HeelBase has started taking pre-orders for DRIVE, a 3D printed insole developed for pickleball, which the company describes as the world’s first 3D printed insole designed specifically for the sport. DRIVE is priced at US$59 per pair during the pre-order period, down from a listed regular price of US$99.
The product is an example of additive manufacturing (AM) used to combine functions within a single part. HeelBase prints cushioning and arch structure together as one lattice, with no glued layers, and shapes the geometry around the loads of a single sport.
Printing Cushioning and Arch Structure as One Part
“We didn’t start by asking how to make a softer insole. We asked what an insole needs to do when a player stops hard, changes direction and stays on court for another game,” said Dean Pike, Co-Founder of HeelBase.
DRIVE is produced as one continuous polyurethane part with a supportive arch and a more forgiving heel. Without adhesive interfaces between layers, the company says the insole is designed to hold consistent stability through the repeated hard stops, pivots, and lateral steps common in pickleball.
An 11.3mm heel cup keeps the heel in position, while a 16mm arch cradle and a 4.3mm lateral flange brace the foot during stops and sideways movement. An open lattice runs through the part to allow airflow.
Development and Player Testing
Work on the HeelBase product line started in 2024 and spanned more than two years and 24 prototype iterations, according to the company. Before launch, 144 participants tested the company’s three insole models for a combined total of over 3,000 hours. Testers either received the insoles at no cost or borrowed them.
HeelBase notes that the program gathered real-world product feedback and did not produce clinical data on treatment outcomes. The company classifies its products as general-wellness items and states they do not replace professional medical advice.
“We want to make underfoot support part of how people prepare to play, not something they only consider when they have to stop,” said Pike.
Pricing and Availability
Alongside the single-pair price, a two-pair bundle is offered for US$100. HeelBase expects to close the pre-order window in late September 2026 and to ship orders by the end of the month.
Delivery is limited to the continental United States, with free standard shipping on orders of US$79 and above. Each purchase carries a 30-day money-back guarantee that starts on the delivery date, subject to the company’s returns policy.
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Detail |
| Material | Polyurethane |
| Construction | One-piece 3D printed lattice |
| Heel cup | 11.3mm |
| Arch cradle | 16mm |
| Lateral flange | 4.3mm |
| Forefoot | 4mm |
| Weight | 54.9g per insole |
| Sizing | Nine individual sizes (not trimmable) |
Printed Lattices Tuned to Sport-Specific Loads
With DRIVE, HeelBase applies AM to an insole produced in nine standard sizes, using a single printed lattice for both arch structure and cushioning. The geometry is shaped around the hard stops, pivots, and lateral movement of pickleball.
In 2021, adidas and Carbon released the 4DFWD midsole, printed with Carbon’s digital light synthesis (DLS) technology. Its lattice cell compresses forward under vertical impact, which the companies reported reduced peak braking force during running by 15 percent on average. Both products tune a printed lattice to one sport’s movement, though the 4DFWD is a midsole built into a running shoe.
Superfeet offers 3D printed insoles generated from an iPhone scan, each with a printed support cap that includes a custom arch profile and a stability lattice, paired with a foam layer. Like DRIVE, it relies on a printed structure for arch support, but each insole is built from an individual scan and combines separate parts.
For HeelBase, DRIVE brings sport-specific lattice design to a pre-sized insole for regular pickleball play.
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Featured image shows HeelBase DRIVE, the world’s first 3D-printed insole designed specifically for pickleball.
