New Balance Launching 3D-Printed Running Shoe in Boston in 2016

New Balance will unveil this yet-unnamed shoe with a 3D-printed midsole in early 2016.

New Balance has announced plans to launch a new state-of-the-art running shoe in April that incorporates a 3D printed midsole. While other brands have also been developing 3D printing for footwear, the yet-unnamed New Balance shoe could become the first of its kind available to recreational runners.

New Balance says the new midsoles will leverage the benefits of 3D printing and breakthroughs in materials science “to achieve an optimal balance of flexibility, strength, weight and durability.” The price and sample size weight specs of the new shoe haven’t been made available as of yet, but the shoe will have a 6mm heel-toe offset. The new high-performance shoes will have midsoles made from a newly developed elastometric powder and a process known as selective laser sintering (SLS). That process involves converting the DuraForm Flex TPU powder materials into solid cross-sections, layer by layer, using a laser.

VIDEO: Watch a New Balance Video Explaining Its 3D Printed Shoe

New Balance, a privately owned Boston-based company, says the latest designs of the 3D printed midsole are based on underfoot pressure data from heel strikers with more cushioning elements in areas of higher average pressure. This data-to-design formula is similar to the protocol New Balance designers used to create the award-winning Fresh Foam collection.

RELATED: An Up-Close Look at the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante

New Balance will debut the limited edition shoes at 2016 Consumer Electronics Show Jan. 6-9 in Las Vegas, but they won’t become available to the public until April in Boston. (The company hasn’t said whether the shoes would be available at the 2016 Boston Marathon race expo or at the New Balance store on Boylston Street near the Boston Marathon finish line.)

“This project represents an unprecedented technical collaboration in footwear,” New Balance senior manager of innovation and engineering Sean Murphy said in a release. “To deliver this level of performance with a 3D printed component, we paired experts in running and biomechanics with leaders in plastics engineering, material development and generative design. These are the types of collaborations that will drive footwear design and manufacturing in the future.”

Several other brands are also working on 3D printed footwear concepts, but this is the first announcement of a shoe that will be available to consumers.

New Balance has been developing its 3D printed footwear technologies for several years. In 2013, it developed track spikes for middle-distance runner Jack Bolas with a data-customized, 3D-printed spike plate, the first time the technology has been used in competition. Last year, Kim Conley won the 10,000-meter run at the U.S. championships in a pair of custom-printed spikes. The brand has also used the technology to create customized footwear for baseball and soccer players.

RELATED: How New Balance Developed the 1500v2 for Ironman Champ Sebastian Kienle

“In 2013 we said this was the future of footwear manufacturing and today we are proud to bring the future to consumers with a fully 3D printed midsole,” said New Balance president and CEO Robert DeMartini. “With 3D printing, we are able to pursue performance customization at a whole new level.”

Related: Adidas Uses 3D Printing to Develop Customizable Shoes

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