Multifunctional materials for 3D printed customizable footwear

Nowadays the research on performance in sport is becoming more and more significant, athletes are constantly searching for new challenges pushing further their own limits and the ones of their equipment. Materials and sport gears tailored on the single athlete are key points to express all the potential of the sportsman during the achievement of his goals.

In winter sport footwear applications, like skiing, snowboarding, running and so on, cold temperature, vibration absorption and comfort are crucial aspects. 3D printable soft material able to absorb heat and then release it later, when needed, seems an innovative solution in this field. The aim of this study was to develop a novel rubbery material to produce customizable insoles for winter sports application with enhanced thermal properties given by the introduction of phase change material (PCM) through a Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printer machine

Source : https://www.sharebot.it/downloads/studies/Customizable_footwear_3Dprinting_trento.pdf