An environmentally friendly shoe material and method of manufacturing the same is disclosed, wherein the method includes: mixing scraps and a foaming material to provide a shoe material mixture, the scraps including bottle scraps formed by crushing plastic bottles; putting the shoe material mixture into a mold and compression molding the shoe material mixture into the environmentally friendly shoe material; and separating the environmentally friendly shoe material from the mold. In this way, the environmentally friendly shoe material may not only maintain its due function, but also take environmental protection into account.

An EVA sole having an upper face and a bottom, comprising an inscribed channel and a plurality of recesses positioned on the upper face, a TPU material disposed of within the inscribed channel, and a nylon stabilizer, which is bonded to the upper face inside of the inscribed channel.

Articles of wear having one or more textiles that include a low processing temperature polymeric composition and a high processing temperature polymeric composition, and methods of manufacturing the same are disclosed. The low processing temperature polymeric composition and the high processing temperature polymeric composition can be selectively incorporated into a textile to provide one or more structural properties and/or other advantageous properties to the article. The textile can be thermoformed to impart such structural and/or other advantageous properties to the article of wear. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

The invention relates to a method of processing a sheet material for use in the manufacture of a product. The method comprises providing a sheet material having a first surface and a second surface; providing a two-dimensional mark on the first surface of the sheet material; arranging one or more strengthening members at one or more of the first surface and the second surface of the sheet material; imposing an indentation on said first surface of the sheet material; wherein at least part of the indentation is arranged with respect to one or more of at least part of the two-dimensional mark and at least part of the one or more strengthening members to create a three-dimensional mark on said first surface. The invention also relates to a blank for at least part of a manufactured product. The blank comprises a sheet material shaped in accordance with the at least part of a manufactured product, the sheet material comprising a two-dimensional mark on a surface of the sheet material; one or more strengthening members arranged at one or more sides of the sheeting material; wherein one or more of at least part of the two-dimensional mark and at least part of the one or more strengthening members are positioned with respect to an indentation formed in the sheet material to thereby provide a three-dimensional mark on said surface.

A method of forming a plate for an article of footwear includes applying a first strand portion to a base layer including positioning adjacent segments of the first strand portion to form a first layer on the base layer. The adjacent segments of the first strand portion having a greater density across a width of the plate between a medial side and a lateral side at a midfoot region of the plate than at a forefoot region of the plate and at a heel region of the plate. The method also includes applying at least one of heat and pressure to the first strand portion and to the base layer to conform the first strand portion and the base layer to a predetermined shape.

Methods for manufacturing cushioning elements for sports apparel are described. A method is provided for manufacturing a cushioning element for sports apparel from randomly arranged particles of an expanded material. The method includes positioning a functional element within a mold and loading the mold with the particles of the expanded material, wherein the loading occurs through at least two openings within the mold and/or wherein the loading occurs between different movable parts of the mold.

Presented are manufacturing systems, methods, and devices for forming footwear using scrap or waste plastic materials. A method for manufacturing an article of footwear, such as an athletic shoe, begins with receiving a batch of recycled plastic, which may include thermoplastic elastomers or ethylene-vinyl acetate, and grinding the batch of recycled plastic material. The ground recycled material is processed, for example, by adding a foaming agent that activates at elevated temperatures. The processed recycled material is placed into the internal cavity of a final mold that is shaped like a segment of the footwear, such as a unitary sole structure. To form the footwear segment, the processed recycled material is heated past the threshold activation temperature of the foaming agent such that the foaming agent causes the recycled material to expand and fill the internal cavity of the final mold. The formed footwear segment is then extracted from the mold.

A method of manufacturing an article that includes providing an element formed of an elastomeric material or composite; placing the surface of the element in contact with a substrate; and affixing the element to the substrate. The element includes an uncured, partially cured, or fully cured UV radiation curable elastomeric material and optionally one or more regions of an adhesive material. The element is affixed to the substrate while the surface of the element is in contact with a surface of the substrate by increasing a temperature of at least a portion of the element, applying pressure to at least a portion of the element, or exposing the uncured or partially cured UV radiation curable material to UV radiation in an amount and for a duration of time that is sufficient to partially cure the uncured material or to fully cure the partially cured material.

An article of footwear including a compression molded upper is disclosed. A composite structure including several layers is placed under heat and pressure to form a laminate. One layer of the composite is an optical effect layer possessing an aesthetic that differs from one or more of the other layers of the composite structure. A plurality of holes are cut through one or more of the layers of the laminate to expose the optical effect layer.

An article of apparel, sporting equipment, or footwear incorporates a component formed of a UV radiation curable material. In the case of an article of footwear, the UV radiation curable material may be formed into an outsole. The method of manufacturing such articles includes shaping one or more pieces of an ultraviolet (UV) radiation curable material; placing the shaped UV radiation curable material in direct contact with a surface of a textile; using heat or pressure or both to adhere the shaped UV radiation curable material to the surface of the textile, and curing at least a portion of the shaped UV radiation curable material adhered to the surface of the textile by exposing the shaped UV radiation curable material to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, thereby forming an article comprising UV radiation cured material bonded to the surface of the textile.