Carbon passes one million 3D-printed cycling saddles

Carbon has announced that more than one million cycling saddles have been produced using its end-to-end additive manufacturing platform. The company says the milestone reflects the growing use of Carbon Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) in performance cycling. Brands use the process to manufacture digitally programmed lattice structures that provide specified cushioning, support and mechanical response in finished products. Carbon currently works with 11 saddle brands worldwide, with more than 60 saddle models in production. Its technology is supported by a global network of over 40 production partners in 11 countries.

The announcement comes ahead of Formnext 2026 in Frankfurt in November. At Hall 12.1, Booth F109, Carbon plans to present customer applications already in production across cycling, customised footwear, protective equipment, mobility seating, medical technology, industrial applications and the automotive sector.

"Reaching one million saddles is an important milestone, but it represents much more than a production number," said Phil DeSimone, CEO of Carbon. "It shows what happens when digital manufacturing moves beyond prototyping and becomes a trusted way to make products at meaningful scale. Together with saddle brands and production partners, we have created an entirely new category of cycling products – moving from the first applications of lattice technology to products being ridden every day by consumers and by athletes competing at the very highest level of the sport."

Programmable lattice structures for cycling saddles

Carbon's technology enables cycling brands to replace conventionally manufactured foam cushioning with programmable lattice structures. Their mechanical response can be adjusted for different areas of a saddle, allowing cushioning and support to be matched to defined performance requirements.

The company points to the use of the technology in professional cycling. At the 2026 Tour de France, Tadej Pogačar raced on a customised fizik Argo Adaptive saddle manufactured using Carbon DLS. Through fizik's One-to-One programme, the saddle was adapted to his individual pressure profile and riding position.

Selle Italia is among the latest brands to extend the customisation of digitally manufactured saddles. Its Unica model, produced by Carbon partner Prototek, uses pressure-mapping data collected from an individual cyclist. This information is used to engineer an internal lattice structure corresponding to the rider's pressure distribution. The saddle is manufactured from Carbon's EPU 46 material.

Unica is the second fully customisable saddle manufactured on the Carbon platform. According to the company, the application demonstrates how digital production can support the commercial manufacture of individualised performance products.

Production network supports commercial scale

Carbon reports that its platform is also being used for customised products outside cycling. One example is Vivobarefoot's VivoBiome Tabi Gen 02 sandal, which uses a scan-to-print model based on Carbon DLS. Individual foot-scan data are converted into personalised footwear manufactured to order. The applications show how scan data and digitally defined structures can be integrated into repeatable production processes while retaining product customisation.

The VivoBiome Tabi Gen 02 personalised sandal reflects the breadth of products now being made on the Carbon platform, as the company prepares for a customer-led Formnext 2026 showcase spanning proven production applications across multiple industries

The company's manufacturing ecosystem now comprises more than 40 production partners worldwide. It gives brands access to qualified Carbon manufacturing capacity closer to their markets and is intended to support the transition from product development to repeatable commercial production. The network can also provide additional capacity as production volumes increase.

Production partners such as Oechsler form part of Carbon's expanding global manufacturing ecosystem of over 40 partners worldwide, supporting the transition from product development to repeatable commercial manufacturing

"The strongest proof of what Carbon can do is in the trust our customers put in Carbon technology, and the products our customers are putting into the world," continued DeSimone. "Brands do not need more examples of what additive manufacturing might be capable of one day – they need evidence that it can deliver today. One million saddles is one very visible example of this. Similarly, if you look at our EPU Pro family of high-performance elastomers, more than 1,000 metric tons have now shipped since launch – and that is just one family of materials being used with the Carbon platform. The even bigger story, of course, is the breadth of products now being made with Carbon's technology and the businesses building repeatable production around it. That is what we are excited to bring together at Formnext."