Methods for manufacturing shoe uppers

Abstract

Method for manufacturing shoe uppers, comprising: Step A: Providing materials for shoe uppers, wherein a laser cutting machine (1) is put into operation, whereupon a whole roll of shoe material and thermoplastic elastomer is placed onto a spool material rod (11) of the laser cutting machine (1), wherein a feeding device (12) is located above the spool material rod (11), whereupon the shoe material and the thermoplastic elastomer are transported by the feeding device (12) to a laser cutting platform (13), and wherein the pre-made pattern image file for the shoe upper is entered into a main control computer of the laser cutting machine (1), so that a laser head (14) of the laser cutting machine (1) cuts the shoe material and the thermoplastic elastomer, and wherein the shoe material and the thermoplastic elastomer are conveyed via a conveyor belt to a finished product area after cutting.while the remaining waste material is transported to the waste area via another conveyor belt after cutting; Step B: Molding of shoe uppers, wherein a shoe upper molding machine (2) is put into operation, the shoe upper molding machine (2) being provided with a single upper mold (21) and several sub-molds (22), and wherein a shoe upper mold template is placed on the sub-mold (22), the heating temperature and heating time of the upper mold (21) and the sub-mold (22) are each set, and during the heating process the heat energy of the sub-mold (22) is transferred to the shoe upper mold template, and wherein an air compressor is put into operation, wherein, after it has been confirmed that the temperature of the sub-mold (22) has reached the set heating temperature, the shoe material and the thermoplastic elastomer provided in the end-product area are placed on the shoe upper mold template, and wherein a vacuum silicone cover plate (23) covers the sub-mold (22) to block the air.whereupon a negative pressure vacuum device for the lower mold (22) begins to operate to extract the excess air in the lower mold (22), so that the shoe material and the thermoplastic elastomer can maintain a stable and flat state on the upper mold template, whereupon the lower mold (22) is moved under the upper mold (21), the upper mold (21) being lowered and engaged with the lower mold (22), and the shoe material and the thermoplastic elastomer being heated by the upper mold (21) and the lower mold (22) until the set time is reached, so that the shoe material and the thermoplastic elastomer are thermally melted and fused together at the set temperature to form a multi-layered shoe material composite (3) with a designed upper pattern, and the upper mold (21) is automatically lifted.wherein the sub-mold (22) automatically moves back to its original position to dissipate heat and perform demolding, and wherein while waiting for heat to dissipate from the sub-mold (22), the other sub-mold (22) can automatically repeat the above steps, and wherein when the heat dissipation time of the sub-mold (22) is reached, the vacuum silicone cover plate (23) is cooled, wherein after lifting the vacuum silicone cover plate (23), the multi-layered shoe material composite (3) can be continuously cooled, and wherein after cooling is complete, demolding is performed, and wherein the molded and bonded multi-layered shoe material composite (3) is fed to a laser machine in preparation for the next step; , Step C: Processing of shoe uppers, wherein the laser machine is put into operation, wherein the laser machine is used to perform operations such as air perforation, trimming of rough edges and cutting of waste materials, wherein the multilayer shoe material composite (3) is transported to a printing machine in preparation for the next step; Step D: Printing of shoe uppers, wherein the printing machine is put into operation, whereupon the multilayer shoe material composite (3) is placed on the printing platform of the printing machine for printing, and wherein, after the printing process is completed, the multilayer shoe material composite (3) is removed as a finished product.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The invention relates to a method for manufacturing shoe uppers, in particular a method by which different heating temperatures and different heating times can be set for the hot melt bonding of shoe materials with thermoplastic elastomers according to different application requirements and different materials, wherein, using a single upper mold with several sub-molds, production efficiency can be effectively improved and production capacity increased. [State of the art]

[0002] The modern shoe industry divides shoes into several parts. These various parts include: upper leather, sole, shoe base, insole, shoe last, laces, accessories, etc. Different parts are manufactured by different departments or production lines. The processes include, in sequence: material preparation, pattern making, cutting, sewing, shaping, finishing, lasted, quality control, and finally, packaging.

[0003] The traditional shoe industry is a labor-intensive industry. It uses many types of raw materials. Furthermore, the manufacturing processes are relatively simple. Especially in the production of shoe uppers, the durability of the material, the reliability of the bonding, the correct application of the adhesive, and the proper reinforcement are crucial. Additionally, lining and reinforcement materials must be correctly matched and sewn together to create the shoe uppers.

[0004] Therefore, there is a saying in the Taiwanese shoe industry: "In clothing manufacturing, a centimeter difference is a millimeter difference in shoe manufacturing," meaning that it is difficult to produce a pair of good shoes to high standards. Although artificial intelligence has been applied to some of today's production lines, it has not yet been implemented across the entire production line. This means that most shoe manufacturing is still primarily manual. Therefore, there is still considerable room for improvement in practice. German patent application DE 33 47 237 A1 describes a device and a method for manufacturing a stiffened shoe upper, wherein a section of the shoe upper is coated with polymer powder. German patent application DE 10 2015 219 636 A1 relates to the known stiffening of a shoe upper, wherein a base layer of fabric is coated with polymer.German patent application DE 41 03 389 A1 describes a method for manufacturing a toecap reinforced with thermoplastic material for a shoe, in which the material is printed onto a carrier sheet, and after cutting, the blank is shaped using a heat press and the material is melted. German patent application DE 27 01 966 A1 relates to a method and a device for shaping and lasting shoe uppers. German patent application CN 2 08 080 656 U describes a three-dimensional shaping device for a shoe upper. [Purpose of the invention]

[0005] The invention is based on the objective of creating a method for manufacturing shoe uppers that avoids the aforementioned disadvantages through simple measures.

[0006] This problem is solved according to the invention by a method for manufacturing shoe uppers, which has the features specified in claim 1. Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are described in the dependent claims.

[0007] According to the invention, a method for manufacturing shoe uppers is provided by which different heating temperatures and heating times can be set for the thermal fusion bonding of shoe materials with thermoplastic elastomers according to different application requirements and different materials. Using a single upper mold with multiple sub-molds, production efficiency can be effectively improved and production capacity increased. Furthermore, the method according to the invention not only improves production efficiency and capacity but also offers the advantages of reduced labor costs and manufacturing steps, as well as simplified operation. This allows for the production of various shoe uppers suitable for different purposes and occasions, and which are more comfortable to use.

[0008] According to the invention, the method for manufacturing shoe uppers mainly comprises providing materials for shoe uppers, shaping shoe uppers, processing shoe uppers and printing shoe uppers to produce a multi-layered shoe material composite, wherein the shoe upper required for shoe manufacturing is made from the multi-layered shoe material composite. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] The invention and its embodiments are explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings. The drawings show: Fig. 1 a flowchart of the method according to the invention; Fig. 2 a perspective view of a laser cutting machine according to the invention; Fig. 3 a perspective view of a shoe upper forming machine according to the invention; and Fig. 4 a perspective view of a shoe produced by the method according to the invention. [Explanation of the preferred embodiment]

[0010] With reference to Fig. 1 The method according to the invention mainly comprises the following steps: Step A: Providing materials for shoe uppers, including one in Fig. The laser cutting machine 1 shown in Figure 2 is put into operation, whereupon a whole roll of shoe material and thermoplastic elastomer is placed onto a spool of material 11 of the laser cutting machine 1. The shoe material is selected from a group that includes canvas, leather, breathable mesh fabric, light-reflecting fabric, etc. A feeder 12 is located above the spool of material 11. The shoe material and the thermoplastic elastomer are transported by the feeder 12 to a laser cutting platform 13. A pre-made image file of a shoe upper pattern is entered into a main control computer of the laser cutting machine 1, so that a laser head 14 of the laser cutting machine 1 cuts the shoe material and the thermoplastic elastomer.After cutting, the shoe material and the thermoplastic elastomer are transported via a conveyor belt to a finished product area, while the remaining waste material is transported via another conveyor belt to the waste area, in order to significantly reduce manual processing time and effectively increase production capacity. Step B: Shaping shoe uppers. Fig. 3. The shoe upper molding machine 2 shown is put into operation, wherein the shoe upper molding machine 2 is a shoe upper molding machine for microporous low-temperature sintering and vacuum thermal transfer. The shoe upper molding machine 2 is equipped with a single upper mold 21 and several sub-molds 22. A shoe upper mold template is placed on the sub-mold 22, the sub-mold 22 being removable to replace the shoe upper mold templates of different shoe upper patterns. According to different functional requirements, at least one shoe material, such as canvas, leather, breathable mesh fabric, light-reflecting fabric, etc., can be thermally bonded to the thermoplastic elastomer to form a one-piece molded multilayer shoe material composite 3. The multilayer shoe material composite 3 for different purposes exhibits different material properties.The temperature and time for hot melt bonding also vary. The heating temperature and time of the upper mold 21 and the lower mold 22 are set according to the different material mixtures. During the heating process, the heat energy from the lower mold 22 is transferred to the shoe upper mold. An air compressor is started, and a temperature gun is used to confirm that the temperature of the lower mold 22 has reached the set temperature. Once it has been confirmed that the temperature of the lower mold 22 has reached the set temperature, the shoe material and the thermoplastic elastomer, which is in the form of canvas, leather, breathable mesh fabric, light-reflecting fabric, etc., and is provided in the final product area, are placed on the shoe upper mold using the positioning point alignment calibration.A vacuum-sealed silicone cover plate 23 covers the sub-mold 22 to block air, whereupon a vacuum device for the sub-mold 22 begins to operate to extract the excess air from the sub-mold 22. This allows the shoe material and the thermoplastic elastomer to maintain a stable and flat state on the shoe upper mold. The sub-mold 22 is then moved beneath the upper mold 21, which is lowered and engaged with the sub-mold 22. Simultaneously, the shoe material and the thermoplastic elastomer are heated by the upper mold 21 and the sub-mold 22 until the set heating time is reached. This causes the shoe material and the thermoplastic elastomer to thermally melt and fuse together at the set temperature to form a multi-layered shoe material composite 3 with the designed shoe upper pattern.The upper mold 21 lifts automatically, while the lower mold 22 automatically returns to its original position to dissipate heat and demold. While waiting for the lower mold 22 to dissipate heat, the other lower mold 22 can automatically repeat the above steps to effectively utilize the waiting time for heat dissipation and demolding, thus improving production efficiency. In this way, production capacity can be increased by more than 80% without increasing the costs for operators and machinery. Once the lower mold 22 has reached its heat dissipation time, a high-pressure air gun is used to cool the vacuum silicone cover plate 23. After the vacuum silicone cover plate 23 is lifted, the multi-layered shoe material composite 3 can be continuously cooled by rotating the high-pressure air gun.Once cooling is complete, demolding is carried out. The multi-layered shoe material composite 3 is slowly lifted and separated from the shoe upper mold. This completes the demolding process. The molded and bonded multi-layered shoe material composite 3 is then fed to the laser machine to prepare for the next step. Step C: Processing of shoe uppers, whereby the laser machine is put into operation and used to perform operations such as air perforation, trimming of rough edges and cutting of waste materials, wherein the multi-layered shoe material composite 3 is transported to a printing machine in preparation for the next step. Step D: Printing on shoe uppers, whereby the printing machine is started up, whereupon the multi-layered shoe material composite 3 is placed on the printing platform of the printing machine for printing. After the printing process is complete, the multi-layered shoe material composite 3 is removed as the finished product.

[0011] In this way, the finished product obtained through the steps mentioned above can be manufactured from the multi-layered shoe material composite 3 to complete a shoe A [see Fig. 4].

[0012] In summary, the following advantages, for example, can be realized with the method according to the invention: 1. The invention enables the conversion of existing single-material shoe upper manufacturing to the production of more diverse, multi-layered shoe material composites without increasing the process or labor, thus allowing existing production equipment to be used optimally and offering a wider range of applications. Furthermore, it allows for the fulfillment of various market demands. Simultaneously, product yield can be improved and production capacity increased, while labor costs are reduced. 2. The present invention allows not only the simultaneous cutting of canvas, leather, breathable mesh fabric, light-reflecting fabric and other various shoe materials to produce multi-layered shoe material composites, but also the automatic separation of finished products and waste materials, thereby significantly reducing manual processing times and effectively increasing production capacity. 3. According to the invention, a single upper mold works together with several lower molds, so that the waiting time for demolding can be used effectively, production efficiency can be improved, production capacity can be increased, and the overall implementation and use can be more practical and functional. 4. According to the invention, a single upper mold interacts with several sub-molds. Using different sub-molds, the shoe upper can be sequentially formed from multi-layered shoe material composites with different shoe material combinations. Simultaneously, multi-layered shoe material composites can be produced from different shoe material combinations. 5. In the operation of the present invention, since the multilayer shoe material composites have different material properties for different purposes, the temperature and time for hot fusion also vary. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the heating temperature and heating time [parameters] of the upper and lower molds according to the different material combinations. The heating temperature and heating time [parameters] can be preset as memory modules in the main control computer of the laser cutting machine. During operation, the preset memory modules for different material combinations can be directly accessed, thus avoiding errors that can occur when manually setting relevant parameters.Furthermore, unnecessary material consumption on the production line and unnecessary cost expenditures are effectively reduced, which improves product yield and increases production capacity / gross profit margin.

Claims

[1] Method for manufacturing shoe uppers, comprising: Step A: Providing materials for shoe uppers, wherein a laser cutting machine (1) is put into operation, whereupon a whole roll of shoe material and thermoplastic elastomer is placed onto a spool material rod (11) of the laser cutting machine (1), wherein a feeding device (12) is located above the spool material rod (11), whereupon the shoe material and the thermoplastic elastomer are transported by the feeding device (12) to a laser cutting platform (13), and wherein the pre-made pattern image file for the shoe upper is entered into a main control computer of the laser cutting machine (1), so that a laser head (14) of the laser cutting machine (1) cuts the shoe material and the thermoplastic elastomer, and wherein the shoe material and the thermoplastic elastomer are conveyed via a conveyor belt to a finished product area after cutting.while the remaining waste material is transported to the waste area via another conveyor belt after cutting; Step B: Molding of shoe uppers, wherein a shoe upper molding machine (2) is put into operation, the shoe upper molding machine (2) being provided with a single upper mold (21) and several sub-molds (22), and wherein a shoe upper mold template is placed on the sub-mold (22), the heating temperature and heating time of the upper mold (21) and the sub-mold (22) are each set, and during the heating process the heat energy of the sub-mold (22) is transferred to the shoe upper mold template, and wherein an air compressor is put into operation, wherein, after it has been confirmed that the temperature of the sub-mold (22) has reached the set heating temperature, the shoe material and the thermoplastic elastomer provided in the end-product area are placed on the shoe upper mold template, and wherein a vacuum silicone cover plate (23) covers the sub-mold (22) to block the air.whereupon a negative pressure vacuum device for the lower mold (22) begins to operate to extract the excess air in the lower mold (22), so that the shoe material and the thermoplastic elastomer can maintain a stable and flat state on the upper mold template, whereupon the lower mold (22) is moved under the upper mold (21), the upper mold (21) being lowered and engaged with the lower mold (22), and the shoe material and the thermoplastic elastomer being heated by the upper mold (21) and the lower mold (22) until the set time is reached, so that the shoe material and the thermoplastic elastomer are thermally melted and fused together at the set temperature to form a multi-layered shoe material composite (3) with a designed upper pattern, and the upper mold (21) is automatically lifted.wherein the sub-mold (22) automatically moves back to its original position to dissipate heat and perform demolding, and wherein while waiting for heat to dissipate from the sub-mold (22), the other sub-mold (22) can automatically repeat the above steps, and wherein when the heat dissipation time of the sub-mold (22) is reached, the vacuum silicone cover plate (23) is cooled, wherein after lifting the vacuum silicone cover plate (23), the multi-layered shoe material composite (3) can be continuously cooled, and wherein after cooling is complete, demolding is performed, and wherein the molded and bonded multi-layered shoe material composite (3) is fed to a laser machine in preparation for the next step; Step C: Processing of shoe uppers, wherein the laser machine is put into operation, wherein the laser machine is used to perform operations such as air perforation, trimming of rough edges and cutting of waste materials, wherein the multilayer shoe material composite (3) is transported to a printing machine in preparation for the next step; Step D: Printing of shoe uppers, wherein the printing machine is put into operation, whereupon the multilayer shoe material composite (3) is placed on the printing platform of the printing machine for printing, and wherein, after the printing process is completed, the multilayer shoe material composite (3) is removed as a finished product. [2] Method according to claim 1, characterized by that the shoe material is selected from a group that includes canvas, leather, breathable mesh fabric and light-reflecting fabric. [3] Method according to claim 1, characterized by , that the shoe upper forming machine (2) is a shoe upper forming machine by microporous low temperature sintering and vacuum thermal transfer. [4] Method according to claim 1, characterized by , that the sub-mold (22) is removable to replace the shoe upper mold templates of different shoe upper patterns. [5] Method according to claim 1, characterized by , that in step B a temperature measuring gun is used to confirm whether the temperature of the sub-mold (22) has reached the set temperature. [6] Method according to claim 1, characterized by , that in step B, using the positioning point alignment calibration, the shoe material and the thermoplastic elastomer are placed on the mold of the shoe upper. [7] Method according to claim 1, characterized by, that in step B a high-pressure air gun is used to cool the vacuum silicone cover plate (23). [8] Method according to claim 1, characterized by , that in step B the multi-layered shoe material composite (3) is continuously cooled by moving the high-pressure air gun in a circular motion.

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