New Balance has announced its first running shoes with a 3D-printed midsole. The new product line will hit the market in Boston on April 15 but in extremely limited numbers.
Only 44 pairs will be made available to customers at Boston's New Balance Experience Store and online, at $400 a pair. In case you were wondering why just 44, the number marks the company's anniversary ever since it was handed over to owner Jim Davis in 1972.
"Our unique position as both a manufacturer and retailer allows us to bring the world's first 3D printed running midsole to market," said New Balance President and CEO Robert DeMartini.
Dubbed Zante Generate, the midsole houses a 3D-printed honeycomb structure covered with hundreds of small, open cells that provide stability, flexibility, durability and cushioning.
The exclusive collaboration with 3D Systems enables New Balance to utilize DuraForm TPU, its newly developed laser sintering powder, to build the new midsole that gives this new line its meaning. The cushioning effect comes from Fresh Foam Zante v2 that offers a "bootie construction with an engineered mesh through the midfoot."
Although Tech Times had earlier reported the new 3D print, the price is something that has come to light recently. Despite using the latest technology, 3D shoe production often generates limited numbers because the products do not really disappear off the shelves with the high price tag.
For that matter, sports clothing company Under Armour targeted the sale of just 96 pairs with its first dabble into the waters of 3D shoes, while Adidas aims to sell only 500 pairs this year.
With the 3D print shoe market expanding and all the big names launching their own line, it remains to be seen how effectively the New Balance Zante Generate fares in this race.
