Mastering Versatile Production

Marco worked with Carbon to repurpose EPU 41, most recognizable in adidas 4D shoe midsoles, to create face shields for healthcare workers fighting against COVID-19.

DLS design guidebook

Get Started with the DLS™ Design Quick Guide.

Get the Guide

“Carbon has been a great open-source partner since we began creating high-performance footwear together in 2017. All of us at adidas are proud to help people who desperately need these face shields to endure the crisis.”

Marco Kormann Director of Platform Innovation, adidas Future

Pivoting from Midsoles to Personal Protective Equipment

In 2017, Marco led the effort to launch the iconic adidas Futurecraft 4D midsole, now available on all adidas 4D shoes. Using that same futuristic mindset, Marco worked with Carbon to design an innovative, new face shield that could be produced rapidly to help in addressing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) shortages faced by healthcare workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. By employing Carbon’s Lattice Engine software, production was optimized through a unique lattice design that reduces the amount of EPU 41 material needed for each print, which means adidas can donate even more face shields to healthcare workers.

Read the adidas Case Study

Faceshield with Carbon lattice headband
In this episode, Carbon explores how 3D printing adds value in the design cycle through accelerated product development, functional prototyping, and predictable, consistent production.

View More Episodes

Face shield printing

Producing 3D Printed Face Shields

To quickly scale up production of these face shields around the globe, Carbon is making face shield designs and production instructions open-source to the public so that other additive manufacturers around the world can help produce face shields for their local areas.

Read More about Face Shields

Face shield
Lattice pucks
Purple lattice