Case Study: Nike achieves a flawless large-scale 3D-printed sculpture for its global launch with Materialise software

Software Solutions Help Nike in Supporting Great Art

Nike commissioned London-based designer Daniel Widrig to create a more-than-4-meter hanging sculpture to promote the Nike Free and Nike Flyknit launch, but the intricate, spiral design was impossible to produce with traditional manufacturing. Nike turned to Materialise for software-driven 3D printing support—using Materialise’s advanced processing tools, the Mammoth Stereolithography Machine and the automatic support-generating software Materialise e-Stage—to translate the delicate digital concept into a buildable plan.

Materialise modified the model for buildability, using algorithms to create invisible cuts, snap connections and hollow mounting channels, then printed the work in three sections; Materialise e-Stage placed supports only where needed, reducing resin use and improving post-production finishing time. The piece was produced successfully, traveled to Milan, Tokyo, New York and London for Nike’s global launch and now has a permanent home at Nike Headquarters—demonstrating Materialise’s ability to deliver complex, exhibition-quality 3D prints with measurable material and finishing efficiencies.

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