Tag Archives: shoes

Top 3D Printing News Last Week: MakerBot Digitizer, SXSW, Shoes, Drugs

MakerBot Digitzer 3D Printing

A roundup of the top 3D printing news from March 4 to March 10:

Tuesday, March 5

New Balance Develops 3D Printed Shoes for Elite Athletes

New Balance 3D Printing Shoes

New Balance, a global leader in athletic shoes, has announced a specialized process for 3D printed shoes, focused on their high performance products for athletes. Elite athletes can now have their spike plates customized to individual specifications and created using 3D printing.

“With 3D printing we are able to pursue performance customization at a new level to help our elite NB athletes and eventually all athletes. We believe this is the future of performance footwear and we are excited to bring this to consumers,” said New Balance President and CEO Robert DeMartini. “As the only major athletic brand to manufacture shoes in the U.S., we are proud to invest in American workers.    Developing our printing capabilities could ultimately help us further invest in the American worker by adding highly technical positions to our already skilled labor force in Massachusetts and Maine.”

New Balance Shoes 3D Printing

More from the New Balance press release.

New Balance has developed a proprietary process for utilizing a runner’s individual biomechanical data to create hyper-customized spike plates designed to improve performance.  The process requires race simulation biomechanical data which the New Balance Sports Research Lab collects using a force plate, in-shoe sensors and a motion capture system.   Advanced algorithms and software are then applied to translate this data into custom 3D printed spike designs.

For the production of the custom plates, New Balance uses selective laser sintering (SLS) to convert powder materials into solid cross-sections, layer by layer using a laser.  SLS printing enables the customization process by allowing for complex designs that could not be achieved through traditional manufacturing methods.  Additionally, SLS printing greatly accelerates the turnaround time from design to functional part.

NB Athletes involved in the development of this process included: 2008 and 2012 US Olympic Athlete and current 1500m World Champion gold medalist Jenny Barringer Simpson, 2012 US Olympic Athlete Kim Conley, 2012 Great Britain Olympic Athlete Barbara Parker and 4 time All-American runner in the 800m, 1500m and the Mile Jack Bolas. These athletes provided key feedback in order to develop spike plates that spoke to each individual athlete’s personal preference, biomechanics and specific race needs.

“Utilizing our Team New Balance Athletes to develop the customization process was extremely helpful”, said Sean Murphy, New Balance’s Senior Manager of Innovation and Engineering.   “We are impressed with their precise ability to identify and speak to the differences in the custom options provided.  They are acutely aware of what is happening in their shoes”.

In addition to printing semi-rigid parts like spike plates for track runners, New Balance is working on softer SLS printed components that mimic the cushioning properties of foam midsoles.  This initiative will be critical to bringing the customization process to a broader audience of athletes .

At the New Balance Games in January 2013, Team New Balance athlete, Jack Bolas, became the first ever track athlete to compete in customized, 3D printed plates.

3D Printing and the Runway: Fashion Gets Printed in Belgium

3D Printed Fashion Show

We’ve written before about fashion and 3D printing, but that story was about a single designer making a line of 3D printed shoes. This past week at the Materialise World Conference, a fashion show was held in which runway models showcased an entire collection of 3D printed haute couture accessories.

Here is a summary form Materialise:

Following a day featuring speakers such as Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, Prof. Dr. Vermeersch, member of the surgical team responsible for Belgium’s first face transplant, and Iris van Herpen, rising star in the world of Haute Couture, the Materialise World Conference put on a fashion show with a 3D printed twist. Making their runway debut were four hats from Brussels’ master milliner Elvis Pompilio, clutch purses and necklaces by renowned designer Daniel Widrig, and a collection of stunning pieces that redefine how accessories can be worn by Niccolo Casas. Also on the catwalk were the top 20 designs of a hat and hair accessory competition, the “Hat’s Off to 3D Printing Challenge,” which was put together by Materialise’s consumer division i.materialise. All of the designs were produced by Materialise at their Headquarters in Leuven, Belgium.

3D Printed Fashion Show Accessories

 

Via Materialise.

View full photo album on Facebook.

Explaining the Future: The 3D Printing Revolution by Christopher Barnatt [Video]

Christopher Barnatt of ExplainingTheFuture.com discusses 3D printing of today and where the technology is headed in this primer video.

Key topics in the video:

  • Additive product creation
  • 3d printing applications: eyewear, shoes, chocolate
  • Digital designs marketplaces
  • Local manufacturing and reduced shipping costs
  • Reduced waste in the manufacturing process
  • Decomposition and digital recycling
  • Open-source hardware designs and DIY
  • Low-cost 3D printers targeted at mainstream consumers

Fashion On Demand: 3D Printed Shoes by Melissas

Using flexible, proprietary plastics called Melflex, Melissas’ shoes are created on demand using 3D printing technology.

Fashion? Yes, fashion.

This example provides a glimpse of the future – how 3D printing will pervade every industry and change the way we manufacture consumer products. Imagine walking into a shoe store, picking out a style, getting your feet measured and then having shoes made to order while you sit comfortably with a glass of cucumber water and a magazine. It will happen.

Read more about Melissas’ shoes experiments in Green Fashion.