Crocs Inc. is an American footwear company that manufactures and markets foam footwear. Crocs are legendary for their comfort, durability, and long lifespan.
The company needed to make prototypes of high aesthetic quality and with the possibility of choosing different materials. In order to be wearable and to perform fit tests, the prototypes had to be functional.
First, the company requested prototypes from DWS Systems in black Flexa Digital TPU, a flexible material with a high rebound, suitable for producing functional parts. For the launch of one of their new products, the company needed to significantly reduce the weight of the object. A sabot was made out of the experimental DWS Ultralight material EV025, which was shown for the first time at Formnext 2024.
No. 4x4cm specimens made of Ultralight EV025 weigh as much as no.1 4x4cm specimen made of Flexa Digital TPU.
Using the XPRO SL 3D printer, the company is now able to produce functional mock-ups and small customized batches that can also be used on the runway, thus replacing pre-production molds and saving up to 80% on costs and time.
