Article#220720 Hyperfuse - A Game Changer in Footwear Design
Like all consumer products there are always technology advancements. Fresh way of making products is inevitable. This unchanging rule of change applies to footwear design as well. Hyperfuse is one of these new way of designing and making sneakers.
First thing first, hyperfuse is not an official industrial term for this new method of making sneakers. Hyperfuse is a market term created and owned by Nike to introduce footwear made in this fashion. Just like most sneaker innovations by Nike, which polurized this new way of making sneaker uppers. Fusing is the key part of the term hyperfuse. Also prior to footwear fusing is wildly used on apparel, especially outdoor performance wear.
So what exact is fusing?
In short, fusing is a way of bonding two or multiply layers of material together using heat and pressure. Since it’s introduction fusing has benefited footwear industry in manufacture and design possibilities it opens.
Commonly the process of fusing produces a footwear upper foundation comprising three layers; a base layer is for stability and helps to support the foot, a middle layer is made of a mesh for its breathability, and for durability, a third layer is the most outer skin for protection.
What is the benefit of material fusing?
Traditionally most common footwear uppers are bonded via stitching. In order for materials to be able to stitched together footwear upper materials required have to be heavy, thick, strong, durable enough to go through needles without breaking into pieces. These characteristics of upper material of a shoe create footwear upper in larger foot prints, such as bulky, heavy shoes.
Fusing on the other hand bonds upper materials together using heat and pressure. All of sudden upper materials can be thin and light weight, which in return creates lighter weight, less foot print shoe uppers. This light weight footwear attributes open door for creating performance footwear, such as running, basketball, tennis footwear, etc.
What does fusing footwear upper look like?
Fusing pressed upper of saucony mirage 5
Sample made in fusing upper
What is the machine that required to make fused footwear upper?
A 3 station hot and cold fusing upper press machine of footwear manufacturing.
Dial controls of temperature and pressure of a upper fusing press machine.
How fusing upper is accomplished in action?
Once all layers are placed onto a mould plate in designed order. It is sledded into station hot chamber then to cold chamber to be cool.
Like all new technologies or new fashion of making products, there are pros and limitations. Fusing material upper can certainly create seamless designs, lighter footwear and simplify manufacture process. There are limitations in the types of material be used for fusing process. Pretty much all fusing footwear upper materials are polyester based synthetic materials. Natural materials and fabric, such as cotton and real leather are rarely used not only natural materials are heavier than synthetic ones, but natural materials can not be fused without being first treated with synthetic coating.
So if and when you are looking for a new pair of performance shoes, pay more attentions to shoes without visible stitchings. These shoes will be lighter, breathable which is certainly beneficial during activities.
