An article of footwear includes a midsole component and a seamless braided upper having a bottom peripheral portion connected to the midsole component. The seamless braided upper extends from a forefoot region to a heel region and from a lateral side to a medial side of the article of footwear. The bottom peripheral portion defines a bottom opening in the seamless braided upper, wherein the bottom peripheral portion extends along the forefoot region, the lateral side, the heel region, and the medial side of the article of footwear.

Aspects hereof relate to an apparatus and method for coupling a cemented upper to a sole of an article of footwear. Pairs of clamps secure a sole at a forefoot region and a heel region to prevent movement of a location of the sole upon application of a perimeter deforming force. Perimeter deforming implements apply such force to a bottom surface of the secured sole causing the perimeter of the top surface of the sole to splay open outwardly from the longitudinal axis of the sole. While the top surface of the perimeter is splayed, a cemented upper is caused to contact the top surface of the sole in a longitudinal direction from the heel end to the toe end. Once in place, the force on the bottom surface of the secured sole and the clamps is released leaving the top surface of the sole properly adhered to the upper.

Aspects hereof relate to an apparatus and method for coupling a cemented upper to a sole of an article of footwear. Pairs of clamps secure a sole at a forefoot region and a heel region to prevent movement of a location of the sole upon application of a perimeter deforming force. Perimeter deforming implements apply such force to a bottom surface of the secured sole causing the perimeter of the top surface of the sole to splay open outwardly from the longitudinal axis of the sole. While the top surface of the perimeter is splayed, a cemented upper is caused to contact the top surface of the sole in a longitudinal direction from the heel end to the toe end. Once in place, the force on the bottom surface of the secured sole and the clamps is released leaving the top surface of the sole properly adhered to the upper.

A shoe manufacturing system (100) processes a to-be-bonded surface (11a) of an upper (11) before bonding a sole to the upper (11). The shoe manufacturing system (100) includes a holding platform (10), a camera (20a, 20b), an applicator (30), a robot arm (40), and a control device (60). The control device (60) identifies a boundary of the to-be-bonded surface (11a) of the upper (11) that is to serve as a master model M among a plurality of uppers (11), for defining an area of the to-be-bonded surface (11a) to be processed, based on three-dimensional shape data of the master model M acquired by the camera (20a). The control device (60) controls the robot arm (40) for each of the uppers (11) (such as products P1 to P3) other than the master model M, to cause the applicator (30) to apply an adhesive to the area of the to-be-bonded surface (11a) enclosed by the identified boundary.

A shoe manufacturing system (100) processes a to-be-bonded surface (11a) of an upper (11) before bonding a sole to the upper (11). The shoe manufacturing system (100) includes a holding platform (10), a camera (20a, 20b), an applicator (30), a robot arm (40), and a control device (60). The control device (60) identifies a boundary of the to-be-bonded surface (11a) of the upper (11) that is to serve as a master model M among a plurality of uppers (11), for defining an area of the to-be-bonded surface (11a) to be processed, based on three-dimensional shape data of the master model M acquired by the camera (20a). The control device (60) controls the robot arm (40) for each of the uppers (11) (such as products P1 to P3) other than the master model M, to cause the applicator (30) to apply an adhesive to the area of the to-be-bonded surface (11a) enclosed by the identified boundary.

A method for joining a sole element with an upper element includes the steps of (a) operating a positioning system to position the sole element and the upper element in a defined first position with respect to each other, (b) operating the positioning system to position the sole element and the upper element in a second position for applying a joining agent to the sole element and/or the upper element and (c) joining the sole element with the upper element by operating the positioning system to position the sole element in contact with the upper element in a third position of the positioning system, wherein the third position is defined with respect to the first position.

A shoe making method includes adhesion of an outsole and a midsole, and adhesion of a sole and a vamp. When the outsole and the midsole are attached, an upper adhesion surface of the outsole is processed by coating absorbent and by spraying powder adhesive, while a lower adhesion surface of the midsole is processed by spraying two-in-one primer, to achieve a one-side cementing. When the sole and the vamp are attached, an upper surface of the sole is processed by coating absorbent and by spraying powder adhesive, while a lower adhesion surface of the vamp is processed by spraying two-in-one primer, to achieve a one-side cementing. The powder adhesive is uncharged powder adhesive which is directly sprayed by a machine, without needing static attachment. The two-in-one primer is made of reinforcer and glue.

A conditionally visible bite line may be demarcated on a shoe upper using at least one of a fluorescent or an Infrared (IR)-responsive material. Such a conditionally visible bite line may be observable only under particular conditions, such as when illuminated by an ultraviolet light source or an IR light source, as appropriate. A light may be projected to intersect the conditionally visible bite line under conditions rendering the conditionally visible bite line detectable. The intersection(s) of the projected light and the conditionally visible bite line may be used to create a virtual bite line for use in generating a tool path to process the surface of a shoe upper bounded by the conditionally visible bite line.

A conditionally visible bite line may be demarcated on a shoe upper using at least one of a fluorescent or an Infrared (IR)-responsive material. Such a conditionally visible bite line may be observable only under particular conditions, such as when illuminated by an ultraviolet light source or an IR light source, as appropriate. A light may be projected to intersect the conditionally visible bite line under conditions rendering the conditionally visible bite line detectable. The intersection(s) of the projected light and the conditionally visible bite line may be used to create a virtual bite line for use in generating a tool path to process the surface of a shoe upper bounded by the conditionally visible bite line.

Aspects hereof relate to an apparatus and method for coupling a cemented upper to a sole of an article of footwear. Pairs of clamps secure a sole at a forefoot region and a heel region to prevent movement of a location of the sole upon application of a perimeter deforming force. Perimeter deforming implements apply such force to a bottom surface of the secured sole causing the perimeter of the top surface of the sole to splay open outwardly from the longitudinal axis of the sole. While the top surface of the perimeter is splayed, a cemented upper is caused to contact the top surface of the sole in a longitudinal direction from the heel end to the toe end. Once in place, the force on the bottom surface of the secured sole and the clamps is released leaving the top surface of the sole properly adhered to the upper.