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IN FOCUS: NIKE FLYPRINT

Posted on Apr 17, 2018 in Nike

What is Nike Flyprint?

Nike Flyprint is the brand’s first 3D-printed textile upper for performance footwear. The uppers are made through solid deposit modeling (SDM), a process whereby a TPU filament is unwound from a coil, melted and laid down in layers.

What’s interesting about Flyprint is that using the tech allows designers to translate athlete data into new textile geometries. Nike first captures athlete date, which is then computed to affirm the ideal composition of the material. That information is then used to produce the final textile. Through performance printing, Nike is capable of moving faster with unprecedented precision — prototyping is 16-times quicker than in any previous manufacturing method.

One benefit 3D textiles have over 2D fabrics is the increased dynamism made possible by adding an interconnection beyond a warp and weft; an advantage of Flyprint textiles comes in the fused nature of the material. When the materials are fused, there is greater potential for better precision versus frictional resistance with knits or woven textiles. Flyprint is also lighter and more breathable than and of their previous textiles.

Designing within Flyprint have advantages both on a testing and revisioning level. Instead of waiting for lasts to be made, lines can be adjusted locally and cycle times are proven to be shorter. This allows for the highest-fidelity design with in the shortest amount of time. Flyprint works well with other Nike materials such as Flyknit. Flyknit yarns can be engineered to thermally bond with the Flyprint textile, eliminating any need for glue or stitching (pretty much like how Hyperfuse or Sonic-welding works).

In the end, Nike Flyprint uppers are designed to help athletes be better. These can be seen in the Nike Zoom Vaporfly Elite Flyprint shoe made for Eliud Kipchoge. They took data and feedback from last year’s Berlin Marathon and created prototypes with the new upper, making it 11g lighter than the original pair. Let’s stay tuned to see how Flyprint continues to change the game.