New Balance Shows Off Their First 3D Printed Running Shoe

Running shoe manufacturer New Balance is set to be the first to cross the finish line with 3-D printed shoes designed for mass production.

Introducing the new 3D running shoe on Thursday, New Balance said that the shoe will first be exhibited in Boston in April 2016. Although the shoe’s upper will include traditional materials, the 3D-printed midsole will replace a standard foam midsole.

Utilizing 3D printed technology in performance running shoes has, to date, been stifled by the lack of flexibility and give of the material once put into a running shoe’s midsole. The price and sample size weight specs of the new shoe haven’t been made available as of yet, but the shoe will have a 6mm heel-toe offset.

Sean Murphy New Balance Senior Manager of Innovation and Engineering explains more about the revolutionary design of the running shoe. “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”.

The athletics company said it partnered with 3D Systems Inc. of Rock Hill, S.C., whose equipment uses a laser to bond super-thin layers of polymerized powder into a solid. Adidas is expected to use 3D printing in the future but not in a high-performance running shoe. “These are the types of collaborations that will drive footwear design and manufacturing in the future”.

Several other brands are also working on 3D printed footwear concepts, but this is the first announcement of a shoe that will be available to consumers.

New Balance isn’t new to 3D printing. Due to the technology, they are hoping it will appeal to “serious amateur runners” interested in innovative footwear. Kim Conley won the USA Track & Field women’s 10,000 meter championship in 2014 while wearing the company’s 3-D printed spikes, and Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey won the FA cup in May with printed plates on his boots.

Because the 3D Systems printers used in New Balance’s Lawrence, MA manufacturing plant can only print about eight pairs of midsoles per day, availability will be somewhat limited.

Said the company’s President Robert DeMartini, “With 3D printing we are able to pursue performance customization at a whole new level”.