Reebok has unveiled the creation of Liquid Factory, a new manufacturing process that uses 3D Drawing and robotics to draw shoes in three dimensions.
Liquid Factor uses a liquid material to draw shoe components cleanly, precisely, and in three-dimensional layers, abandoning the traditional molds that have been used by the industry over the last 30 years. This new process allows Reebok to create an athletic shoe faster, and more efficiently than with a traditional mold.
“Footwear manufacturing hasn’t dramatically changed over the last 30 years,” said Bill McInnis, head of future at Reebok and a former NASA engineer, in a statement. “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 in which we can create it.”
The first shoe released under this process is the Reebok Liquid Speed. It is an energy return-focused running shoe that brings the out-sole and lacing together by way of the Liquid Factory process. The Reebok Liquid Speed is currently available at Reebok.com and Finishline.com for $189.50 USD.
Additionally, Reebok plans to open its own Liquid Factory manufacturing lab in collaboration with AF Group, Inc. of Lincoln, Rhode Island in early 2017.