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April 19-22, 2026, the 27th Jinjiang Footwear &Sports Industry International Exposition, China was held at the Jinjiang International Exhibition Center. Under the theme “Smart Manufacturing in Jinjiang, Global Connectivity,” the expo brought together leading companies and innovative technologies across the global footwear industry chain, serving as a key barometer for the footwear industry in China and worldwide.
As a leader in additive manufacturing，UnionTech exhibited its Fuees 430 metal 3D printer for footwear, integrated powder extraction,Sieving, and feeding System, the FX380 elastomer printer, and the Martrix520 printer. Along with elastomer shoe molds, aluminum alloy, and stainless steel parts, demonstrating how digital manufacturing technologies are injecting new momentum into smart footwear production.
UnionTech Launches New Footwear 3D Printers
To address footwear industry challenges such as long lead times, complex geometry machining, and process pollution in traditional shoe mold making, UnionTech launched a range of additive manufacturingsolutions customized for footwear, covering fullscene production of metal molds and elastomer components.
01 Fuees 430 Metal 3D Printer for Footwear
An industrial-grade machine designed by UnionTech for mass production of metal shoe molds.
Multi-Laser System
The printer is equipped with a four-laser, multi-galvo configuration, which effectively increases build efficiency and shortens production cycles.
High-Speed Powder Spreading Technology
Combined with a single-blade bidirectional powder spreading mechanism, enhances powder spreading efficiency by approximately 20%, thereby reducing the mold development cycle time.
High Speed Galvanometer
Scanning speed achieves 6 m/s and jumping speed 18m/s,enabling for highly efficient printing.
Excellent Printing Precision
Precision:L<100:±0.1mm;L≥100:±0.1%×L. Surface roughness Ra<4μm.
The printer supports multiple metal powders and is suitable for R&D and small-batch manufacturing of high-precision, complex molds high-precision.
Simultaneously, this technology supports advanced manufacturing functionalities: weight-optimized honeycomb lattice structures, integrated fluidic pathways, fully consolidated (pore-free) ventilation channels, and support-free additive manufacturing. In addition, machining-induced dimensional deformation of the shoe mold is maintained within a tolerance of ±0.4 mm, resulting in improved production efficiency and reduced manufacturing costs.
Integrated Powder Suction, Sieving & Feeding System designed specifically for the Fuees 430. It works seamlessly with the main printer, significantly improving powder handling efficiency, reducing manual intervention, ensuring continuous and stable printing, and raising the level of automation in shoe mold manufacturing.
02 FX380 Elastomer 3D Printer
Based on a mature DLP technology platform, the FX380 is deeply optimized for flexible photopolymer resins. It features a large build platform and can print six finished shoe units simultaneously in just 3.5 hours. The printing process is deeply tuned to the self-developed elastomer materials, promoting high-efficiency mass production of footwear.
It directly addresses the pain points of slow prototyping, high mass-production costs, and long delivery cycles for elastomeric footwear components.
The printer combines high precision, large format, and rapid prototyping. Components such as insoles, midsoles, and shock-absorbing upper structures exhibit excellent rebound resilience and fatigue resistance, enabling an agile “design-to-manufacturing” model and opening new pathways for flexible footwear manufacturing.
03 Martrix520 Printer
Build volume of 298×165×320 mm, the Martrix520 uses an industrial-grade high-standard optical system with light uniformity exceeding 90%.
Its core advantages include large-format capability, micron-level dimensional accuracy, and accelerated part fabrication. It is widely applicable to footwear R&D prototyping and direct production of functional components. Paired with UnionTech's self-developed ONE intelligent software, it supports remote data transmission and smart monitoring, providing footwear enterprises with a flexible, end-to-end digital solution from design to production.
In addition to core equipment, UnionTech displayed physical samples including elastomer shoe molds and metal parts. The exhibited shoe molds covered single-component and dual-component materials, using both foaming and non-foaming technologies. The foaming process effectively reduces the density of shoe materials, delivering a lighter wearing experience and better cushioning, while vividly demonstrating the detail and finishing quality of flexible materials. The aluminum alloy and stainless steel samples showcased metal 3D printing's robust ability to produce high-precision, complex structures, allowing visitors to tangibly see and feel the concrete results of additive manufacturing in lightweighting and high-performance footwear.
Connecting the World to
Drive Digital Upgrading in Footwear Industry
This expo theme——“Smart Manufacturing in Jinjiang, Global Connectivity” aligns closely with UnionTech's mission. During the fair, UnionTech's booth attracts domestic and international buyers for visits, inquiries, and negotiations in a vibrant communication atmosphere. As a wholly owned subsidiary of UnionTech, Fujian UnionTech Co., Ltd., based in Fujian, continues to promote the application of 3D printing technology in the footwear industry and regional manufacturing.
In the future, UnionTech will maintain its strategic focus on advancing the application of additive manufacturing within the footwear industry and collaborate closely with global partners to accelerate the industry’s transition toward greater intelligence, sustainability, and operational efficiency.
