New Balance & Formlabs announce new 3D printed athletic footwear

Global athletic sportswear brand New Balance has updated the TripleCell platform that it created with 3D printing technology from Formlabs, delivering components that are closer to traditional performance cushioning than ever before.

New Balance launched the 990 Sport on June 28 and sold out quickly. The new FuelCell Echo Triple launched on September 27 and costs around £180 (€200). The FuelCell Echo Triple will be available at New Balance Global Flagships (Shanghai, London, New York, Boston and San Francisco) and selected other outlets.

In 2017, New Balance and Formlabs, a Massachusetts-based leader in 3D printing systems announced an exclusive relationship to develop high performance materials, hardware and a manufacturing process for athlete footwear. Through this relationship, a new proprietary photopolymer resin was created called Rebound Resin. Rebound Resin is designed to create springy, resilient lattice structures with the durability, reliability, and longevity expected from an injection moulded thermoplastic.

“TripleCell will deliver the industry’s pinnacle expression of data to design with seamless transitions between variable properties underfoot”, says Katherine Petrecca, New Balance General Manager, Innovation Design Studio.

“This new, cutting edge, digitally manufactured technology is now scaling exclusively within New Balance factories in the US further establishing us as a leader in 3D printing and domestic manufacturing. Formlabs has been an integral partner to bring this to life. We’re really going to be able to disrupt the industry not only in performance, but also in athlete customisation and speed to market,“ Petrecca continued.

“3D printing is changing how companies approach manufacturing, with this announcement New Balance is pioneering localised manufacturing," said Dávid Lakatos, Chief Product Officer of Formlabs.

“By eliminating the dependence on moulds and direct printing for both prototyping and production, their team shifts from months to hours in the development and production cycles. We’re moving towards a world where design cycles are closing in on the whim of the consumer and it’s exciting to be on the frontlines of this with New Balance,” he added.

The FuelCell Echo Triple is the newest addition to the Triple Cell platform representing a performance running model that showcases the latest in 3D printing innovation. The design in the FuelCell Echo Triple is made up of hundreds of precisely shaped and spaced design elements to deliver long-lasting high rebound, cushioning to power your run. The New Balance Innovation Design Studio dropped TripleCell into the forefoot of the FuelCell Echo Triple based on the growing focus of forefoot technology and the learnings taken from the recent launch of the FuelCell platform. 

New Balance chose the 990 Sport to launch the TripleCell platform to reimagine a classic silhouette. The TripleCell technology in the heel seamlessly delivered the cushioning experience found in the classic style but was 10% lighter than the 990v5. The 990 Sport with TripleCell was Made in the USA and the FuelCell Echo Triple is Assembled in the USA.

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