Additive manufacturing has begun transforming the athletic‑footwear sector by replacing traditional cut‑and‑sew uppers and injection‑molded midsoles with digitally generated geometries that are built up layer by layer. Because the process deposits material only where it is needed, it dramatically reduces off‑cut waste and permits shapes that conventional tooling cannot achieve. For consumers the technology promises mass‑customized fit, faster style refreshes, and the possibility of near‑zero inventory.

In this senior project I adapted the open‑source OpenRun design by Open Footware for fused‑deposition modelling (FDM) and printed a men’s US 9.5 running‑shoe prototype entirely in‑house using thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The exercise provided a controlled case study with which to examine the environmental, social and economic implications of fully additively‑manufactured footwear.