Why Do Sports Brand Reebok Favor 3D Printing?

recently reebok The company has announced radical innovation. footwear Manufacturing process -- Liquid Factory. The core of this process is 3D printing. Reebok believes that this will fundamentally change the process and speed of footwear innovation.

　 Reebok's new 3D Technology

The new technology was developed by Reebok Future team. The technology takes advantage of the liquid material developed by Reebok, the chemical giant BASF (BASF), and uses the 3D Drawing technology to draw the shoe parts clean and accurately at the 3D level. The company says this proprietary layering technology can be used to create completely unique shoes without using traditional molds. Using this technology can create high performance more efficiently and quickly. Gym shoes 。

　　 Bill McInnis is the head of the Future team. He was a NASA engineer before. He said:

"With this new technology, we can program the robot to create the outsole of the whole shoe without mold, and create an unprecedented energy feedback (energy-return) shoe outsole only by drawing layers of high energy liquid material. The performance of the shoe outsole is much higher than that of the typical rubber outsole. In addition, this brand new Liquid Factory technology is also used to create a unique matching system that can be modeled around the feet to provide three-dimensional adaptation.

　 What changes will this technology bring?

Bill McInnis said:

In the past 30 years, footwear manufacturing technology has basically not changed much. Every shoe of every brand is made by mould. This is an expensive and time-consuming process. Through Liquid Factory, we want to fundamentally change the way shoes are made and create a new way without mold. This opens up new possibilities for what we can create and at what speed we create.

The first concept shoe of this craft is Liquid Speed, which is a running shoe that pays great attention to energy feedback, and integrates the outsole and lace to enhance the feeling of the whole foot in all directions, and the feedback is very sensitive. But this shoe is limited to 300 pairs, priced at $189.50.

　 Sports shoes brands favor 3D printing.

Reebok's new technology makes people look forward to it, but Reebok is not the only one.

At present, the major sports shoes brands all over the world have tested 3D printing sports shoes. Among them, Nike, ADI, NewBalance launched the concept shoes of 3D printing one after another last year and last year. Let's look at several mainstream brands in the market.

　 Adidas

In October 7, 2015, Adidas, the world's famous sports shoes and sporting goods manufacturer, released its 3D print running shoes series "Futurecraft 3D" concept map and video. According to Adidas's official website, in the future, users only need to run a few steps on the treadmill in Adidas store, Adidas can quickly get the foot characteristics and data of runners, and then use 3D printing technology to create this running shoes.

In July, Herbert Hainer, the company's CEO, told Japan's economic news, "we are using 3D printers to produce some shoe soles, but the cost is still very high." but it is still said that the next stage of robotics automation plant will be 3D printers.

ADI also awarded the latest 3D print Futurecraft sneakers to the athletes who won medals at Rio Olympic Games. This pair of sneakers has designed a special 3D net structure, 3D printed heel and 3D printing high breathable Primeknit vamp at its high force area. The application of these new technologies means that the Adidas sneakers need not be bonded or stitched. ADI named it "3D Printed Winners Shoe" (3D printing).

Nike

As early as 2013, Nike developed the first 3D print sports shoes, called Rugby shoes called "Vapor Laser Talon". In January 2014, Nike launched the new Vapor Carbon 2014 elite running shoes as part of the NFL Nike silver speed series (Silver Speed) for the forty-eighth Super Bowl held that year. In February of the same year, Nike launched third Vapor HyperAgility sneakers developed with 3D printing technology.

In May 17, 2016, the traditional printing giant HP finally launched the first HP Jet Fusio 3D printer product, and claimed that the product was 10 times faster than its competitors and could reduce the printing cost by 50%. Subsequently, Nike announced that it had formed a strategic partnership with Hewlett-Packard Co, and would use the latter's Jet Fusion 3D printer to manufacture footwear prototypes at a faster rate.

New Balance

In November 19, 2015, New Balance announced the launch of a 3D print mid sole running shoe and announced that the shoe would be sold as a limited edition during the Boston marathon in April this year.

In order to enhance the technology optimization design of the 3D print running shoes, New Balance is aligned with Intel, using the latter's RealSense 3D scanning and imaging technology to collect accurate measurement data of each customer's foot, and may produce the most accurate customizable 3D print midsole in the market.

In April 11, 2016, New Balance announced that it would be open to sell the limited edition running shoes Zante Generate with 3D print midsole. This is also the first 3D print sports shoes sold by New Balance, the first 3D print running shoes made by New Balance for ordinary runners.

Before that, New Balance was developing shoes for elite athletes using 3D printing technology. As early as 2013, the company printed a highly customized shoe pin for its 3D according to the personal characteristics of the athlete Jack Bolas.

　 Andrea

In March 7, 2016, Andemar (Under Armour) showcase its first limited edition 3D printing high-performance training shoes, UA Architech.

This pair of trainers has a 3D printed midsole and a very sculptured 3D ClutchFit upper. It is printed by the company's innovative laboratory in Baltimore using Autodesk software. The software uses a unique generative design to create the crystal middle sole of the shoe. This structure is combined with high-performance polymers and elastomers, which will provide users with a stable heel support structure and meet the buffering capacity of high strength training.

In early August, Andrew announced that he would make a pair of sneakers for Michael Phelps (Michael Phelps). This pair of shoes also uses the 3D printing midsole technology of Andrew company.

Why is 3D printing favored by sneakers?

First of all, reduce costs. Although the cost is still a big obstacle for 3D printing sports shoes to be produced on a large scale. But in the future, 3D printing will reduce costs from design, mold and production process.

For example, traditionally, a shoe pin plate often needs several injection moulds of different sizes, all costs up to several thousand dollars. These molds are usually scrapped or replaced each year, and thousands of spikes can be manufactured before that. A mold usually represents a product model. Using the EOS solution, laser sintering can print 3D at 4 times to five different to six hours.

As early as in 2013, ADI has said that before 12 technicians needed to make the prototype manually, no more than two people could finish using 3D printing. 3D printers have significantly reduced the time required to evaluate a new prototype, which took four to six weeks, and now only takes one to two days.

Secondly, the possibility of design and creation will also increase greatly.

The brand of sports shoes is a field that advocates fashion, personality and innovation. 3D printing greatly releases the imagination and creation possibility of design. 3Dshoes.com, an e-commerce platform, once said: "once 3D printing becomes more popular, anyone can own their own brand. Some people are more likely to succeed with their own 3D print shoes brand."

　 The founder of 3Dshoes.com quoted a speech by American rap giant Kanye West:

That's what I'm afraid of: 3D printing. Just as the Internet has destroyed the music industry, I am worried that 3D printing will destroy the textile industry today. Maybe one day, everyone will be able to print shoes at home.

Such worries are not impossible. When everyone can print their own shoes, the traditional sports shoes enterprises will lose their value and the shoe companies will have to relocate themselves.