Editors' pick: Originally published Oct. 20.
Reebok has joined the growing race to use 3-D printing to cook up some unique, pricey sneaks.
The footwear maker unveiled via a YouTube video Thursday (below) its Liquid Factory process, which uses computer software and robotics to draw shoes in three dimensions. A proprietary liquid material, created for Reebok by chemical maker BASF, is used to concoct 3-D layers that then get plastered on a sneaker. The first shoe born from this manufacturing process is the Reebok Liquid Speed, which is being released in a 300-pair production run for a cool $189.50 a pair.
"Footwear manufacturing hasn't dramatically changed over the last 30 years," explained Bill McInnis, head of future at Reebok. "Every shoe, from every brand is created using molds -- an expensive, time-consuming process. With Liquid Factory, we wanted to fundamentally change the way that shoes are made, creating a new method to manufacture shoes without molds. This opens up brand new possibilities both for what we can create, and the speed with which we can create it," added McInnis.
In early 2017, Reebok, which is owned by Germany's Adidas, plans to open its own Liquid Factory manufacturing lab in Lincoln, R.I. Reebok's new 3-D printing efforts and desire to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. in order to speed up production and delivery, mirrors that of rival Under Armour (UA) .
