Mold insert for use in a mold for the manufacture of a cushioning element for sports apparel

A method for manufacturing cushioning elements, the method comprising:

• a) providing a mold comprising:
• i) at least two mold sections, each of the two mold sections comprising an electrode for providing an electromagnetic field, and
• ii) a mold insert manufactured using an additive manufacturing method;
• wherein the mold insert is formed from a ceramic filled resin, a cyanate ester, a polylactic acid/polylactide, an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polyamide 6/nylon 6, polyamide 66/nylon 66, polyamide 12/nylon 12, a polyether ether ketone, a binder system, an epoxy resin, a UV-curing thermoset, or combinations thereof;
• b) placing the mold insert in at least one of the two mold sections, wherein the two mold sections are movable relative to each other in a first direction to open the mold;
• c) loading the mold with particles;
• d) closing the mold, wherein the two mold sections are movable relative to each other in a second direction to close the mold, thereby forming a mold cavity between the electrodes;
• and
• e) applying an electromagnetic field to fuse the surfaces of the particles;
• wherein the mold insert is adapted to locally adjust a field strength of the electromagnetic field within a cavity of the mold based at least in part on a geometry of the cushioning element.