DSM Engineering Plastics: DSMPR451
DSM Shoe
New light mountaineering shoe from Salomon has high performance chassis made out of EcoPaXX from DSM.
Global life sciences and material sciences leader Royal DSM has revealed that its performance plastics are quite literally scaling new heights.
DSM's bio-based EcoPaXX polyamide has been selected to form the Edging Chassis of a new mountaineering shoe by Salomon. The material is lightweight and allows the wearer to move quickly and safely, staving off fatigue and preventing injury.
Salomon's patented Edging Chassis is a special plate built into the boot's sole with a sophisticated design that combines both flexibility and stiffness. The chassis provides stability for the foot in the transverse direction facilitating a good grip on narrow surfaces, while also allowing for enough flexibility in longitudinal directions to accommodate the natural flexing of the food. For this to work effectively, the material needs to have the right combination of mechanical properties and toughness, that is easy to process for the sizeable outdoor activities market.
EcoPaXX has enabled Salomon to produce a chassis with an intricate design that is light, has the right mix of flexibility and stiffness, retains its properties at mountaintop temperatures and has reduced moisture uptake - in spite of being a polyamide.
EcoPaXX - which is certified as carbon neutral from cradle to box - is being used in Salomon's new Alp range of hiking boot and is suitable for injection moulding.
Aude Derrier, Project Manager in the Materials Footwear Department of Global Footwear at Salomon's mother company Amer Sports, said: "[The] X Alp shoe expresses the cutting edge of light mountaineering. It is the result of over two years of intensive development and field tests with professional guides, rescue teams and athletes, and is a pure expression of Salomon’s approach to product innovation and its mountain heritage. Models with the patented EcoPaXX Edging Chassis can be used from lower flanks of the mountain as well as for approach."
For applications such as the Edging Chassis, a material with excellent flow characteristics is requires, as the design demands use of a mould with multiple gating for creating multiple weld lines, which means weld line strength needs to be high. DSM EcoPaXX has these excellent flow characteristics, together with outstanding mechanical properties and also processes very well. Altogether, EcoPaXX provides a very cost-effective solution that makes it stand out from the competition and a perfect fit for the Edging Chassis.
"Salomon, the mother company Amer Sports Group, and DSM have a long partnership history, and have worked together on other challenging EcoPaXX projects like high-end snow board bindings," said Derrier. "We were confident that DSM could help us to create our new generation of mountaineering shoes, and our confidence has been justified."