Composite Sheet Extrusion With Patterned Zones for Shoe Soles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing materials for shoe soles face challenges such as high manufacturing costs, high raw material costs, and poor suitability for specific environments, with additional considerations for minimizing import duties and carbon credits, particularly when using natural or recycled materials.
Innovation Solution
The development of extrusion-based techniques for manufacturing composite sheet materials, where a patterning template with openings is fed through an extrusion device with extrusion material, allowing for the creation of composite sheets with alternating areas of different materials, including natural and recycled materials, which can be embedded or replaced post-curing to achieve desired aesthetic and functional properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If natural materials are used in shoe soles, then import duties are reduced and environmental impact is minimized, but material performance and suitability for specific environments deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining natural rubber with synthetic materials in a single sole construction. The natural rubber provides environmental benefits and import duty advantages, while the synthetic components compensate for performance limitations and enhance suitability for specific environments, thereby resolving the contradiction between environmental impact and material reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by creating distinct zones within the sole with different material compositions. Specific areas contain higher concentrations of natural materials for environmental benefits, while other regions incorporate synthetic materials to provide enhanced performance characteristics, allowing the sole to meet both environmental criteria and functional requirements in different locations.
2Ease of manufacture
If recycled materials are used, then manufacturing costs and raw material costs are reduced, but material consistency and performance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials combining recycled natural rubber with virgin synthetic materials. The recycled components reduce manufacturing costs, while the virgin synthetic materials provide consistent performance characteristics, thereby resolving the contradiction between cost reduction and material consistency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by carefully controlling the ratios and physical states of recycled and virgin materials in the composite formulation. This allows optimization of both cost (through recycled content) and consistency (through controlled parameters of the virgin materials and processing conditions).
3Adaptability or versatility
If composite sheet materials are manufactured using extrusion techniques, then material versatility and environmental benefits are improved, but manufacturing process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the nested doll principle by embedding a patterning template within the extrusion die. This allows complex multi-material composite sheets with intricate patterns to be produced through a relatively simple extrusion process, thereby achieving high material versatility without proportionally increasing process complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements universality by designing an extrusion system that can produce various composite sheet configurations by changing the patterning template. This multi-functional approach allows a single extrusion device to create diverse material compositions and patterns, achieving versatility without requiring multiple specialized manufacturing processes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces environmental impact, mitigates material drawbacks like slipping tendencies, and provides tax and import duty benefits, while creating a composite sheet material that enhances aesthetic design and functional performance, such as in shoe outsoles.
Implementation Method 1
extrusion-based techniques for manufacturing composite sheet material
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are, among other things, systems, methods and techniques for manufacturing sheet material. In one representative embodiment, a sheet of fabric material is positioned across a patterning template that has a number of openings; and the sheet of fabric material and the patterning template are fed through an extrusion device in which extrusion material coats the fabric material and forces the fabric material into the openings in the patterning template, thereby producing a composite sheet material.