Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43D—MACHINES, TOOLS, EQUIPMENT OR METHODS FOR MANUFACTURING OR REPAIRING FOOTWEAR
  • A43D25/00—Devices for gluing shoe parts
  • A43D25/06—Devices for gluing soles on shoe bottoms
  • A43D25/07—Devices for gluing soles on shoe bottoms using flexible diaphragm pressing devices
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43D—MACHINES, TOOLS, EQUIPMENT OR METHODS FOR MANUFACTURING OR REPAIRING FOOTWEAR
  • A43D25/00—Devices for gluing shoe parts
  • A43D25/18—Devices for applying adhesives to shoe parts
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43D—MACHINES, TOOLS, EQUIPMENT OR METHODS FOR MANUFACTURING OR REPAIRING FOOTWEAR
  • A43D25/00—Devices for gluing shoe parts
  • A43D25/20—Arrangements for activating or for accelerating setting of adhesives, e.g. by using heat

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method for joining two parts of an item of footwear.
• the present invention relates to a method for joining a sole to an upper, to which the ensuing treatment will make explicit reference without this implying any loss of generality.
• the aim of the present invention is to provide a method for joining two parts of an item of footwear that will enable the problems set forth above to be solved in a simple and inexpensive way, and, at the same time, to provide high- quality footwear with constant shape operating in the substantial absence of unpleasant and noxious emissions.
• a method for connecting a sole element to an upper of an item of footwear comprising the steps of setting a gluing material between the sole element and the upper, coupling the sole element and said upper to one another, and exerting an action of pressing of the sole element and of the upper against one another; said method being characterized in that the interposition of the gluing material comprises the steps of setting at least one layer of substantially solid gluing material only on one between said sole element and said upper, and in that said action of pressing is carried out using first " and second opposed inflatable cushion means.
• the layer of gluing material is deposited only on top of the sole element.
• the present invention moreover relates to a plant for connecting a sole element to an upper of an item of footwear.
• a plant for connecting a sole element to an upper of an item of footwear comprising supply means for setting a gluing material between the sole element and the upper, and forcing means for exerting an action of pressing of the sole element and of the upper against one another; said item of footwear being characterized in that said supply means comprise forming means for forming at least one layer of substantially solid gluing material only on one between said sole element and said upper, and in that said pressure means comprise first and second opposed inflatable cushion means .
• Figure 1 is a schematic illustration substantially in the form of block diagram of an intermediate portion of a preferred embodiment of the plant for joining two parts of an item of footwear provided according to the teachings of the present invention
• Figure 2 illustrates, in side elevation and at an enlarged scale, a detail of. the plant of Figure 1;
• Figure 3 is a schematic illustration in side elevation of an initial portion of the plant of Figure 1;
• Figure 4 is a view at a markedly enlarged scale according to the arrows IV of Figure 3 ;
• Figure 5 is an illustration at a markedly enlarged scale of a detail of Figure 1.
• Figures 1 and 3 designated as a whole by 1 is a plant for joining two parts of an item of footwear, and, in particular, a plant for joining a sole 3 of any thickness to an upper 4 of an item of footwear, designated as a whole by 5 ( Figures 1, 2 and 5) .
• the plant 1 comprises a unit 6 for preparation of the sole 3 , a station 7 for loading the upper 4, a station 8 for laying the sole 3 on the upper 4, an intermediate area 9 for pressing and joining the sole 3 to the upper 4, a cooling station 10, and a station 10' for unloading the sole-upper ensemble B thus made.
• the unit 6 comprises a resting surface 11 for a tape 12 made of plastic or paper material, preferably siliconed paper, having an adhesiveness lower than that of the sole 3 and forming part of a reel 13 to be unwound carried by a fixed support (not illustrated) .
• the unit 6 moreover comprises a motor-driven rewinder device 18 for 5. drawing the tape 12 in contact with the resting surface 11 in a rectilinear direction 14, and around an edge 15 of an arrow- shaped fixed deflector element 16 set downstream of the surface 11 in the direction of feed of the tape 12 and upstream of the rewinder 18.
• a dispenser assembly 19 designed to dispense continuously a gluing material, preferably a polyurethane material of the thermohygroreactive type.
• the dispenser assembly 19 is shaped so as to deposit on a top surface of the tape 12 a continuous layer 20 of adhesive5 material having a pre-set thickness S, which ranges, according to the particular application and/or the thickness of the sole, conveniently between 0.1 and 10 mm, and a width greater than ( Figure 4) or at the limit equal to the maximum width of the sole 3 itself.
• a pressure roller 22 parallel to the surface and set at a distance D from the surface smaller than the sum of the5 thicknesses of the layer 20 and of the sole 3.
• Wound on the roller 22 is an intermediate portion of a tape 23 unwound off a reel 24 and rewound on a rewinder head 25 after having been deviated by a roller 26 parallel to the roller 22 and set at a distance from the surface 11 equal to that of the roller 220 itself.
• the soles 3 proceed towards an intermediate magazine or storage unit (not illustrated) , or else proceed directly towards the station 8 traversing, when5 required, an edging station 27.
• an abrasive assembly 28 housed in the station 27 is an abrasive assembly 28, in itself known, designed to remove a perimetral portion of gluing material present on the sole 3.
• the stations 7, 8, 10, 10' and the area 9 are traversed by a delivery branch 29 of a conveyor 30, -which forms part of the plant 1 and a belt 30' of which is wound in an endless loop around two deflector rollers 31, one of which is motor-driven to cause advance of the belt 30' in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Figure 1.
• the belt 30' carries fixedly connected thereto a plurality of fixed radial pins 32 extending in a direction orthogonal to the branch 29 and arranged at a constant pitch P from one another.
• Each of the pins 32 defines a fixed attachment for a corresponding supporting member 33, in itself known, which carries fitted thereto a corresponding upper 4 and is slidably coupled to the corresponding pin 32 in the station 7.
• each supporting member 33 is provided with a blind hole 34 slidably engaged by the corresponding pin 32, which carries at one free end thereof a pushbutton 35, a mobile element of which is designed to co-operate with the end of the blind hole 34 for signalling the relative position between the pin 32 and the member 33.
• each pin 32 is surrounded by a respective inflatable-cushion body 37, an input/output opening 38 of which, extending through the belt 30', is designed to be connected to a chamber 39 supplied with compressed air or other equivalent fluid under pressure during displacement of the delivery branch 29 towards the unloading station 10'.
• the intermediate pressing area 9 is traversed by the delivery branch 43 of a belt 41a of a further conveyor 41 partially set on top of the conveyor 30.
• the belt 41a is mobile in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 1 in a way synchronous with the conveyor 30, is wound in an endless loop around two deflector rollers 42, one of which is motor-driven, which are parallel to one another and to the rollers 31.
• the delivery branch 43 is partially wound around two deflector rollers 44 parallel to the rollers 42 and set at a distance from the branch 29 smaller than the distance between the rollers 42. In this way, the delivery branch 43 has an intermediate stretch 43a parallel to the branch 29 and set at a pre-defined distance from the branch 29 itself and two end stretches 43b inclined toy a pre-set angle A.
• the belt 41a carries fixedly connected to its outer surface a plurality of bell-shaped or cup-shaped bodies 46, which are arranged at the same distance apart from one another at a pitch Pl equal to the pitch P and comprise an end wall 47, fixedly connected to the belt 41a, and a side wall 48, which in the pressing area 9 extends towards the branch 29 and has a free terminal edge 48a of its own set in a position substantially tangential to the branch 29 so as to surround the cushion body 37 completely and define a lateral rest therefor.
• each bell-shaped body 46 is shaped in such a way that its edge 48a extends in a position set at a distance from the branch 29 and the branch 29 itself carries fixedly connected thereto a lateral-resting collar for the cushion body 37, designed to couple the bell- shaped body 46 to define a closed outer casing.
• each bell-shaped body 46 housed inside each bell-shaped body 46 is a respective inflatable cushion body 50, an input/output opening 50a of which extends through the corresponding wall 47 and the belt 41a and is designed to be connected to a chamber filled with pressurized fluid, conveniently compressed air or other equivalent pressurized fluid, designated as a whole by 51.
• pressurized fluid conveniently compressed air or other equivalent pressurized fluid
• each cushion body 50 houses a corresponding source of heat 52 ( Figure 2) , conveniently of the microwave type, which can be activated for heating the gluing material deposited on the sole.
• the sole 3 is rested on the layer of gluing material upstream of the roller 22, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 4.
• the sole 3 is squeezed by the roller 22 and gripped between the tapes 20 and
• the sole 3 proceeds parallel to the surface 11, whilst the gluing material underlying the sole 3 itself progressively detaches from the tape 12, given that the latter has an adhesiveness lower than that of the sole 3.
• the rubber sole 3, i.e., the sole provided with a layer of substantially solid gluing material when so required, is fed through the edging station 27, in which a perimetral portion of gluing material present on the sole 3 is removed via the tool 28, after which it is fed towards the intermediate storage unit (not illustrated) waiting to be transferred into the station 8 or else is directly transferred into the station 8 itself.
• the sole 3 is positioned on the upper 4 and then pre-connected to the upper 4 itself by means of spot welding using, for example, a heater tool that melts the gluing material locally forming a sole-upper ensemble B.
• both of the conveyors 30 and 41 are activated, the belts of which advance . in synchronism determining progressive insertion of the sole-upper ensemble B inside the corresponding bell-shaped body 46.
• the pushbutton 35 issues a command for emission of a signal indicating that uncoupling has occurred and authorizes continuation of the process.
• the opening 50a is brought into communication with the chamber 51, and also the cushion body 50 is progressively inflated, delimiting with the corresponding cushion body 37 a variable-volume seat for housing the upper 4, the corresponding supporting member 33, and the sole 3. Inflation of both of the cushions 37 and 50 proceeds until an inflated operative condition is reached.
• the volume of the seat decreases progressively, and forcing of the sole 3 against the upper 4 increases proportionally until a maximum pressure is reached, following upon which the source of heat 52 that causes melting of the gluing material is activated.
• the source of heat 52 that causes melting of the gluing material is activated.
• the gluing material in the liquid state penetrates within and fills all the gaps present between the sole 3 and the upper 4.
• the source of heat 52 is de-activated, and the existing state of forcing is maintained during advance of the bell-shaped body 46 through the cooling station 10, in which, for example by means of forced ventilation or via refrigerating plants, the gluing material is again brought to the solid state.
• solidification is also a result of the presence in the gluing material of particles of water, which, during heating, are converted into vapour and diffuse throughout the gluing material transforming it into an unmeltable and tough solid body.
• dispenser nozzles not illustrated
• the subsequent advance of the belts causes connection of the openings of the cushions 37 and 50 to the discharge, consequent deflation of the cushions 37 and 50 themselves, and gradual removal of the bell-shaped body 46, which enables the item of footwear to be picked up and taken away to the station 10'.
• the plant 1 described enables a uniform and stable connection of the sole to be obtained irrespective of the geometrical conditions or the conditions of memory of the sole or of the upper, in so far as melting of the gluing material in conditions of pressure favours the diffusion of the liquefied gluing material between the sole and the upper and filling of all the gaps pr/esent between the sole and the upper, whilst maintenance of the conditions of forcing until complete resolidification of the gluing material determines a high stability of join and shape.
• cushion bodies to force the upper and the sole against one another makes it possible to exert not only an energetic forcing action but also a uniform forcing over the entire item of footwear.
• the inflatable cushions 37 free the upper 4 and the corresponding supporting member 33 from any external rigid constraints. Said uniformity of forcing enables a reduction, once again with respect to the known solutions, of the amount of the forcing action and hence of the stresses transferred to the upper, which, consequently, must no longer be oversized with evident reduction in costs and use of materials.
• each of the cushions 50 housed in the bell-shaped bodies 46 comprises a seat for at least partial housing and positioning of the sole 3 and a plurality of holes which can be connected to a vacuum source for withholding the sole 3 so that it engages the aforesaid seat, thus providing an automatic positioning of the sole 3 on the corresponding upper 4 without any need to envisage the station 8.
• the mode and/or the conveyors for displacement the uppers and the soles could be different, as likewise the inflatable-cushion bodies could be different in number and as regards shape.
• the cushions 37 could not uncouple the supporting members 33 from the completely respective pins 32 but only slide them off in such a way that the pins 32 engage the corresponding blind hole with radial play.
• the sources of heat 52 set in each of the inflatable cushion bodies 50 may be replaced by a single common source of heat set in the intermediate area of pressing 9 and associated to the bell-shaped body 46, which is located in the area 9 and in which the gluing material must be heated.

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• Footwear And Its Accessory, Manufacturing Method And Apparatuses (AREA)

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• 2007
  • 2007-05-09 IT ITTO20070315 patent/ITTO20070315A1/it unknown
• 2008
  • 2008-04-09 EP EP08737398A patent/EP2155011A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2008-04-09 WO PCT/IB2008/000849 patent/WO2008122874A1/en not_active Ceased

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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