Adidas Is Now Making Face Shields With the Company That Helps Produce Its 3-D Printed Sneakers

Peter Verry
·2 min read

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Adidas is the latest athletic powerhouse to announce it has started working on personal protective equipment for first responders and healthcare professionals.

The German company announced today that it is working with Carbon — which Adidas has worked with since 2017 to make 3-D printed footwear — to produce face shields. In a release, Adidas stated Carbon is already producing more than 18,000 3-D printed face shields a week after it shifted its manufacturing throughout its California facilities in March to focus on making medical supplies.

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Since 2017, adidas and Carbon have used open source collaboration to create high-performance, 3D-printed footwear, and together they’re redirecting their efforts to aid in the global health crisis. 3D-printed lattice structures can dramatically reduce material usage, speed print times, and improve comfort and performance for both patients and healthcare workers.

The equipment, according to Adidas, is made with a 3-D-printed lattice structure that will help reduce material usage, improve speed print times and deliver better comfort and performance for patients and healthcare workers.

The athletic brand also stated Carbon has shared print files with its global network so anyone with a Carbon printer and material can create face shields to help wherever they are locally.

Other athletic brands have announced similar initiatives since the coronavirus crisis consumed the U.S. Nike, for instance, revealed the face shields and powered, air-purifying respirator lenses it created in partnership with health professionals from Oregon Health & Science University yesterday.

Last week, Under Armour announced that it delivered 1,300 face shields to the University of Maryland Medical System and expects to make upward of 500,000 fabric face masks and 50,000 fanny packs. And New Balance stated it was making masks in its Lawrence, Mass., manufacturing facility for medical professionals.

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