Photos: Making of the New Balance 3D Printed Running Shoe

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Photos: Making of the New Balance 3D Printed Running Shoe

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On April 15, New Balance will be selling 44 pairs of new, state-of-the-art running shoes that will be the first to incorporate 3D printed midsoles. Several other brands have also been developing 3D printing for footwear, but the New Balance Zante Generate will be the first of its kind available to consumers.

The 44 pairs will be sold for $400 each at the New Balance Experience Store at 583 Boylston Street in Boston and on NewBalance.com beginning at 9 a.m. ET. (The brand is releasing 44 pairs as a nod to New Balance owner and chairman Jim Davis, who bought the company 44 years ago.)

The new midsoles leverage the benefits of 3D printing and breakthroughs in materials science to achieve an optimal balance of flexibility, strength, weight and durability in an intricate honeycomb midsole structure, the company said in a release. “Within this incredibly flexible midsole, hundreds of small, open cells provide cushioning and structure,” the release said.

The 3D printed midsoles were manufactured in the U.S. and assembled at the New Balance factory in Lawrence, Mass. Here’s a step-by-step, behind-the-scenes look at the process:

Photos: Courtesy of New Balance