Additive manufacturing, and more specifically stereolithography (SL), has enabled a faster route to market for footwear while reducing development costs and aiding the development of more complex shoe designs. With Somos^® Momentum, Stratasys provides a compelling solution combining rich feature detail and dimensional stability with more efficient printing outcomes available without compromising surface quality and dimensional accuracy.

Footwear manufacturers face a multitude of challenges, from developing durable solutions to managing design and the range of sizes required. They continue to seek more effective means to develop new designs to meet increasingly diverse customer needs, while also striving to quicken the pace of design and innovation. Additive manufacturing for footwear tooling has played a key role, and the inherent design flexibility, feature detail, and surface quality offered by SL has led this technology into the mainstream. Footwear manufacturers continue to push for faster design iteration, shorter route to market and more cost- and time-efficient approaches.

Stratasys collaborated with key footwear manufacturers to develop an additive manufacturing material that addresses the specific needs for footwear tooling. Somos^® Momentum offers higher part accuracy, quality and fine feature detail. The outstanding accuracy of the resin allows the forming of sharp features, which in turn enables the creation of detailed soles not only in initial design but also translated into the aluminum mold. In addition, the pink color of the material makes it easy to discern key features in the design and to inspect the parts for surface defects. Taking this technology a step further, direct printing of the sole will omit the need for detailing or texturing, speeding up the traditional tooling process up to 60%, enabling a cost reduction up to 30%.

An extremely durable stereolithography material that creates parts ready for functional testing.

Somos^® NeXt is a highly durable stereolithography material which produces very accurate parts with high feature resolution. This material is ideal for the production of tough, complex parts that also exhibit excellent moisture and thermal resistance. Somos^® NeXt has a look and feel that is almost indistinguishable from finished traditional thermoplastics, making it perfect for building parts and prototypes for functional testing applications – resulting in time, money and material savings during product development.