For this project students were asked to create a new shoe design for a pre-established company. For my design I chose Puma, but I want to be clear this is not a real Puma product, just a concept. I wanted to design a completely 3D printed shoe, as Puma didn’t have one as part of their range at the time. Another consideration was the lifecycle of the product, and how it could be recycled at the end of its life. These constraints made me want to design a shoe that could be manufactured out of a single material, that was biodegradable, yet could also recycled and reused.

The strider V2 would be manufactured using a biodegradable thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) 3D printed at different densities. This can be achieved by utilizing a foaming agent with the printing material and regulating the temperature of the print. Using this method, the entire shoe can be created out of the same material, removing the need to separate different parts and requiring only a single process for disposal. The use of a single resource 3D printed, offers the opportunity to recycle the materials used, into more of the same product or others at the end of its life cycle.

The shoe consists of three layers made of the same material at different densities. The shoe-sock would be made from a TPU mesh, with a low-density TPU foam inside for added comfort. Under and surrounding parts of that layer is a medium-density TPU midsole made with a strap that secures the foot when in use. The last layer consists of a high-density outsole, durable enough to protect the foot, while still being flexible. This layer has the tread pattern on the underside for added grip.