Nike’s new Vapor Laser Talon football shoe wouldn’t exist without 3D printing technology. The shoe manufacturer used metal 3D printing technology to prototype a special plate and traction system for the new footwear.
According to Nike’s MJP Performance Director, Lance Walker:
Nike’s new 3D printed plate is contoured to allow football athletes to maintain their drive position longer and more efficiently, helping them accelerate faster through the critical first 10 yards of the 40. Translated to the game of football, mastering the Zero Step can mean the difference between a defensive lineman sacking the quarterback or getting blocked.
The shoe you see in the store isn’t 3D printed, however. The production plate will be mass manufactured in a conventional manner – but the design was only possible through an iterative process using 3D metal printing.
Via Nike
