3D Printing for Footwear Mold

3D printing technology plays a pivotal role in the upgrading and development of shoe manufacturing. It uses its advantages of fast speed, high precision and low cost to successfully solve many problems faced by traditional shoe mold manufacturing. Luen Thai has been deeply involved in the shoe industry since 2006. Currently, its shoe mold manufacturing equipment accounts for 60% of the country's total mold-making 3D printing equipment, covering many industrial centers around the world. Its mature technology and rich experience are self-evident. In the future, Luen Thai will continue to abide by its original intention and help the shoe manufacturing industry enter a new era!

In which fields of footwear can 3D printing technology be applied?

① 3D printing women's shoes

Is it true that the design of women's shoes cannot be beautiful and comfortable? In the past "face value first" aesthetic standards for women's shoes, "flashy" has become synonymous with shoe manufacturing. However, with the passage of time, consumers' requirements for quality have gradually increased. This change is undoubtedly a major test for the manufacturing cost and efficiency of the shoe industry!

The application of 3D printing technology in the shoe industry has successfully solved the above problems. No matter what the purpose is, more and more companies are beginning to use 3D printing in the research and development and creative design of women's shoes. This move also caters to the current new trend of product upgrades and consumption upgrades.

3D printed soft texture try-on shoes

3D printed soft material makes the upper foot more comfortable

② 3D printing wooden model

3D printing technology can also be used for new product proofing in the development and design stage, which refers to samples and prototypes. Transform the fictitious multi-dimensional diagram designed in the computer into a concrete object, and then determine whether the product meets the customer's needs and expectations. Likewise, samples after the development and design phase can be quickly produced using 3D printing equipment.

3D printed shoe sole wooden mold

Angular 3D printed details

③ 3D printing rapid mold

The application of 3D printing technology in IM EVA mold manufacturing is also very flexible and fast. It can not only effectively reduce the cost of mold making and reduce the waste of raw materials, but also can embody design ideas into actual products in a very short period of time. So as to achieve twice the result with half the effort.

3D printing operating principle

3D printing mold finished product

④ 3D printing texture

The polishing of detailed textures is often a true reflection of the quality of shoes. UnionTech 3D printing technology is based on environmental protection and creativity, and is committed to creating more personalized high-quality bite designs for more customers. The combination of 3D printing and digital chipping technology is not only the industrial advantage of UnionTech, but also the trend of future manufacturing development.

3D printing digital bite flower style

3D printing digital bite flower finished product

⑤ 3D printing creative design

The application of 3D printing technology in the field of footwear is not limited to traditional footwear design, but also helps the unlimited play of creative imagination and provides a more shining stage for art design.

3D printing creative design

⑥ 3D printing consumer shoemaking

The advantages of 3D printing technology in shoe manufacturing make it popular with many merchants. Many shoe styles of major brands in shopping malls are masterpieces of 3D printing. It saves time, effort and cost while taking quality and beauty into account. 3D printing technology has become an indispensable backbone of shoe manufacturing!

3D printed sole

3D printed upper

How do partners evaluate UnionTech 3D printing technology?

① Liu Shuguang, general manager of Fuxin Precision

"Since purchasing the 3D machine printer from UnionTech, compared with the traditional ones, the production efficiency of Fuxin Precision has been greatly improved. It is very convenient to use the machine at night without guards, and the shoe molds can be obtained the next day. For this saves us a lot of labor costs, and it is easier for workers to go to work, not to mention they don’t need to work overtime. UnionTech’s equipment software is easy to operate, and the shoe molds produced are extremely stable, with high precision and consistency. No need for follow-up repairs, greatly avoiding the problem of inconsistent shoe sizes and inconsistent sizes.”

The staff perform 3D printer operation

② Luo Haijun, Manager of Huifeng Mold Production Department

In 2020, we purchased ten sets of FL600HD SLA 3D printer dedicated to shoe molds from UnionTech, and they were equipped with the Unionfab cloud platform management system. By adopting UnionTech's shoe mold digitization solution, our cost has been reduced by 40% and production efficiency has been increased by 60%. So far, Huifeng has opened a new situation of digital manufacturing process innovation.

UnionTech 3D Printer

③ MAHAMID Shoe Mold Factory Mr.Waled

"Before we purchased UnionTech's 3D printers, we had been using hand-carved shoe molds or CNC for more than 20 years. Now, UnionTech's 3D printers have solved many of our previous traditional moldmaking problems. We’ve saved time and we’ve been able to get more detail in the engraving. Overall, our current shoemaking process is a huge improvement.”

Group photo of Mr.Waled with 3D printer

What are the application cases of UnionTech 3D printing technology?

① UnionTech’s 3D printing solution solves production problems for Brazilian shoe company Dakota

Brazilian shoe company Dakota has greatly improved its production efficiency with efficient and intelligent 3D printing equipment after introducing UnionTech's 3D printing shoe industry solutions. In the past, it took nearly 10 hours to produce a shoe mold, but now, the equipment can run 24 hours a day without personnel supervision. This change has increased its overall efficiency by nearly 60%. Through this cooperation, with its strong strength, UnionTech made Dakota deeply aware of the reliability of UnionTech in the shoe industry.

Dakota purchased Luen Thai 3D printer

Fernando, the person in charge of Dakota, took a photo with the 3D printer

② UnionTech assists MAHAMID, the largest shoe mold manufacturer in Syria, in manufacturing

As the largest shoe mold manufacturer in Syria, MAHAMID's products cover almost the entire Syrian shoe mold market. For more than 20 years it has been using hand-carved shoe molds or CNC. Today, UnionTech's 3D printers easily solve the problems they had in making molds before, not only helping them save time, but also making the carving effect more refined. In general, its shoemaking process has been greatly improved.

3D printing product samples

Mr.Waled of MAHAMID shoe mold factory and Luen Thai printer

③ UnionTech 3D printing innovation applied to Nike brand

In 2018, Nike and Longfa Shoes, a famous brand foundry, officially introduced UnionTech's 3D printing shoe mold equipment for shoe sole mold manufacturing. It is not a whim to choose to introduce UnionTech's light-curing 3D printing technology for the research and development and production of shoe sole molds. Nike and UnionTech have cooperated on the application of 3D printing technology in shoe sole molds many years ago. In recent years, driven by industrial innovation and market growth, the introduction of new technologies has become an inevitable road of development. After comprehensive consideration of the market for light-curing 3D printing equipment, it officially chose to cooperate with UnionTech to introduce FM450 equipment. And achieved remarkable results.

3D printed shoe mold

④ UnionTech 3D printing helps Adidas transform shoe mold manufacturing process

UnionTech established a close relationship with Adidas in 2005. At that time, Adidas was the first to discover the problems existing in the traditional shoe-making industry, and took the lead in actively seeking new production technologies to solve the difficulties. Luen Thai's 3D printing technology and industry application experience successfully attracted the attention of adidas, and the two parties reached a cooperation. In 2014, UnionTech's first RS series 3D printing equipment entered the production base of Baocheng Group and was used in mold casting for the shoe industry, which is of great significance to the manufacture of shoe sole molds. Up to now, it has nearly 30 sets of Uniontech 3D printing equipment.

3D printing technology application

Union Tech 3D printing and Adidas staff photo

Union Tech integrates its own 3D printing technology with the production of the shoe industry. While helping the efficient and high-quality development of various enterprises, it also continuously improves and improves itself! The application of 3D printing technology has become the backbone force that cannot be ignored in the future development of enterprises, and Luen Thai will be committed to providing more accurate and convenient 3D printing services for more enterprise users! Let the flower of science and technology embellish a broader application field!