Seamless Shoe Upper via Radial Braiding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing shoe uppers are labor-intensive and costly, with seams causing discomfort and limited stability, and hinder the use of advanced materials like carbon, glass, or plastic fibers.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a radial braiding machine and a handling device to create a seamless shoe upper by braiding fiber material around a shoe last, allowing for automated production without seams and enabling the use of advanced materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If shoe uppers are manufactured by cutting and sewing flat material, then the production process is established and reliable, but the manufacturing cost increases and wearing comfort decreases due to seams
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the harmful seams from the shoe upper construction by replacing the cutting and sewing process with a continuous braiding process that forms the upper as a single seamless piece
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical cutting and sewing system with a braiding machine system that continuously interlaces fibers to form the shoe upper, eliminating the need for separate cutting and joining operations
2Device complexity
If shoe uppers are sewn from cut material, then the production method is simple and established, but the stability of the shoe upper is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses composite fiber materials including carbon fiber, glass fiber, and plastic fiber in the braiding process to create a shoe upper with enhanced stability and strength properties that exceed traditional sewn constructions
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional cutting and sewing methods are used, then the production process is straightforward, but the use of special materials like carbon fiber, glass fiber or plastic fiber is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the fundamental parameter of material delivery from pre-cut flat sheets to continuous fiber bundles that are braided directly into the upper shape, enabling the use of advanced materials like carbon, glass, and plastic fibers that would be difficult to cut and sew
4Device complexity
If multiple shoe uppers are produced sequentially, then the production process is simple to control, but the productivity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the production process by using multiple shoe lasts positioned simultaneously in the braiding machine, allowing parallel production of multiple shoe uppers while maintaining centralized control of the braiding process
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for producing an upper part (1) of a shoe, in particular of a sports shoe. In order to achieve an upper part of the shoe with increased wearing comfort, the method provides the following steps according to the invention: a) supplying at least one shoe last (2), which corresponds to the inner shape of the upper part (1) of the shoe which is to be produced; b) applying a radial braiding machine (3) having an annular creel (4), which is designed for weaving and/or braiding along three axes; c) guiding the at least one shoe last (2) through the centre (5) of the creel (4) and simultaneously weaving and/or braiding along three axes using a fibre material, and therefore woven and/or braided material positions itself around the outer circumference of the shoe last (2); d) once the at least one shoe last (2) has been guided through the centre (5) of the creel (4): terminating the weaving and/or braiding and removing the woven and/or braided material from the shoe last (2); e) further processing the woven and/or braided material to complete the shoe.