A system including an injector, a press, and a robotic conveyance is used to form a physically foamed article of footwear component from a single-phase solution of a polymeric composition and a supercritical fluid. The parameters and features of the system are configured for the formation of the footwear component in an automated manner with enhanced throughput by the system.

Sports boot element of which the wall includes at least two different plastics materials (15, 16), the wall having (i) a first zone (11) including the two different plastics materials within its thickness, the first plastics material (15) forming two layers of the wall constituting the internal and external faces of the said wall, and the second plastics material (16) being interposed between the two layers of the first plastics material (15), and (ii) a second zone (13) including only the second plastics material (16).

Improved soles and insoles for shoes, in particular sports shoes, are described. In an aspect, a sole for a shoe, in particular a sports shoe, with at least a first and a second surface region is provided. The first surface region comprises expanded thermoplastic polyurethane (“TPU”). The second surface region is free from expanded TPU.

A footwear moulding system for direct injection production of footwear, said footwear moulding system comprising a supporting mould (21), a last (30), an in-mould (22), and an injection channel (40),
wherein the supporting mould (21) comprises at least an in-mould support. The in-mould (22) is elastomeric and the in-mould (22) comprises an in-mould outer surface (76) configured to be supported by said in-mould support. The in-mould support comprises at least one support side mould (26, 28) and a support bottom mould (24). Further, the invention relates to a direct injection footwear production method for footwear by use of such a moulding system.

Methods and systems are provided for forming an article of footwear. In one example, forming the article of footwear includes using a perforated last during molding of a midsole of the article of footwear. The midsole may be attached to a seam of the upper of the article footwear to secure the midsole to the upper.

A footwear injection mould for Direct Injection moulding of footwear parts, where the mould comprises: a first mould cavity defining a first footwear part, a second mould cavity defining a second footwear part, a first side frame defining at least a part of a first side of the first and second mould cavities, a second side frame defining at least a part of a second side of the first and second mould cavities, and a bottom frame defining at least a part of the first and second mould cavities, where the first and/or the second side frame define(s) at least a part of a first injection channel which is in fluid communication with the first mould cavity and the second mould cavity.

Methods and systems are provided for forming an article of footwear. In one example, forming the article of footwear includes using a perforated last during molding of a midsole of the article of footwear. The midsole may be attached to a seam of the upper of the article footwear to secure the midsole to the upper.

Physical foaming a footwear component with a single-phase solution of a polymeric composition and a supercritical fluid is provided. The method include temperature conditioning a mold and then engaging the mold with a robot that conveys the mold to a press. At the press a gas counter pressure is applied to a cavity of the mold before injecting a single-phase solution of a polymeric composition and a supercritical fluid into the cavity of the mold. The process continues with releasing the gas counter pressure from the cavity of the mold and then removing the footwear component from the cavity of the mold. The parameters of the method are configured for the formation of the footwear component in an automated manner.

Mold systems for molding fluid-filled elements include a lower mold body having a lower mold surface and an upper mold body having an upper mold surface. A mold apparatus is disposed between the lower and upper mold bodies. This mold apparatus includes: (i) a first arm providing a first mold surface extending between first and second ends of the first arm, and (ii) a second arm providing a second mold surface extending between first and second ends of the second arm. The first and second mold surfaces have surface contours configured to form molded undercut surface features of the fluid-filled element. Methods of molding fluid-filled elements using such mold systems also are described.

Some embodiments relate to a method for the direct soling of a multilayered shoe sole. The method can provide two distinct sets of mold frames for a first and a second shoe sole layer and a distinct order for the soling of the layers. In contrast to art traditional approaches, a first layer (e.g. a midsole) is first soled to an upper in a first mold frame and subsequently a second layer (e.g. an outer sole) is soled onto said first layer in a second mold frame. The method can allows for an increased design flexibility and the inclusion of additional functional or aesthetic features, such as air pockets, undercuts, toe caps or running sole tips previously not possible with direct soling processes. Some embodiments relate to an injection molding system equipped and configured for carrying out the method.