Middle-distance runner Miro Buroni created Pleko, a customized and revolutionary athletic shoe thanks to the technologies used and production material. Miro used the expertise and support of Diadora for historical analysis and design, and CRP Technology for the realization of the supporting part of the professional 3D printing footwear (Selective Laser Sintering) and composite material.
The development of Pleko
The project began with three-dimensional scanning of the athlete’s foot and biomechanical analysis of the act of:
- running
- foot support
- foot pressure on the ground
The resulting mapping has allowed Buroni:
- to model the shoe on the precise needs of the athlete
- and also to arrange the traction elements – the so-called “nails” – in precise points under the sole.
The analysis of the strength that the athlete imprints on the shoe during the race (and the following needs) have also shown that the success of the entire project – the total customization of the footwear to improve the performance of the athlete – would depend on the construction material of the sole, midsole, nails and ribs.
Only a material with excellent mechanical characteristics would have allowed Buroni to make innovative shoes in 3D printing!
The collaboration with CRP
After the design of Pleko, Buroni decided to rely on additive manufacturing to build the supporting structure. The research focuses on a company able to provide a professional 3D printing service and a material with “strong bending resistance characteristics“. And so Buroni relies on CRP Technology and one of its top-of-the-range materials, the Windform SP for Powder Bed Fusion process / Selective Laser Sintering. Windform SP is a polyamide-based material loaded with carbon fibres with excellent properties of resistance to deformation and elasticity: “exactly the characteristics that the shoe must have for athletics” comments Buroni.
About the material
“The Windform SP – emphasizes Miro – allows the creation of parts with very thin and resistant thicknesses; this feature has allowed me to make the traditional athletic shoe a series of improvements including the perfect fascination of the foot, which results in increased comfort and improved sports performance.”
