home run

With more than 170 subsidiaries and over 40,000 employees worldwide, theadidas Group delivers innovative sports footwear apparel and accessories invirtually every country in the world. To continuously improve its products, soldunder the adidas, Reebok and TaylorMade trade names, the 80-year oldcompany uses the latest technology to continuously improve its design,development and production processes.

The company, headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, was one of the firstcompanies to install the Objet500 ConnexTM 3D Printing system. The adidas Groupsaw its unique multi-material 3D printing technology as an pportunity to increase itsprototype capacity and accuracy.

Internal demand for prototypes from the different design departments was growingrapidly and the build size of the company’s existing 3D printers was too small.Furthermore, printing with only one material per build was no longer sufficient.“Now, thanks to the Objet Connex500 we have entered the digital era,” said OlgaHeidel, senior manager of sample development for adidas.

The ability to print models made from multiple materials, including compositeDigital Materials created on the fly, enables the adidas Group to performfunctional testing in the early stages of the design and development process. Thisgenerates time-savings and a competitive edge.

In the past, all adidas prototypes were hand-made by 12 technicians using special tools to model every single joint and crease according to 3D specifications. With the Objet Connex, only two people are required to produce 3D models.

adidas Races into the Future with ObjetTM 3D Printing

“The ObjetTM ConnexTM 3D Printer enablesus to produce high-quality models with

excellent accuracy and very fine details infar less time.”

— Olga Heidel, the adidas Group

At a Glance

Challenges• Shorten development, production and

commercialization processes for new shoe designs

• Enable designers to perform concept modeling using multiple materials

• Create accurate 3D models for illustrative, functional and design verification

Solution• Objet Connex multi-material 3D Printing

systems

Results• Major time savings due to one-step,

multi-material printing and large build tray size

• Identify errors in the early stages of the design process

• High-quality models provide high levels of accuracy and finish

• Designers can explore creative ideas, resulting in more innovative products

The Objet Connex 3D Printer’s multi-material printingcapability lets adidas test its footwear early in the design process, providing a strong competitive advantage

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Stepping up speed and precisionThe adidas Group prints around the clock to meet the strong demand for prototypes.The speed of the Objet Connex 3D Printer makes it possible for designers to quicklyfinalize the concept design while meeting customer needs. Errors can be immediatelydetected and eliminated.

The Objet Connex 3D Printer prints in 16-micron layers to create 3D models with highlevels of accuracy and surface quality that convey a precise idea of the final product. A wide array of Objet materials, colors and varied shore grades can be used in one build, allowing the adidas Group to accurately simulate the real outer soles of its running shoes. The models deliver a life-like look and feel without additional finishing.

For example, in the soccer category, Objet Connex 3D models are used for designmodeling and traction testing in the early stages of the development and designprocess. Models of standard running soles are printed to check the accuracy of fitand design changes.

Steffen Scherer, prototype creation technician at adidas Group, said: “The demand forprototypes from our internal customers is extremely high. We’re printing around theclock and providing 24 hour delivery. Models can now be evaluated and acceptedwithin just one or two days, saving four to six weeks compared to our previous moldmaking process. So we can get products to market faster.”

Adidas now produces higher quality models in fraction of the time.

Build size of existing 3D printers was too small.

3M selected Objet Connex multimaterial3D printing technology.