Shoe Last Extension Origin for Robotic Manufacturing Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing of shoes is labor-intensive and prone to variations in materials, tooling, and conditions, leading to less precision in the finished product, as human operators compensate for these variations during the process.
Innovation Solution
A shoe last extension with a mounting mechanism and a pattern on its surface, allowing mechanized processes like robotic arms to determine a common origin location across different last extensions, enabling multiple mechanisms to manipulate the last extension at various manufacturing phases and automate processes traditionally performed by humans.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If human operators perform shoe manufacturing processes, then flexibility and adaptability are maintained, but precision and consistency deteriorate due to variations in materials, tooling, and conditions
Solution Approach 1:
A last extension with a defined origin acts as an intermediary between the shoe last and automated manufacturing equipment. The origin serves as a common reference point that enables automated systems to locate and manipulate shoe components with high precision, while the extension itself remains a simple mechanical add-on that does not significantly increase system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces human manual operations with automated robotic systems that use vision systems and predefined origins to locate and manipulate shoe components. This substitution eliminates human variability and achieves consistent precision across multiple shoes and operators, while the automation systems handle the complexity of coordinating multiple mechanisms
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple precision-machined lasts are created for different shoe sizes and designs, then manufacturing precision is maintained, but production costs and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The last extension is designed as a universal component that can be attached to various shoe lasts of different sizes and designs. The extension contains a standardized origin that works with automated equipment across all shoe types, eliminating the need to create separate precision-machined lasts for each shoe variant while maintaining manufacturing precision
Solution Approach 2:
The system separates the precision reference function into a distinct last extension component that can be independently manufactured and reused. This segmentation allows the expensive precision elements to be concentrated in a single reusable extension rather than replicated in every last, reducing overall production costs
3Productivity
If human operators compensate for variations in materials and tooling, then adaptability is maintained, but productivity and efficiency deteriorate due to labor-intensive processes
Solution Approach 1:
Automated robotic systems with vision systems replace human operators in performing shoe manufacturing operations. The systems use predefined origins on last extensions to locate components and execute operations with consistent precision, eliminating the need for human compensation while dramatically increasing productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The automated system performs its own positioning and alignment operations by using vision systems to detect the origin pattern on the last extension and automatically calculating the positions of all shoe components relative to that origin. This self-service capability eliminates the need for manual measurement and adjustment, improving both productivity and operational simplicity
Data Source
AI summary
A method for locating critical control points on a part or combination of parts during a manufacturing process involves mating, directly or indirectly, a jig extension to the part or parts. A pattern on the jig extension defines an origin point that is used to track the position of the part or parts during manufacturing, such as during location-sensitive operations. The jig extension may be a shoe last extension which connects to a shoe or shoe component via a shoe last.