Trekking Backpack

What would a perfect hiking backpack system look like if it were to reduce the unpleasant sensations of warmth and friction? The team set out to redesign conventional backpack padding and put the first 3D-printed padding to the test. A fully integrated cushioning experience unlocks superior comfort thanks to freely designable lattice structures made possible only by Additive Manufacturing. The open cell structure of the 3D-printed paddings greatly improves air ventilation, reduces heat accumulation, and thus significantly reduces temperature and relative humidity at the contact area with the back. The special Ultrasint® TPU01 material is a multi-purpose TPU that provides strong, flexible and ultra-durable part performance while maintaining excellent surface quality. In addition, the material is very easy to print, with high process stability and one of the highest throughputs for flexible material in the 3D-printing market. Thanks to the design flexibility enabled by 3D-printing, the back pads and hip fins can be produced in a single piece out of one material. This significantly reduces assembly steps, time and cost. The printed part no longer requires gluing or sewing. Moreover, unprocessed powder gets fully reused in subsequent print jobs and printed parts are 100% recyclable at the end of their lifecycles. Customised solutions are also available for printing backpack elements, including a full range of services from development to global production. In addition to comfort and performance, the backpack offers limitless design flexibility, simple and quick assembly, TPU that is fully recyclable and printed backpack elements that are completely sustainable.

 Red Dot Award: Design Concept | Concept | 3D Printed