25/04/2018
London Marathon
Kipchoge Won London Marathon in 3D Printed Shoes
The Kenyan superstar’s race is believed to be the first-ever ran in 3D printed performance footwear.
It is understood that the 3D shoe is made with performance in mind.The shoe has more cushioning and a customisable fit. They start by taking a three dimensional scan of Kipchoge’s foot strike and load this information along with the athletes feedback into customised software to come up with an upper that is specifically suited to the athletes foot.
The upper of the shoe is printed layer by layer in a special blend of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) material, known for elasticity, transparency and resistance to abrasion and liquids. Water resistance is important for runners who wish to prevent their shoes from getting saturated and heavy. The TPU material, when laid flat, looks and feels like a more supple window screen, with patterns that vary from the forefoot to the heel and on the sides.
The top, which takes just 30 minutes to print, is attached to a sole made from two layers of Nike’s ZoomX foam with a carbon fiber-articulated plate sandwiched in between. Kipchoge said he felt the difference in how his muscles responded to his most difficult training sessions.
“The shoes are really light,” he says. “And they absorb all the impact from the ground. When you run with this kind of shoe with all the efficiency inside it, to recover, it’s really fast. When you step on the ground, there is no impact at all, no soreness in the muscles.”
Source: Composites Manufacturing Magazine.
