Adidas, the German sportswear manufacturer, has teased the latest version of its popular 3D printed shoe, Alphaedge 4D.
The first version of Alphaedge 4D was released in 2018. It was made in collaboration with the California-based 3D printer manufacturer Carbon, who used its proprietary CLIP technology, a Digital Light Synthesis process.
3D printed shoes on
In the past few years, adidas has explored the potential of 3D printing to manufacture sneakers. Two years ago, the shoemaker released its 3D printed shoe Y-3, which was designed by Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto. The midsole of the Y-3 was created with Carbon’s CLIP technology.
Recently, the company also released the 3D printed Y-3 RUNNER 4D II sneaker, extending its Futurecraft 4D series. The Futurecraft 4D has been nominated by our readers for 2019 3D Printing Industry Award in the category of Consumer Product of the year.
The success of such products has prompted adidas to release an updated version of the Alphaedge 4D shoe.
Adidas is releasing the latest Alphaedge 4D in two colors: Core Black Carbon and White Carbon. Both will feature an upper part made with adidas’ Primeknit technology. Primeknit is a breathable woven fabric which is lightweight and gives a shoe sock-like fitting for comfort.
As with the previous model of the Alphaedge 4D, the midsole of the shoes will be 3D printed, this time in mint green color.
Priced at $300, the latest Alphaedge 4D shoe will be released on May 31.
Adopting 3D printing
Increasingly consumer product manufacturers are adopting 3D printing technology for mass manufacturing. With its Liquid Floatride Run, Reebok has also ventured in the 3D printed footwear market.
Other examples of 3D printed consumer products include eyeglasses by MOREL and 3D printed razors by Gillette and Formlabs, made on the Form Cell system.
Furthermore, one of the benefits of 3D is manufacturing a product directly from a CAD model. This gives designers the freedom to create innovative and fully-customized products. The possibilities of this design freedom have been explored by Nike. The Zoom VaporFly Elite Flyprint 3D is a prime example of this application.
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Featured image shows the latest version of Alphaedge 4D sneakers. Image via Sneaker Bar Detroit.
