balance has made significant
advancements in the performance of printed parts for running
shoes. The new midsoles leverage the benefits of 3D printing and
breakthroughs in materials science to achieve an optimal balance of
flexibility, strength, weight and durability. This limited edition,
state-of-the-art running shoe will launch first in Boston
in April 2016 and then in select New Balance retail locations around
the globe. The shoes will also be on display and in use by employees in
the 3D Systems booth at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in
January.

 

The
latest designs of the 3D printed midsole are based on underfoot
pressure data from heel strikers with more cushioning elements in areas
of higher average pressure. This data to design formula
follows the path that New Balance designers used to create the award
winning Fresh Foam collection. For midsole production, New Balance uses
selective laser sintering (SLS), a process which converts new powder
materials into solid cross-sections, layer by
layer, using a laser. DuraForm® Flex TPU powder gives the resulting
parts a previously unavailable combination of strength and elasticity
that is ideal for performance running shoes.

 

“This
project represents an unprecedented technical collaboration in
footwear”, says Sean Murphy New Balance Senior Manager of Innovation
and Engineering. “To deliver this level of performance with a 3D
printed component, we paired experts in running and biomechanics with
leaders in plastics engineering, material development and generative
design. These are the types of collaborations that will
drive footwear design and manufacturing in the future.”  

In
2013 New Balance was the first athletic brand to have a track athlete,
middle distance runner Jack Bolas, compete with data-customized, 3D
printed spike plates. Since then Team New Balance
athletes have continued to compete in custom, printed spikes including
US Olympic Athlete Kim Conley at the 2014 USATF Outdoor National
Championships where she came in first in the 10,000m. Beyond Track &
Field New Balance has also created customized soccer
cleats and baseball spikes for its elite athletes. New Balance soccer
star Aaron Ramsey wore a bespoke boot with printed plates in the FA Cup
Final on May 30, 2015. New Balance continues to expand data
customization with elite athletes and expects more athletes
to test out customized products in practice and games in the near
future.

 

“In
2013 we said this was the future of footwear manufacturing and today we
are proud to bring the future to consumers with a fully 3D printed
midsole,” says New Balance President and CEO Robert
DeMartini. “With 3D printing we are able to pursue performance
customization at a whole new level. The New Balance Innovation Team is
showcasing the latest in performance running and these advancements
signify an important step forward to becoming one of the
world’s top athletic brands.” 

 

For more information please visit
www.newbalance.com.

 

About New Balance

New
Balance, headquartered in Boston, MA has the following mission:
Demonstrating responsible leadership, we build global brands that
athletes are proud to wear, associates
are proud to create and communities are proud to host. New Balance is
the only major company to make or assemble more than 4 million pairs of
athletic footwear per year in the USA, which represents a limited
portion of our US sales. Where the domestic value
is at least 70%, we label our shoes Made in the USA. New Balance owns
five factories in New England and one in Flimby, U.K. New Balance
employs more than 5,000 associates around the globe, and in 2014
reported worldwide sales of $3.3 billion. To learn more
about New Balance, please visit www.newbalance.com.