Adidas & Carbon develop process for mass production of 3D printed footwear

Process overcomes shortcomings of conventional 3D printing methods, ie low production speed & scale

Adidas' Futurecraft 4D footwear — Adidas' Futurecraft 4D shoe

BS B2B Bureau Herzogenaurach, Germany

Last Updated : Apr 19 2017 | 4:02 PM IST

Adidas and Carbon Inc have developed the first mass production process that makes previously impossible midsole geometries with revolutionary 3D printable materials, paving the way for custom, high performance shoes that meet the unique needs of each customer. Midsoles of Adidas’ high performance footwear, Futurecraft 4D, has been crafted with light and oxygen using Digital Light Synthesis, a technology pioneered by Carbon.

Futurecraft 4D’s midsole is born out of 17 years of running data, and brought to functional reality through a pioneering digital footwear component creation process that eliminated the necessity of traditional prototyping or moulding. With the new technology, Adidas now operates on a completely different manufacturing scale and sport performance quality, officially departing from 3D printing, bringing additive manufacturing in the sport industry into a new dimension.

Eric Liedtke, group executive board member responsible for global brands, Adidas, said, “With Digital Light Synthesis, we venture beyond limitations of the past, unlocking a new era in design and manufacturing. One driven by athlete data and agile manufacturing processes. By charting a new course for our industry, we can unleash our creativity- transforming not just what we make, but how we make it.”

Digital Light Synthesis is a breakthrough process pioneered by Carbon that uses digital light projection, oxygen-permeable optics, and programmable liquid resins to generate high-performance, durable polymeric products. Futurecraft 4D is Adidas’s first application of the Digital Light Synthesis, and represents the brand’s step into athlete-data driven design and manufacturing.

With an ambition to create the ultimate running shoe for all, Adidas analysed its library of running data to shape functional zones into a midsole design crafted through Digital Light Synthesis. Unlike any traditional manufacturing technology, Digital Light Synthesis allows Adidas to precisely address the needs of each athlete in regards to movement, cushioning, stability, and comfort with one single component.

Digital Light Synthesis was created by Carbon, a Silicon Valley-based tech company working to revolutionise product creation through hardware, software, and molecular science. This new take on manufacturing enables Adidas designers, sports scientists and engineers to bring even the most intricate designs of their imagination into physical reality. More importantly, it overcomes shortcomings of conventional additive manufacturing methods (ie 3D printing) - such as: low production speed and scale, poor surface quality, and colour and material restrictions. Without these limitations posed by traditional production methods, Adidas can now bring the best and most innovative products to consumers faster than ever.

Through Futurecraft, Adidas started exploring additive manufacturing as a tool to change the way products are created in 2014, and launched Futurecraft 3D Runner, the brand’s first 3D printed performance footwear a year later. Today, Adidas has revolutionised additive manufacturing with Carbon, and is committed to scaling and mass-producing Digital Light Synthesised footwear. The brand will continue to work with Carbon in developing new material and machinery to bring about future innovations. Digital Light Synthesis will become an integral part of Speedfactory, providing consumers with bespoke performance products tailored to their individual physiological data, when and where they desire.