Carbitex, a carbon fiber supplier for performance brands like Adidas and Puma, unveiled its first product for the work and utility footwear markets last week.
Built on the composite maker’s asymmetrically flexible AFX technology platform, AFX anti-puncture (AFX-AP) prevents the foot from over-flexing while exhibiting high flexibility in the other direction for “more ergonomic” movement, it said. Carbitex called the technology “a paradigm shift in work site footwear, expanding the possibility for lighter weight work shoes that don’t require heavy protective soles and excel in safety, stability, and all-day performance.”
According to Carbitex, AFX-AP has passed global industry test standards—ASTM F2412-11, EN 12568:2010, CZA Z195-14—and is “ideal” for workers in construction and utility sectors who are at an increased risk of underfoot injury. It will be available to brand partners starting in the fall for in-market product release as early as fall next year.
Also on June 13, Carbitex introduced a new addition to its line of athletic footwear products, AFX Formed. The technology expands upon Carbitex’s existing AFX flexible carbon plate material with a “pre-formed angle” that generates a “responsive” landing while allowing for “more natural toe-off,” it said. Created to align with a runner’s natural gait, AFX Formed increases efficiency over time via superior stability and protects the foot, the company added.
Carbitex said it can customize the plate to each brand partner’s needs, including to unique shoe designs. It is now available to consumers in the Altra’s Spring 2022 Vanish Carbon. Later this summer, it will make its Saucony debut in the running brand’s Endorphin Edge trail shoe.
“AFX has become a staple in our product offering, with the evolution into AFX Formed and AFX anti-puncture, we can tap new business segments and brands looking to achieve better performance whether that is on a construction site or on a marathon route,” Clark Morgan, vice president of business development and customer product development at Carbitex, said in a statement.
Though Carbitex has also dabbled in accessories and bags, its main work centers on performance footwear. More than a dozen brands have embedded its carbon fiber technology into their shoes, including Adidas, Puma, The North Face, DC and Speedland. These applications span running, trail running, hiking, soccer, cycling, wakeboarding, mountaineering and snowboarding.