New Balance this week launched a platform, created with 3D printing technology from Formlabs, that delivere components that are closer to traditional performance cushioning than ever before. This new platform, called TripleCell, launched with the 990 Sport on June 28. The FuelCell Echo will lanch September 15. Both feature TripleCell technology, with the expected retail value of $185 and $175, respectively.

In 2017, New Balance and Formlabs, a Massachusetts-based provider or 3D printing systems, entered into an exclusive relationship to develop high-performance materials, hardware and a manufacturing process for athlete footwear. Through this relationship, a new proprietary photopolymer resin was created called Rebound Resin. Rebound Resin is designed to create springy, resilient lattice structures with the durability, reliability, and longevity expected from an injection molded thermoplastic.

“TripleCell will deliver the industry’s pinnacle expression of data to design with seamless transitions between variable properties underfoot,” says Katherine Petrecca, New Balance GM, Innovation Design Studio. “This new, cutting edge, digitally manufactured technology is now scaling exclusively within New Balance factories in the U.S., further establishing us as a leader in 3D printing and domestic manufacturing.

“Formlabs has been an integral partner to bring this to life,” she adds. “We’re really going to be able to disrupt the industry not only in performance, but also in athlete customization and speed to market.”

“3D printing is changing how companies approach manufacturing, with this announcement New Balance is pioneering localized manufacturing,” says Dávid Lakatos, chief product officer at Formlabs. “By eliminating the dependence on molds and direct printing for both prototyping and production, their team shifts from months to hours in the development and production cycles.

“We’re moving towards a world where design cycles are closing in on the whim of the consumer and it’s exciting to be on the frontlines of this with New Balance.”

New Balance chose the 990 Sport to launch the TripleCell platform to reimagine a classic and venerable silhouette. TripleCell technology in the heel seamlessly delivers the cushioning experience found in the classic style, but is 10 percent lighter than the 990v5 and maintains the Made in the USA designation.

The New Balance Innovation Design Studio dropped TripleCell into the forefoot of the FuelCell Echo based on the growing focus of forefoot technology and the learnings taken from the recent launch of the FuelCell platform. The 990 Sport with TripleCell is Made in the USA at the New Balance Lawrence factory and the FuelCell Echo with TripleCell is assembled in the USA.