Accelerating Footwear Innovation with 3D-Printed Molds

The footwear industry is fast-paced, requiring manufacturers to quickly respond to market trends and customer demands. Traditionally, molds for shoe soles are crafted from aluminum, which is not only costly to make but can also take up to eight weeks to produce. The cost of raw materials, specialized machinery, and skilled labor required to fabricate aluminum molds drive up production costs significantly.

The prolonged timeline and high cost for producing these molds can restrict a company’s ability to adapt to rapidly shifting consumer preferences. This lack of agility can hinder footwear brands from capitalizing on emerging trends and quickly providing innovative products to meet evolving market demands.

Recognizing these challenges, BASF Polyurethanes and Forward AM sought to find a way to reduce the time and cost of mold production while maintaining high-quality standards for PU footwear soles. They saw this as an opportunity to offer an innovative solution to their customers, enabling faster prototyping and production processes.

To address this challenge, BASF Polyurethanes teamed up with Forward AM to explore the potential of 3D-printed molds using Ultracur3D® RG 1100 B, a rigid polyurethane-based resin with exceptional stiffness, temperature resistance, and durability. This material, comparable to traditional injection molding grades, is ideal for creating molds that can withstand the demands of footwear manufacturing.

The collaboration demonstrated that by using 3D printing, PU molds could be produced in a fraction of the time – often in just a few days rather than weeks – allowing for faster prototyping and greater design flexibility. The molds, printed with an internal structure to reduce material use by 40%, were not only lightweight but also highly durable, withstanding the high pressures and temperatures required for polyurethane injection molding.

The use of 3D-printed molds with Ultracur3D® RG 1100 B enables BASF Polyurethanes to make significant improvements in several key areas:

BASF Polyurethanes is now able to significantly reduce mold production time from 8 weeks to just a few days by utilizing 3D-printed molds. This rapid turnaround facilitates faster prototyping, testing, and iteration, enabling the company to respond quickly to customer needs driven by the fast-paced footwear market.

The adoption of 3D printing in the prototyping process leads to substantial reductions in mold creation costs, allowing BASF to produce multiple prototypes at a fraction of the previous cost, promoting rapid testing and fostering innovation. Additionally, 3D printing enables easy modification and customization of mold designs, enhancing agility in the footwear development process.

Despite the advantages of reduced costs and faster production times, the 3D-printed molds maintain the necessary durability for polyurethane foaming. By utilizing Ultracur3D® RG 1100 B, BASF ensures that each mold delivers reliable, repeatable results with high precision, meeting the rigorous demands of top-notch footwear manufacturing.