Shoe Upper Manufacturing via Differential Textile Shrinkage
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Solution Overview
Problem
The conventional method of manufacturing sporting goods components, such as shoe uppers, is time-consuming and costly, with visible seams detracting from the optical appearance, and existing methods do not efficiently achieve a three-dimensional shape from two-dimensional pieces.
Innovation Solution
A method involving textiles with different shrinkage ratios, where a first textile with a lower shrinkage ratio is combined with a second textile having a higher shrinkage ratio, and subjected to a predetermined shrinking condition, such as heat or water, to deform and form a three-dimensional shape without visible seams.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If conventional stitching or gluing methods are used to join two-dimensional pieces, then the component can be assembled into a three-dimensional shape, but visible seams are created which are detrimental to optical appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple two-dimensional textile pieces into a single continuous knitted structure. Different textile materials with varying shrinkage ratios are integrated during the knitting process itself, allowing seamless transitions between regions that would otherwise require stitching or gluing. This eliminates visible seams while maintaining the ability to form complex three-dimensional shapes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes changes in material parameters, specifically shrinkage ratio, to achieve shape transformation. By incorporating textiles with different shrinkage characteristics into a unified knitted structure, the material can be deformed into three-dimensional shapes through controlled shrinking without requiring traditional joining methods that create visible seams.
2Shape
If multiple two-dimensional pieces are stitched or glued together to form a three-dimensional shape, then the component can be constructed, but the manufacturing process becomes time-consuming and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple manufacturing operations into a single knitting process. Instead of separately cutting, stitching, and assembling multiple pieces, the invention knits different textile materials together in one continuous operation, dramatically reducing manufacturing steps and improving productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary integration of different textile materials during the knitting process itself. By pre-combining materials with different shrinkage ratios in the desired spatial arrangement before any deformation occurs, the subsequent shrinking process automatically forms the three-dimensional shape without requiring additional assembly operations.
3Productivity
If textiles with different shrinkage ratios are attached together and subjected to shrinking conditions, then a three-dimensional shape can be formed efficiently, but the manufacturing process requires precise control of shrinkage ratios and conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by incorporating textiles with different shrinkage ratios in specific locations within the knitted structure. Each region is designed with appropriate material properties for its intended function in the final three-dimensional shape, allowing precise control over deformation patterns while maintaining manufacturing efficiency.
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 allows for the efficient and cost-effective production of sporting goods components with complex three-dimensional shapes, reducing manufacturing time and improving the aesthetic appeal by eliminating visible seams and enabling seamless construction.
Implementation Method 1
Both textiles differ at least by their shrinkage ratio if a predetermined shrinking condition is applied. If the shrinking condition is applied, the second textile having a higher shrinking condition will shrink more than the first textile.
Implementation Method 2
As both textiles are attached to each other, the different shrinkage of both textiles will lead to a deformation of the sporting goods component.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~3
Figure 4A~5B
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for the manufacture of a sporting goods component (11) comprising the steps of: selecting a first textile (13), wherein the first textile (13) comprises a first shrinkage ratio under a predetermined shrinking condition; forming a first portion of the component using the first textile (13); selecting a second textile, wherein the second textile comprises a second shrinkage ratio under the predetermined shrinking condition, wherein the second shrinkage ratio is higher than the first shrinkage ratio; forming a second portion (12) of the component using the second textile; attaching the first textile (13) and the second textile together; and applying the shrinking condition, wherein the application of the shrinking condition provides the sporting goods component (11) with a three-dimensional shape either from a flat two-dimensional shape or from a three-dimensional shape to another three-dimensional shape.