When it comes to running, comfort is king. A shoe that doesn’t fit just right—whether it’s too tight, too loose, or blister-inducing—can mean the difference between a personal best and a painful run. But creating a shoe that delivers comfort, durability, and performance at scale is a challenge when so much of its structure is hidden from view.

For Luca Ciccone, Director of Product Engineering at Saucony, understanding a shoe’s structure has always been as important as its materials. Industrial CT presented a new way to do just that—offering insights that traditional inspection methods simply couldn’t. When Saucony began working with Lumafield’s Neptune CT scanner, it quickly became an essential tool in their development process. Now, their engineers can examine every layer of a shoe without cutting it apart, allowing them to spot hidden flaws, ensure consistency, and fine-tune designs before they ever hit the production line.

CT scanning isn’t just for elite racing shoes; it’s a tool that improves footwear for every kind of runner. That’s why we sat down with Luca to take a look inside a comprehensive range of Saucony’s shoes, from the Omni 9, a stability-focused trainer for everyday wear, to the Ride 18, a cushioned workhorse built for long miles, and the Endorphin Elite 2, an elite marathon racing shoe.

Comfort vs. Performance

To engineer a comfortable shoe, designers have to thread the needle between a reliable hard good and a comfortable soft good. That means looking at more than just materials and construction methods—it requires a deep understanding of how every individual component interacts with the rest of the shoe.

Being able to see the CT scan and digitally cut the shoe in half to look at each one of the components and how everything came together, we can truly understand the consistency that we’re getting in our R&D phases, all the way up into production.

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That insight is crucial when working with intricate, multi-layered products like running shoes. Even a small misalignment—like a heel counter being placed slightly off-center—can change the way a shoe fits and feels. And because runners expect every pair to feel the same, maintaining consistency is just as important as getting the initial design right.

“If it’s misaligned in any way, shape, or form, it can truly affect the comfort of the shoe and how it can perform,” Ciccone explained. “We want to make sure that we’re minimizing these risks upfront.”

Saucony’s Omni 9

While the Omni 9 may look like a casual, fashion-forward sneaker, there’s a surprising amount of engineering beneath the surface. The shoe is designed to provide both comfort and stability, but that balance depends on careful placement of key internal components.

One of the most important of these is the heel counter—a rigid insert that helps lock the foot in place. Because it sits inside the shoe’s upper, it’s impossible to inspect without cutting the shoe open—unless you use CT scanning.

“The first thing that I look at when I look at a CT scan of this particular shoe… is where the heel counter is being placed on the inside of the upper,” Ciccone notes. “You cannot see it from the outside, and the only way that you’re able to look at it is by cutting it in half.”

With CT scanning, Saucony can go beyond simply verifying placement. Engineers can measure its exact position, assess alignment across different production batches, and ensure it maintains its shape under stress. This level of detail helps eliminate inconsistencies before they become comfort or performance issues, keeping every pair true to its intended design.

Saucony’s Ride 18

A great running shoe isn’t just comfortable on the first run—it has to feel just as good after hundreds of miles. That’s why the Ride 18 was designed with durability in mind. But materials alone aren’t enough to guarantee longevity; the way they’re assembled matters just as much.

Sometimes, issues don’t appear right away. A runner might wear a pair of shoes for weeks before noticing that a certain spot feels less cushioned than it used to. These breakdowns are often caused by inconsistencies in glue application, foam density, or structural bonding—issues that aren’t visible from the outside.

If you’re able to look at all of your products throughout testing, you can simply see where those breakdowns occur, and you’re able to fix the design down the road.

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Saucony’s Endorphin Elite 2

Saucony's brand-new Endorphin Elite 2 is built for speed, and its performance hinges on the precise interaction of multiple components. At the heart of the shoe is a carbon-fiber plate sandwiched between layers of PWRRUN PB foam. This plate helps propel runners forward, but only if it’s positioned perfectly.

Our scan of the Endorphin Elite 2 shows the way the foam and carbon plate have been bonded together. If there were any air pockets, inconsistencies, or shifts in placement, they would be visible in the scan—allowing the team to refine the process before production.

CT scanning lets Saucony detect potential weak points before a shoe ever reaches a runner’s feet. By analyzing the bonding between the midsole and upper, the adhesion of different materials, and the uniformity of the foam, engineers can make adjustments that prevent premature wear and tear.

The Future of Footwear

CT scanning isn’t just a tool for defect detection—it’s a new way of thinking about product development. For Saucony, that means fewer prototypes, more reliable manufacturing, and better-performing shoes. Instead of relying on assumptions and best guesses, the team can use real-world data to make informed decisions at every stage of the design process.

As engineers, we always strive to make our products better. Being able to look inside our shoes without cutting them apart—that’s a game-changer.

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From stability-focused trainers to elite racing shoes, every model in Saucony’s lineup benefits from precise, data-driven engineering. And thanks to Lumafield’s CT scanning technology, that engineering is more accurate, efficient, and effective than ever before.