Shoe customization process
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional printing technologies for customizing consumer items like shoes and leatherwear face challenges such as limited flexibility, inefficient production flow, safety issues with solvents, and instability of images due to ink application, making industrial-scale customization difficult.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing an inkless hot printing system with a multilayer material comprising a base layer and heat-sensitive pigments, which changes color with heat application, allowing for customization through direct thermal imaging and laser printing, managed by a centralized system for efficient order processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional printing technologies are used to customize shoes, then images can be applied to the material, but the process lacks flexibility because it requires flat material at a predetermined distance from print heads
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical printing systems with a laser-based thermal imaging system. The laser printing device uses light energy to heat and activate heat-sensitive pigments directly on the shoe surface, eliminating the need for mechanical contact, flat material positioning, and complex print head positioning mechanisms. This substitution enables customization of three-dimensional curved surfaces while simplifying the overall printing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the fundamental parameter of image application from chemical ink deposition to thermal activation. By using heat-sensitive pigments that change color or become visible when heated by the laser, the system transforms the printing process from a mechanical/chemical operation to a thermal one, enabling flexible application on various shoe geometries without requiring material flatness or precise distance control.
2Productivity
If conventional ink printing is used, then images can be created on shoes, but cleaning of equipment becomes difficult and production flow efficiency is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the ink medium from the printing process. By using heat-sensitive pigments that are already present on the material and activating them through laser heating, the system removes the need for ink cartridges, ink circulation systems, and associated cleaning equipment. This extraction of the ink component simplifies the manufacturing process and eliminates cleaning requirements while maintaining image creation capability.
3Ease of manufacture
If solvents are used to convey inks, then printing can be performed, but safety and toxicity issues arise in the workplace
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the potentially harmful solvent-based ink system into a beneficial solvent-free thermal activation system. By replacing solvent-conveyed inks with heat-sensitive pigments activated by laser energy, the invention eliminates toxic solvent exposure in the workplace while maintaining effective image application capability. The harmful chemical process is transformed into a safe physical heating process.
4Reliability
If conventional ink application is used, then images can be printed on shoes, but the images may not be stable and persistent
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes phase transitions of heat-sensitive pigments to create stable and persistent images. The laser heating causes the pigments to undergo thermal activation, melting, or chemical transformation that permanently alters their state and fixes the image on the shoe material. This phase change mechanism ensures image permanence and resistance to fading, cracking, or peeling that plagues conventional ink applications.
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
Enables flexible and efficient customization of consumer items with stable images, improving production efficiency and safety by eliminating ink usage and enabling automatic order management from customer input to final product manufacturing.
Implementation Method 1
The term 'inkless hot printing' refers to a system in which the printing means do not provide for the deposition of inks for obtaining the image, since the ink, based on said heat-sensitive pigments, is already present, for example, in a colourless form, on the multilayer material 100 and takes on a colouration by means of the application of heat by means of the printing means.
Implementation Method 2
The heat source used to impress the image on the multilayer material 100 used in the present invention can be of various types, but it preferably is a laser source.
Data Source
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AI summary
It is the object of the present invention a method for customising shoes and other consumer items, such as, for example, leatherwear and the like. In particular, the present invention relates to a multilayer material comprising, in the order: i) a base layer, ii) one or more colouring layers containing heat-sensitive pigments or dyes, optionally interspersed by thermo-insulating layers, and iii) a protective layer, wherein the base layer is made of a material adapted for the manufacture of consumer items such as shoes or leatherwear and the like. The invention also relates to consumer items, such as shoes or leatherwear, manufactured with the multilayer material of the invention, and to a method for customising such consumer items.