Chinese 3D printer manufacturer Farsoon Technologies is 3D printing molds to support high-volume shoe production.
The company has integrated its metal 3D printing into the traditional manufacturing workflow to fabricate athletic and casual footwear molds. These have reportedly been used to produce over 100 million pairs of shoes to date.
Farsoon began prototyping and testing its first shoe molds in 2019, which were adopted by a “leading footwear brand” in 2020. The company’s FS350M-4 3D printer was introduced to the shoe-mold market last year, with its “EVA” mold reaching industrial-scale production.
Formnext + PM South China 2023 saw the company showcase its 3D printed tooling for high-volume manufacturing applications. This included molds for vape pens/e-cigarettes. In China, 80% of these devices are reportedly produced using 3D printed molds.
At the show, a representative from fellow Chinese metal 3D printer manufacturer Bright Laser Technologies told 3D Printing Industry about its own 3D printed shoe molds. Compared to traditional production processes, these reportedly reduce production-cycle times from two weeks to 10 hours. They added that over half of conventional sports shoe molding could be replaced by additive manufacturing.
3D printing optimizes high-volume footwear production
Conventional shoe manufacturing is a labor-intensive process. It includes creating CNC wood models, making silicone molds, producing plaster molds, consolidating the plaster, casting the metal molds, and applying texturing.
According to Farsoon, the industry is plagued by complex production steps, labor shortages, precision requirements, and the need for more eco-friendly practices. Conventional methods also struggle to achieve detailed texturing, stunting the precision and quality of the final product.
The company claims that 3D printing the molds significantly streamlines this process, while digital texturing enables the precise replication of intricate patterns.
Farsoon’s metal additive manufacturing technology reportedly enhances efficiency and speeds up production cycles, helping to reduce costs and shorten time to market. The process includes designing the molds which are uploaded to CAD/CAM software, 3D printed, and completed through post-processing.
This shorter production cycle is especially valuable for shoe manufacturers who produce numerous designs each year to keep up with seasonal fashion trends.
3D printed shoe molds
Since entering the footwear market, Farsoon Technologies has produced three mold designs that are widely used in injection molding.
Its 3D printed “RB” mold was introduced in 2019. Farsoon claims that this product enables the integration of up to thousands of intricate design patterns within a single mold, enhancing design flexibility and production efficiency. Compared to conventional manufacturing, these 3D printed molds reduce lead times and improve product durability by 20%.
Farsoon’s 3D “popcorn mold” is designed to improve the precision of shoe sole production. Each mold features 16,000 ventilation holes, each with a 0.1 mm diameter, and possesses a surface density of 95%. This is said to ensure excellent aeration while preventing clogging to produce footwear that is lightweight and elastic.
The 3D printed “EVA” mold is advertised as marking a “breakthrough” in manufacturing efficiency. Conventional EVA foam mold production involves thermoforming and cooling, with production efficiency largely dependent on cooling times.
these molds integrate conformal cooling channels, creating a good fit between the cooling channels and the mold surface. This reportedly boosts high-production efficiency by 100%, improving yield and product quality.
Farsoon’s growing shoe production ecosystem
In response to the needs of the shoe industry, Farsoon launched the quad-laser FS350M-4 3D printer including tailor-made features for shoe mold production.
With 4 500-watt fiber lasers and fast scanning speeds of up to 10m/s, it boasts powder recoating technology that can reach speeds up to 400mm/s. This allows the entire powder bed to be covered in 8 seconds, translating to 38% higher efficiency than standard recoating.
Overhang structures can pose challenges in metal 3D printing. Farsoon’s Support Reduction System (SRS) technology seeks to mitigate this. It reduces the need for supports compared to standard metal PBF processes, allowing parts to be 3D printed at 25° angles without any support.
To further address the material and application demands of shoe production, Farsoon conducted collaborative studies on material sintering, composition, and morphology. In 2021, this work led to the development of ST1. Billed as the industry’s first 3D printable low-carbon alloy steel, the material is designed for metal powder bed fusion (PBF) processes.
Unlike stainless steel, ST1 reportedly enables precise patterning, a critical requirement for shoe mold manufacturing. Farsoon has since expanded its material processing portfolio to include various stainless steel and aluminum alloys tailored for shoe mold production. These seek to address challenges associated with excessive hardness and insufficient engraving, boosting long-term durability and stability.
More recently, in May 2024, Farsoon introduced a new texturing software specifically tailored for shoe mold designers. The tool allows users to assign multiple origin points on a shoe mold to generate customized textures. Designers can also fine-tune algorithms to create personalized pattern distributions on mold surfaces.
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The growth of 3D printed footwear
Additive manufacturing is being increasingly adopted in the production of consumer goods, with footwear application being no exception. While Farsoon is producing shoe molds to support million-part production runs, other companies 3D print end-use footwear products in smaller volumes.
Last year, sports equipment manufacturing firm Adidas introduced the MC87 4D, a limited-edition golf shoe featuring a 3D printed midsole.
Produced using US 3D printer OEM Carbon’s Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) technology. This uses digital light projection, oxygen-permeable optics, and resins to produce high-quality parts. DLS reportedly allows designers and engineers to iterate faster, consolidate parts, and create and produce geometries not possible with conventional molding, including software-tunable lattices.
Elsewhere, Multinational printing firm HP partnered with Brooks Running to develop a 3D printing-enabled running shoe. Called the Exhilarate-BL, the footwear offering features 3DNA, a 3D printed midsole designed to provide a propulsive, and springy feel.
HP’s Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) 3D printing technology was used to fabricate the midsole, which is said to outperform 90% of midsoles in today’s market. The shoes were marketed through a limited release to select Wear Testers and Run Club members.
On the leisure footwear side, UAE-based 3D printed footwear startup ELASTIUM offers fully 3D printed sneakers made from 100% recyclable foam.
The lattice-structured low-density thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) foam material is combined with ELASTIUM’s proprietary granulate extrusion 3D printing technology to produce the ELASTIUM-1. Designed to be comfortable, durable, and machine-washable, the company’s sneakers are produced on demand. This reportedly eliminates conventional manufacturing expenses, reduces carbon emissions, and promotes sustainability.
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Featured image shows a shoe mold 3D printed by Farsoon Technologies. Image via Farsoon Technologies.
