Fast shoes feel like feathers. Runners dream of a pair so light it almost floats. Many racing trainers still weigh 240 grams for one shoe, yet makers now chase a magic sign—200 g or less. Every single gram gone means foot lifts are easier, muscles burn slower, finish line may be sooner. To hit that tiny number, brands look beyond foam and mesh. They aim at hidden bones inside the shoe: plates, heel cups, mid-foot bars. Here is where Lattice Lite steps in.
Table of Contents
1. What is Lattice Lite?
Picture yarn lines laid out like a spider web, each strand placed exactly where strength must live, none where it is not needed. That is Lattice Lite. Engineers use a fibre-laying robot to draw continuous sewing machine thread (bonded nylon thread), carbon, basalt, and recycled poly—onto a flat sheet. No chopping, no scraps. Then heat and pressure mold the sheet into a thin, tough part shaped for a shoe. Zero extra resin steps, near-zero waste, full control over flex and twist.
2. Why weight melts away
Old plastic plates begin as thick slabs, then trimming machines cut shape; waste can hit 30 %. Lattice Lite wastes under 5 %, because yarn goes only where the CAD picture tells it to. Fewer fibres, same power, fewer grams. A typical PEBA torsion bar might weigh 20 g; the Lattice Lite twin can land near 12 g while matching stiffness. Toe-puffs, heel counters, and even binding tapes get a similar diet. When you drop five components by 8 g each, the shoe scale smiles—40 g gone per pair, a huge leap toward the 200-g dream.
3. Strength still stays
Light sometimes means weak, but not here. Continuous fibres carry load end-to-end, so break points hide. Designers steer yarn angle: ski-track rows under heel give bounce; diagonal strands at arch tame twist; empty zones let forefoot bend free. Lab flex shows plates lasting 150,000 bends with no cracks. Basalt fibres laugh at heat swings; recycled carbon guards high push-off forces. Runners get pop, not flop.
4. Green wins the tag along
Less material is the first planet gift. The second gift is feedstock: Lattice Lite Eco version swaps virgin carbon for recycled carbon, basalt rock, or bio-nylon PA11. Brands also skip resin prepreg baths, saving solvent smell and energy. Coats says cycle time can drop to ≈120 seconds, which cuts factory power too. Lighter freight adds one more bow—shipping 40 g less per pair over a million pairs equals tonnes of CO₂ shaved.
5. Component tour
- Footbed plate – a thin leaf under the midsole foam controls roll. Old glass-nylon plate ~30 g; Lattice Lite design ~18 g.
- Heel counter – cup at back stops ankle wobble. Classic thermoplastic ~15 g; lattice cup ~9 g yet holds shape after 30 minutes at 60 °C bake test.
- Toe cap – keeps mesh from sagging. Foam-rubber mix ~10 g; lattice front shield ~5 g, and vented for breath.
- Binding strip – replaces heavy woven tape along collar; lattice ribbon weighs almost half.
Add them and see grams fade fast.
6. Math on a scale
Take Racer-X shoe size 42. Base design:
| Part | Old grams | Lattice grams | Saved |
| Plate | 30 | 18 | 12 |
| Counter | 15 | 9 | 6 |
| Toe cap | 10 | 5 | 5 |
| Binding | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| Total cut | 26 |
Swap foam grade once, shave 10 g more, and outsole rubber sip 4 g, final shoe hits 203 g. One more lace-eye rethink, hello 199 g.
7. Design steps for brands
- Pick the flex map. Draw zones needing a stiff beam, zones needing a fold.
- Load CAD plug-in. Place fibre paths; software spits the gram estimate live.
- Choose yarn type. Recycled carbon for power, basalt for cost, bio-nylon for eco badge.
- Send the file to Lattice Line. The robot lays the sheet; the mold form follows.
- Bond into the midsole. Use the same polymer film so that recycling later stays clean.
- Bench test. Run 50 000 flex, 1 000 N compression. If passed, green light.
Process speed beats traditional composite because no trimming, no extra resin.
8. Fit and feel checks
Some worry about a squeak or a hard edge. Engineers smooth rim with over-mold foam or stitch soft binding. Flex groove at forefoot ensures the plate does not slap. Heel counter pairs with knit bootie to stop hot spots. Wear tests show runners rate comfort same or better than heavier cousins.
9. Price talk
Robot yarn dance costs more per raw kilo, yet fewer kilos are used. Waste bins near empty, trimming labor gone, cycle time shorter. The net part cost is often equal to molded nylon. Marketing can shout “sub-200 g shoe,” which lifts sell-through; value returns.
10. Road to 200 g and beyond
Top marathon racers once wore 300 g flats. Foam, knit, and carbon plates pushed them to the low 220s. Lattice Lite now chops hidden structure weight. Couple that with bio-EVA midsoles, minimal lacing, transparent film uppers, and the 200-g barrier melts. Next quest may be an 180 g everyday trainer.
Finish line
Lightweight matters. Every gram trimmed is less energy your calf must push. Lattice Lite components carve fat where eyes cannot see, leaving strength where feet do need. They cut waste, invite greener fibres, and race designers toward the shiny 200-gram goal. Slippery mesh and bouncy foam start the journey, but clever lattice bones cross the tape first. Try them in your next prototype, feel the difference in one lift of the heel—because light shoes run happy, and so do the people wearing them.