It’s been a while that we haven’t heard of HP in the footwear industry. The company is part of a tripartite collaboration whose goal is to produce custom 3D printed insoles for end-users.

In this collaboration, we will find Superfeet, HP and New balance. The deal is simple: Superfeet has secured the New Balance license agreement for insoles. In other terms, from now on, Superfeet will expand their insole offering to include New Balance insoles in North America and parts of Asia.

HP comes into play with its Fitstation platform that will be leveraged to gather personal biometric data and to produce on-demand using its MJF technology.

Apart from HP that is a true 3D printing specialist, it should be noted that this is not the first experience of New Balance and Superfeet with additive manufacturing. New Balance has already had a certain experience with AM companies such as Formlabs and Russel Finex for the manufacturing of a specific line of speakers. As for Superfeet, the company has already worked with HP in the past, to fabricate tailor-made footwear for Brooks Running Company.

As far as this collaboration is concerned, Philipp Jung, General Manager & Global Head of Vertical Industries & End-to-End Applications, 3D Printing & Digital Manufacturing, HP Inc. sees an opportunity to lay emphasis on “improving efficiency, enabling sustainable impact and expanding production applications.” There are vital points to transform industries and to deliver unique footwear products for consumers, elite college and professional athletes.

A quick look at the new line of New Balance insoles  

The new line of insoles is manufactured with three words in mind: Casual, Running, and Sport. They constitute a fresh offering of off-the-shelf products curated to meet the needs of the user.

The combination of Fitstation by HP + Volumental, 3D scanning and gait analysis technology, enables New Balance to feature 3D-printed-caps that are manufactured on HP Jet Fusion printers and assembled into finished insoles at the Flowbuilt Manufacturing facility in Washington state.

“New Balance is known around the world for delivering unsurpassed comfort to their customers. We are honored to have been selected by New Balance as the company who will help build that legacy into the future,” said John Rauvola, CEO and President of Superfeet, Inc. “The addition of New Balance insoles to the Superfeet portfolio provides us the opportunity to further our company mission of helping as many people as possible by providing Superfeet shape to even more customers.”

“When selecting companies to represent the New Balance brand, we look to those who are as committed to serving athletes as we are,” says Christine Madigan, Vice President of Accessories and Licensing at New Balance. “Superfeet’s deep knowledge of the run category and more than 40 year track record in bringing innovative, high-quality products to market has earned trust from athletes of all abilities making them the perfect accessory for New Balance.”

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