LightSpray™: a New High Performance Upper Technology Crafted by a Revolutionary Single Step Manufacturing Process
Interview with Maia Zheliazkova – On
At the intersection of computational design, advanced manufacturing, and athletic performance lies LightSpray™, a new upper footwear technology developed by On.
Moving beyond knit and molded construction, LightSpray™ uses a single-step spray process directed by algorithmic logic and robotic control to form lightweight, conformal uppers without traditional tooling.
Ahead of her presentation at CDFAM Amsterdam 2025, Computational Designer Maia Zheliazkova shares how On’s innovation team approached this the development of the system, from material behavior and software tooling to biomechanical data integration to introduce LightSpray not only as a product innovation, but as a scalable design and manufacturing system capable of massively reducing an advanced running shoe’s carbon footprint.
LightSpray™ introduces a completely new approach to footwear manufacturing. What were some of the earliest challenges in shifting from knit and assembly based construction to a sprayed, single-step process?
In the early stages of the project, we faced a landscape full of unknowns. From my perspective, one of the biggest challenges was finding the right balance between the design parameters and the machine settings, a negotiation that required continuous fine-tuning on both sides.
Interestingly, this challenge also became one of LightSpray’s defining strengths. Even today, the manufacturing process and the products evolve hand-in-hand, allowing us to precisely control how the upper is formed and how it performs.
As we move forward, industrialization and scalability are at the forefront. In the world of physical products, the rapid scaling of such a breakthrough technology often depends on uniting technology and manufacturing under one roof.
Achieving this kind of vertical integration is a major challenge, especially in an industry built on complex, distributed supply chains, but it’s also what fundamentally sets LightSpray™ apart, both within footwear and beyond.
What role does computational design play in enabling LightSpray™, not just in the form, but in the logic behind material distribution and robotic execution?
In LightSpray™, computational design is the engine that drives the product creation process from defining the form to engineering how, where, and how much material is applied.
It allows us to balance performance, material efficiency, and aesthetics while generating the precise data that controls robotic execution.
Computational design enables us to integrate material distribution directly into the logic of the product.
Through algorithms and simulations, we map performance features such as support, breathability, deformation, comfort, reinforcement and embed them seamlessly into the spray paths.
The same principles extend to the application of color and graphics, where robotic inkjet printing follows similarly computed instructions.
What makes this approach powerful is the integration it unlocks: design and manufacturing evolve as one system. It also enables rapid iteration and customization, allowing us to create lightweight, mold-free uppers with minimal waste, making performance optimization and athlete-specific solutions not just possible, but scalable.
What does the software stack behind LightSpray™ look like, and what kinds of data are used to generate conformal toolpaths? How are inputs like foot scans or design parameters translated into precise robotic instructions?
LightSpray™ pairs advanced computational strategies with a performance-driven design approach. At its core, the process depends on a deep understanding of the fundamentals of fit, comfort, and biomechanics in footwear, areas where On has built a strong foundation despite being an innovation company at its heart.
Our Sport Science Team plays a critical role, working closely with us to integrate both quantitative data such as foot scans, pressure maps, and movement analysis and qualitative feedback from athletes. For example, in developing the CloudBoom Strike LS, we embedded athlete testing feedback and Sport Science insights directly into the design and production workflow.
The software stack combines industry standard design tools like Rhino 3D and Grasshopper with custom developed workflows tailored to LightSpray™.
These tools process anatomical and performance data to generate parametric designs, which are then translated into conformal toolpaths for robotic execution. Currently, we are expanding this capability by developing a customized software suite for LightSpray, building hardware and software in parallel to ensure they evolve together for optimal performance, efficiency, and innovation.
From reducing carbon emissions to eliminating pattern making, LightSpray™ disrupts multiple layers of the traditional workflow. Which part of that transformation are you most proud of?
LightSpray™ unlocked a completely new way of thinking and making performance footwear and it required us to develop a new way of designing for it. I believe this marks a new paradigm that will inevitably ripple across the footwear industry.
What I find most exciting is how LightSpray™ challenges us to rethink footwear design from the ground up. It forces a return to the fundamentals of our craft, reexamined through the lens of new technology.
Questions like how the foot’s anatomy informs the last we spray over, or how to computationally and robotically manipulate the material system to create variable properties without adding extra elements, are at the center of this exploration. By removing many of the add-ons typical of traditional footwear, we move closer to the anatomical realities of the foot tied to performance, comfort, and aesthetics and open the door to new insights we may have missed before.
What will you be sharing in your presentation at CDFAM Amsterdam, and what do you hope the audience takes away from it?
At the conference, I’ll share a closer look at the innovation process behind LightSpray, how we approached building something new in a fast-moving environment, combining team collaboration with individual initiative.
It’s less about showcasing a finished product and more about sharing the challenges and decisions that shaped the journey.
At On, we work in a way that feels close to a research lab, developing knowledge from the ground up and moving it into real products quickly. I hope the audience comes away with a clearer sense of how innovation happens when you stay focused on fundamentals but stay open to rethinking how things are done.
This is your first time presenting at CDFAM, though you’ve been part of the community before. What are you hoping to contribute to and take away from the experience in Amsterdam?
I hope to share a different view of additive manufacturing, one that highlights how technologies like LightSpray™ can move beyond experimentation and into real-world production. Just as importantly, I’m looking forward to the conversations.
These kinds of forums are a rare chance to exchange ideas, hear different perspectives, and see how others are pushing the boundaries of computational design in their own ways. I think the most valuable part is often discovering how differently we all approach the same challenges.
LightSpray™ offers a glimpse into how computational design is reshaping not just products, but the processes used to make them. At CDFAM Amsterdam, Maia Zheliazkova will join a global community of engineers, designers, and researchers pushing the boundaries of digital manufacturing.
Register now to attend and connect with Maia and others driving innovation at the intersection of design, performance, and production.
