New Balance launches 3D-printed trainer

London - Sportswear brand New Balance is launching the world’s first high-performance running shoe with a full-length 3D-printed midsole this week.

The New Balance Zante Generate trainers will be available from Friday, April 15 via the brand’s website and direct from its flagship store in Boston, America, however, there will only be 44 pairs on sale, one for every year since current chairman Jim Davis bought the company on Patriot’s Day in 1972.

“New Balance is at the forefront of 3D printing and has been utilising this exciting and innovative technology to customise products for our athletes for a number of years,” said 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.”

New Balance develops 3D-printed running shoes

The trainer has been developed in collaboration with 3D Systems utilising a newly-developed laser sintering powder, DuraForm TPU Elastomer to make significant advancements in the performance of printed parts for running shoes. For the Zante Generate midsole, New Balance has used selective laser sintering, a process which converts the new powder material into solid cross-sections, layer by layer, using a laser.

New Balance states that the 3D-printed midsoles have the optimal balance of flexibility, strength, weight and durability of its other trainers due to the Zante Generate’s intricate honeycomb midsole structure.

The price of being an early adopter of new technology is never cheap, the limited-edition run of 44 pairs of Zante Generate trainers will cost 400 dollars a pair when they go on sale at 09.00am EST, Friday, April 15.

Images: New Balance