Fabric and sole integrated forming process

Abstract

The application provides a fabric and sole integrated forming process and relates to the technical field of sole forming processes.The process comprises the following steps: S1, placing the fabric flat in a mold and closing the mold; S2, opening a vacuum air extractor, evacuating air in the mold, and pressure-injecting glue into the mold; S3, after the glue injection is completed, cooling and setting, so that the fabric and the glue are integrally formed; S4, opening the mold, taking out the formed product, and trimming and cutting the product to obtain the product. The fabric and the glue are integrally formed by pressure injection in the mold, so that the molten glue can directly penetrate, wrap and fuse with the fabric fibers. The formed sole and the fabric are integrated, the peeling strength is high, the problem that the shoes are prone to glue separation is solved, and the service life of the shoes is prolonged. The application omits the complicated processes such as sewing, polishing, glue brushing, baking and pressing in the traditional process, and is conducive to realizing automatic and large-scale batch production.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of shoe sole molding technology, and in particular to an integrated molding process for fabric and sole. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, in traditional footwear manufacturing processes, the upper and sole are typically produced separately and then joined together. Common joining methods include hand stitching, sewing, and bonding with adhesives (such as glue or hot melt adhesive).

[0003] However, this traditional separate splicing process has many drawbacks: First, the processing steps are relatively complicated, requiring multiple independent stages such as fabric cutting, shaping, gluing, pressing, and baking. The production process is not only time-consuming but also requires a large amount of manual operation, resulting in low production efficiency and high labor costs. Second, the use of adhesives for bonding is limited by the aging characteristics and bonding strength of the adhesive. Products are prone to delamination after long-term use or in humid environments, which not only affects the lifespan and comfort of the shoes but also easily leads to environmental and health problems. Finally, during the sewing or bonding process, it is difficult to achieve perfect edge alignment between the sole and the upper, resulting in poor product consistency. Furthermore, due to the lack of air purging, air bubbles and glue overflow are easily generated on the bonding surface during the glue injection process, leading to a low product yield.

[0004] Therefore, developing a new process that can solve the above problems and achieve tight, firm, and efficient one-piece molding of fabric and sole has important practical application value for the footwear industry. To this end, an integrated molding process for fabric and sole is proposed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention provides an integrated molding process for fabric and sole to solve or alleviate one of the technical problems existing in the prior art, and at least provides a beneficial alternative.

[0006] The technical solution of this invention is implemented as follows: an integrated molding process for fabric and sole, comprising the following steps: S1. Lay the fabric flat in the mold and close the mold. Preferably, the pre-treated fabric is laid flat on the cavity surface of the lower mold plate, and the fabric is pre-positioned using a pre-designed positioning device. Then, the upper mold plate and the upper mold base are flipped downwards sequentially through a linked hinge mechanism to achieve the gradual closing of the three-layer mold structure. During the mold closing process, the fabric is tightly and flatly clamped between the upper and lower mold plates, which not only completes the mold closing action but also prepares the structure for preventing fabric displacement during subsequent glue injection.

[0007] S2. Activate the vacuum pump to expel air from the mold and inject the adhesive into it. After sealing the mold, start the vacuum pumping system connected to the mold. Through the vacuum pipe connected to the lower mold plate, quickly extract the air from the mold cavity and fabric gaps, creating a stable negative pressure environment within the cavity. While maintaining the vacuum pump, begin injecting molten adhesive into the cavity through the injection port. During injection, control the injection pressure within the range of 2MPa-5MPa until the molten adhesive completely fills the entire cavity. In this step, the vacuum environment eliminates air bubbles that are easily generated by traditional injection molding, and the negative pressure suction helps the adhesive quickly penetrate and wet the fibers on the fabric surface, ensuring a dense bond.

[0008] S3. After injection, cool and solidify to form a single integrated material with the fabric. Once the cavity is completely filled with adhesive, stop injection, shut off the vacuum pump, and begin the pressure holding and cooling solidification stage. A pre-installed water-cooling circulation system can be used within the mold to rapidly cool it; alternatively, natural cooling can be selected based on process requirements. As the temperature decreases, the molten adhesive gradually transforms from a liquid to a solid state. During the cooling and solidification process, the adhesive molecules undergo a close physical or chemical fusion with the molecular structure of the fabric surface, ultimately fusing the fabric and the rubber / plastic substrate completely into a single, unbreakable integrated composite.

[0009] S4. Open the mold, remove the molded product, and trim and cut the edges to obtain the finished product. After cooling and setting, first open the upper mold base, then rotate the upper template to achieve step-by-step mold opening. Remove the solidified sole component from the mold to obtain the initial blank. Finally, use a manual trimming knife to precisely trim along the excess glue line on the edge of the molded sole, removing excess glue and excess fabric from the edges. After surface cleaning, a seamless, integrated finished sole with the fabric and sole is obtained.

[0010] A further preferred embodiment of the present invention is a three-layer linkage structure consisting of a lower template, an upper template, and an upper mold base. The lower template is fixed to the workbench of the equipment as a base; the upper template and the upper mold base are rotatably connected to the rear side of the lower template via the same hinge axis or a linkage hinge. Both the lower and upper templates have internally machined lower and upper cavities that match the shape of the shoe sole, and a mold core is fixedly installed on the bottom surface of the upper mold base. When the fabric is laid on the lower template and multiple mold-closing stages are completed, the mold core passes through the upper cavity and mates with the lower cavity, jointly enclosing a closed injection space that retains only the injection port and the evacuation port. The lower template of the mold has an injection port and a vacuum extraction pipeline on its side; the injection port is connected to an external injection machine, and the vacuum extraction pipeline is connected to a vacuum pump. This structural design ensures precise control of the mold-closing sequence, resulting in uniform stress on the fabric within the interlayer and reducing defects such as wrinkles, displacement, or holes in the fabric during the pressing process.

[0011] Further preferred method: In step S2, the injection pressure of the adhesive is strictly controlled between 2MPa and 5MPa. If the injection pressure is lower than 2MPa, the molten adhesive, due to its insufficient fluidity, cannot overcome the capillary resistance of the micropores inside the cavity and the fabric fibers under vacuum conditions, easily leading to insufficient adhesive, leakage, or incomplete filling at the far end of the cavity. If the injection pressure is higher than 5MPa, it is very easy to cause high-pressure tearing impact on the flexible fabric, or cause mold expansion under high pressure, resulting in severe overflow of the product. The pressure range of 2MPa-5MPa can ensure efficient and uniform filling of the adhesive in the cavity, while maximizing the protection of the integrity of the fabric and the sealing of the mold.

[0012] Further preferred: The materials used in this process have an excellent range. The outer fabric can be any type of leather or cloth; the adhesive, depending on the functional requirements of the sole, can be any one of PVC plastic, durable and abrasion-resistant thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), lightweight and shock-absorbing ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), or soft and non-slip silicone. Through the vacuum injection molding process of this invention, all the above-mentioned different material combinations can achieve integrated penetration and bonding.

[0013] Further preferred design: A sealing ring is provided on the mold closing surface. After the mold is closed, the sealing ring seals the internal cavity. A glue injection port is provided on the upper mold base. The outer end of the glue injection port is connected to the glue injection machine. The vacuum extraction pipeline is located on the side of the lower mold plate. After the vacuum extraction is turned on to make the cavity reach the preset negative pressure, the glue material is injected.

[0014] The embodiments of the present invention have the following advantages due to the adoption of the above technical solutions: I. This invention integrates the fabric and adhesive by injection molding in a mold, allowing the molten adhesive to directly penetrate, wrap, and fuse with the fabric fibers or leather surface. This eliminates the adhesive layer and sewing process required in traditional technologies. The resulting sole is seamlessly integrated with the fabric, exhibiting high peel strength. This solves the problem of shoes easily coming apart and extends the lifespan of the shoes.

[0015] Second, this invention only requires the main steps of feeding material, closing mold, vacuuming, gluing, cooling, and demolding, eliminating the cumbersome steps of sewing, grinding, gluing, baking, and pressing in traditional processes. With the three-layer linkage mold of upper and lower templates and upper mold base, the production cycle is shortened, the manual operation time and labor costs are reduced, and it is conducive to realizing automated and large-scale mass production.

[0016] Third, the present invention pre-opens the vacuum pump before injection to remove the air in the mold cavity, so that the rubber can be injected and filled in a low pressure or even negative pressure environment. This avoids quality defects such as air holes, pits or local missing glue on the surface of the molded shoe sole caused by residual air in the mold, and improves the appearance quality and yield of the produced shoes.

[0017] IV. The three-layer linkage hinged mold structure adopted in this invention has the mold core fixed to the upper mold base, and both the upper and lower mold plates have their own cavities. When the mold is closed, the mold core cooperates with the upper and lower mold plates in sequence, which can press and position the fabric to prevent wrinkles or displacement of the fabric during high-pressure glue injection.

[0018] V. The process of this invention has fewer restrictions on the selection of fabrics and adhesives, and can be compatible with a variety of shoe upper materials such as mesh fabric and textile fabric. Furthermore, it can achieve good filling and molding for materials such as thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) or silicone under injection pressure of 2MPa-5MPa, and is suitable for the integrated manufacturing of various types of shoe soles such as sports shoes, casual shoes, and work shoes.

[0019] The above overview is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features of the invention will become readily apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a process flow diagram of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the molding die of the present invention.

[0022] Figure Labels 1. Lower mold plate; 2. Upper mold plate; 3. Upper mold base; 4. Cavity; 5. Mold core; 6. Vacuum extraction pipeline. Detailed Implementation

[0023] In the following description, only certain exemplary embodiments are briefly described. As those skilled in the art will recognize, the described embodiments can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the drawings and description are considered to be exemplary in nature and not restrictive.

[0024] The embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0025] It should be understood that the following specific examples illustrate the implementation of this disclosure, and those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this disclosure from the content disclosed in this specification. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this disclosure, and not all of them. This disclosure can also be implemented or applied through other different specific implementation methods, and the details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. Based on the embodiments in this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0026] It should be noted that various aspects of embodiments within the scope of the appended claims are described below. It will be apparent that the aspects described herein can be embodied in a wide variety of forms, and any particular structure and / or function described herein is merely illustrative. Based on this disclosure, those skilled in the art will understand that one aspect described herein can be implemented independently of any other aspect, and two or more of these aspects can be combined in various ways. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein can be used to implement the device and / or practice the method. Additionally, this device and / or method can be implemented using structures and / or functionalities other than one or more of the aspects set forth herein.

[0027] Example 1 like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, this embodiment provides an integrated molding process for mesh fabric and TPU sole.

[0028] Specifically, in this embodiment, the fabric is a breathable mesh fabric, and the adhesive is a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) granule material that is resistant to folding and abrasion.

[0029] Perform step S1, lay the pre-treated mesh fabric flat on the cavity surface of the lower template 1, and after positioning, flip the upper template 2 and the upper mold base 3 downwards through the hinges so that the fabric is tightly clamped between the upper and lower templates.

[0030] In step S2, the vacuum extraction line 6 connected to the lower mold plate is activated to create a vacuum. After the air inside the mold cavity and between the fabric fibers is fully expelled, molten TPU material is injected into the cavity through the injection port located on the side of the lower mold plate. In this embodiment, the injection temperature is controlled at 195℃-210℃, and the injection pressure is 3.5MPa. With the assistance of vacuum negative pressure, the TPU material quickly penetrates and encapsulates the mesh fabric fibers.

[0031] Perform step S3. After the glue injection is complete, stop the vacuuming process and use the water-cooling pipes inside the mold to circulate cold water for rapid cooling and shaping. The cooling time is approximately 3 minutes. As the temperature decreases, the TPU molecules and mesh fibers undergo a tight physical fusion, achieving a secure integration between the sole and the upper.

[0032] Perform step S4, open the mold step by step, take out the initial shoe sole blank, and use a manual trimming knife to cut off the excess glue edge and fabric along the glue overflow line to obtain the sports shoe sole component that integrates mesh fabric and TPU sole. The molded product has excellent breathability, flexural strength and anti-slip performance.

[0033] Example 2 This embodiment provides an integrated molding process for textile fabric and EVA sole.

[0034] The difference from Example 1 is that in this example, the fabric is a durable and wear-resistant high-strength textile, and the adhesive is a lightweight and shock-absorbing ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer EVA granules.

[0035] In step S2, the dispensing machine heats the EVA material to a molten state of 180℃-190℃ and injects it into the mold, controlling the dispensing pressure at 2.5MPa. Due to the good fluidity of EVA, combined with the vacuum operation, the EVA material can fully fill the space between the material and the mold cavity.

[0036] In the S3 cooling and shaping step, the water cooling time is extended to 4-5 minutes to ensure that the thick inner EVA material is completely cured and shaped.

[0037] After demolding and trimming, a casual / workwear sole component is obtained, which is integrally molded from the textile fabric and EVA sole. This integrally molded sole is lightweight, has excellent cushioning and shock absorption performance, and the fabric is wear-resistant and not easily damaged.

[0038] Example 3 This embodiment provides an integrated molding process for mesh / woven fabric and silicone sole.

[0039] In this embodiment, the fabric can be selected from leather or cloth according to the style, and the adhesive is food-grade, soft and skin-friendly liquid silicone.

[0040] In the specific process steps, in step S2, because the silicone has a low viscosity and is easy to flow before cross-linking, the injection pressure is controlled at 2.0-3.0 MPa, and the injection temperature is controlled at 130℃-150℃. During the injection process, due to the inherent properties of silicone, it is easier to remove tiny air bubbles under vacuum, thus ensuring extremely high gloss on the sole surface.

[0041] In the S3 cooling and setting process, since the silicone needs to cross-link and cure at high temperature, natural cooling combined with partial water cooling is used. The silicone is held in the mold under pressure for 3-5 minutes to fully set the shape.

[0042] After demolding, trimming, and cleaning, a one-piece molded product of leather / fabric and silicone sole is obtained. The sole material of this molded product is soft and non-slip, providing a comfortable feel, and the joint between the material and the sole is smooth and seamless, making it suitable for the manufacture of indoor shoes, yoga shoes, or children's shoes.

[0043] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of various variations or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention, and these should all be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

[0044] The above description has been given for purposes of illustration and description. Furthermore, this description is not intended to limit the embodiments of this disclosure to the forms disclosed herein. Although numerous exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those skilled in the art will recognize certain variations, modifications, alterations, additions, and sub-combinations therein.

Claims

1. A process for integrally molding fabric and sole, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Lay the fabric flat in the mold and close the mold; S2. Turn on the vacuum pump to remove the air from the mold and inject the rubber material into the mold. S3. After the glue is injected, cool and set it to form the fabric and glue into one piece. S4. Open the mold, remove the molded product and trim and cut the edges to obtain the product.

2. The integrated molding process for fabric and sole according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mold includes a lower template, an upper template, and an upper mold base. The upper template and the upper mold base are rotatably connected to the lower template. The mold is connected to a vacuum extraction pipeline.

3. The integrated molding process for fabric and sole according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S2, the injection pressure of the rubber compound is 2MPa-5MPa, and the rubber compound is injected until the cavity is completely filled.

4. The integrated molding process for fabric and sole according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fabric can be either leather or cloth; the adhesive can be PVC plastic, thermoplastic polyurethane, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, or silicone.

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