A New Balance employee works on the bonding process of the New Balance Zante Generate’s assembly at the company’s Lawrence, Mass. facility. (Image: New Balance)
New Balance is releasing a sleek-looking new shoe with a 3D-printed midsole, but consider these facts before you plan to make a purchase: the running shoe will be extremely hard to come by due to limited quantities, and will cost hundreds of dollars.
The American shoe manufacturer announced in a statement Monday that just 44 pairs of its nifty sneakers will be made available for sale Friday morning at a price tag of $400. The shoes will be sold on New Balance’s website and at its New Balance Experience Store in Boston.
The company chose to release only 44 pairs of the shoe, dubbed the “Zante Generate,” as a tribute to its current owner and Chairman Jim Davis, who purchased New Balance 44 years ago.
New Balance created the Zante Generate’s midsole through an effort with 3D Systems, which provided its selective laser sintering technology. The high-tech laser sintering process transforms 3D Systems’ new laser sintering powder, DuraForm TPU Elastomer, into solid cross-sections, one layer at a time.
A detailed view of the New Balance Zante Generate’s 3D printed midsole. (Image: New Balance)
“The new midsoles leverage the benefits of 3D printing and breakthroughs in available materials to achieve an optimal balance of flexibility, strength, weight and durability in an intricate honeycomb midsole structure,” the statement said.
New Balance President and CEO Robert DeMartini added in the statement that the Zante Generate is the first ever running shoe to be brought to market with a 3D printed midsole.
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