Advanced composites for athletic footwear
In 2022, ARRIS hit a significant milestone when World Athletics approved a development shoe for running that included cutting-edge carbon fibre plates manufactured by ARRIS. Pro athletes then wore the approved running shoes at major marathons, and shortly after, the ARRIS carbon plate innovation itself earned recognition from the Business Intelligence Group (BIG Innovation Award, January 2023).
“Approval by World Athletics is big for ARRIS and brands leveraging our new composite materials and manufacturing technology to level up next-gen athletic footwear,” said Michelle Callan, Director of Footwear Programs at ARRIS, in news release. “We have a unique ability to reimagine what’s possible with composites for leading footwear product teams, so much so that not all development shoes with ARRIS technology have been approved by World Athletics. In some cases, the advantage was too great—we’re not kidding about composites made to outperform.”
As per the news release, the advanced continuous carbon fibre plate made using ARRIS’ Additive Moulding technology enables new design latitudes for designers. Product teams can create a lighter-weight, more responsive design with targeted stiffness in critical areas versus a one-size-fits-all approach in the market now. ARRIS enables the option of using less material while also improving performance, creating areas of tuneable stiffness/strength, and ultimately, overall better results for athletes (even to the point of unfair advantage).
However, levelling up performance is only one aspect of why these technological advancements matter to the running community. From significant reductions in carbon emissions to recyclable and bio-based materials options, the Additive Moulding technology by ARRIS also requires less energy, generates significantly less waste, and utilizes recyclable thermoplastics. Many ARRIS team members are runners, too—we know personally and professionally that this innovation enables a meaningful milestone in athletic footwear… and this is just the beginning, reads the release.