New adidas 4DFWD Shoes with 3D Printed Midsoles Available for Purchase
Update:
The new
4DFWD shoes from adidas,
just worn on the podium by
adidas
athletes at the Tokyo Olympics, are now available to the public for purchase for $200.
adidas has worked with Carbon to 3D print midsoles using the start-up’s Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) technology for the past four years. This resulted in several limited release shoe lines featuring 3D printed midsoles. Now, the company has announced the newest product using 3D printing, the adidas 4DFWD, which the athleticwear giant claims actually bounces runners forward.
In a press event ahead of the release, Sam Handy, Vice President Design at adidas Running, explained how the company began moving from prototyping with 3D printing to end part production using selective laser sintering and harder materials:
The 4DFWD line advances on the 4D Futurecraft and AlphaEDGE lines before it with a unique lattice structure design adidas described as a bowtie geometry. Rather than a helical or simple crisscross shape, the lattice cells of the 4DFWD midsoles resemble a bowtie that has been “coded to compress forward upon vertical impact.” Phil DeSimone, Carbon co-founder and chief business officer, told 3DPrint.com how the lattice structure was ultimately chosen:
In turn, it offers 23% more cushioning and creates three times more forward motion under vertical loading in mechanical testing conditions. Additionally, the peak braking force by a runner is cut by 15 percent on average due to the fact that these vertical impact forces are converted into horizontal forward motion. The shoes were put through bio-mechanical testing University of Calgary, along with adidas runners, while “cognitive perception testing” was performed at Arizona State University.
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At the press event, Alberto Uncini Manganelli, SVP and General Manager for adidas Running & Credibility Sports, said that the new shoe line represents a step forward in the company’s sustainability goals:
Moving toward that goal, the new PRIMEKNIT upper is made in part from recycled polyester and, as mentioned, the midsole is made from 39 percent bio-based material. Dr. DeSimone elaborated on the development of this new polymer:
According to DeSimone, Carbon attempts to reduce its ecological impact as much as possible, in part by using plant-based materials that require less energy:
adidas is expanding its use of 3D printing technology, but is no longer focusing on the use of the Carbon SpeedCell. An adidas representative told 3DPrint.com:
Though adidas and Carbon weren’t able to comment on the exact number of pairs that will be produced, Dr. DeSimone mentioned that adidas’s 4D midsoles may become the highest volume 3D printed product yet produced:
I was not only surprised to learn that over one million adidas midsoles had been 3D printed so far, but also that the 4D product was projected to exceed other markets in terms of unit volume. 3D printed hearing aids have long been held up as the success story for 3D printed goods, with the claim made that “millions” of 3D printed hearing aids are in the world today. Some estimates have the number of 3D printed devices out in the world at 10 million.
The difference between midsoles from a powerful business like adidas and hearing aids is that the hearing aid market is only a fraction (~$10 to $14 billion) of the athletic footwear market (~$56 billion to $64 billion). This is obviously due to the fact that many more people wear shoes than use medical devices. According to SmarTech’s report on 3D printed footwear, “3D-Printed Footwear 2020-2030, an Analysis of the Market Potential of 3D Printing in the Footwear Industry“, the market for AM in footwear is projected to exceed $4.2 billion in annual revenues in 2025, with Carbon and adidas listed as major players in that segment. So, the idea that adidas will use Carbon technology to 3D print more midsoles than there are hearing aids isn’t surprising in itself. I will just be surprised to see it take off so quickly.
The new shoe line was first released in limited series from May 5 to 16, with three color combinations. This included a Tokyo Collection variety to celebrate the Tokyo Olympics. Now, the shoes are available to the public for purchase here.
Tagged with: 3D printed footwear • 3D printed lattice structure • 3D printed midsoles • 3d printed shoes • 4DFWD • Adidas • Carbon • lattice structure • Phil DeSimone • running shoes • shoes
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