New 3D Printed Shoebox Gifted to Lionel Messi

There have been several interesting and visually striking 3D printed shoes recently making the headlines, from running shoes to golf shoes, and casual sandals. But with all of this additive manufactured footwear, one thing that has come up less often is the containers that shoes come it. That all changed at the end of 2023 and sporting giant Adidas teamed up with Italian 3D printing company WASP to create a luxury 3D printed commemorative shoebox for legendary footballer Lionel Messi after celebrating the eighth Ballon d’Or win of his career.

Both Adidas and WASP have previously been involved with their own 3D printing projects, including Adidas’ 3D printed footwear, and WASP’s previous collaboration with Dior, Honda, and others. The shoebox, a collaborative effort between the two companies, was not merely an empty gesture but also contained a one-of-a-kind pair of handmade Adidas shoes meant specifically for Messi. While the shoes within were unfortunately not 3D printed, the box itself possesses several interesting qualities that make it stand out above your standard four-cornered, cardboard rectangle. Indeed, it was because of its unique shape and design that 3D printing was the natural choice for its creation, giving the designers the freedom to create shapes that traditional manufacturing simply couldn’t match.

The 36-year-old footballer won his 8th Ballon d’Or award in October 2023 (Photo credits: Getty Images)

Utilizing WASP’s super-precise 4070 ZX dual-extrusion printer, the Nylon-CF box was printed in four pieces over the course of 200 hours. Each piece was designed to fit together perfectly upon final assembly, the only addition was the hinges which connected the top and bottom pieces and allowed the box to be opened. In order to build the box with the level of detail necessary, precision was key. To achieve this, the WASP 4070 ZX printer was chosen to build the parts due to its large format capacity, as well as the high level of precision normally used for industrial applications and prototyping. Additionally, WASP was able to make use of their patented Vacuum Active Control (VAC) system to eliminate any risk of micro-movements which could risk the final quality of the prints.