This section of SportTechie, “Sports Tech Wire”, contains original press releases issued by various companies and industry organizations. The releases are reviewed by the SportTechie editorial staff to ensure relevancy to the sports technology industry. For information and access, send your name and email address to info@SportTechie.com
BOSTON, APRIL 11, 2016 – Global athletic leader New Balance announces details surrounding the limited sale of the first high performance running shoe with a full-length 3D printed midsole. On Friday, April 15 at 9:00 a.m. EST New Balance will release 44 pairs of the Zante Generatein a nod to New Balance Owner & Chairman, Jim Davis, who purchased the company (44 years ago) on Patriot’s Day in 1972. The 44 pairs will be available for $400 USD at www.newbalance.com and the New Balance Experience Store at 583 Boylston Street in Boston.
“New Balance is at the forefront of 3D printing and has been utilizing this exciting and innovative technology to customize product for our athletes for a number of years,” says New Balance President and CEO Robert DeMartini. “Our unique position as both a manufacturer and retailer allows us to bring the world’s first 3D printed running midsole to market. The Zante Generate demonstrates the strength of New Balance design and innovation and will allow consumers to own a piece of running technology history.”
Through an exclusive collaboration with 3D Systems, New Balance utilizes the company’s newly developed laser sintering powder, DuraForm® TPU Elastomer to make significant advancements in the performance of printed parts for running shoes. The new midsoles leverage the benefits of 3D printing and breakthroughs in available materials to achieve an optimal balance of flexibility, strength, weight and durability in an intricate honeycomb midsole structure. Within this incredibly flexible midsole, hundreds of small, open cells provide cushioning and structure. The Zante Generate upper is taken from the Fresh Foam Zante v2, which features a bootie construction with an engineered mesh through the midfoot to allow for soft, supple support.
For the Zante Generate midsole, New Balance used 3D Systems’ selective laser sintering (SLS) technology, a 3D printing process which converts the new powder material into solid cross-sections, layer by layer, using a laser. The 3D printed midsole was domestically manufactured in the United States and assembled by New Balance’s talented associates at brand’s factory in Lawrence, MA.
For more information please visit www.newbalance.com.
About New Balance
New Balance, headquartered in Boston, MA has the following mission: Demonstrating responsible leadership, we build global brands that athletes are proud to wear, associates are proud to create and communities are proud to host. New Balance is the only major company to make or assemble more than 4 million pairs of athletic footwear per year in the USA, which represents a limited portion of our US sales. Where the domestic value is at least 70%, we label our shoes Made in the USA. New Balance owns five factories in New England and one in Flimby, U.K. New Balance employs more than 5,000 associates around the globe, and in 2015 reported worldwide sales of $3.72 billion. To learn more about New Balance, please visit www.newbalance.com and for the latest press information please visithttp://newbalance.newsmarket.com.