Dow and ECCO collaborate for footwear customisation project
Dow has collaborated with ECCO to bring a breakthrough 3D-printable liquid silicone rubber to footwear.
QUANT-U is an experimental footwear customisation project by the Innovation Lab (ILE), ECCO’s independent cross-disciplinary design studio.
This first-of-its-kind service combines the customer’s individual biomechanical data, SILASTIC 3D 3335 Liquid Silicone Rubber (LSR) from Dow and additive manufacturing (3D printing) to produce silicone midsoles customised to the wearer’s foot shape and natural movements.
The material developed by Dow, is specifically formulated to combine the performance benefits of silicone elastomers with the design and processing advantages of liquid additive manufacturing.
It has a low viscosity for smooth printing and a unique rheology for high resolution and accuracy.
The midsoles are odour-free and do not contribute to bacterial growth and also water-repellent.
ECCO, Dow and Dassault Systèmes will introduce the QUANT-U footwear customisation project at ECCO Shoes’ Spring-Summer preview press events, on January 29th-30th in Tokyo, Japan.
Charlie Zimmer, Global Marketing Director for silicone elastomers with Dow Performance Silicones, said: “The QUANT-U collaboration showcases one of the infinite opportunities SILASTIC 3D-printable liquid silicone rubbers are opening up for designers seeking part design flexibility and the processing advantages of additive manufacturing along with the performance advantages of silicone rubber.”