A footwear article forming process, and a device for the same are disclosed. The process includes: providing a forming mold set including an outer modular mold, an inner formation mold, and a footwear-forming space therebetween. The footwear-forming space comprises a footwear lower portion forming space and a footwear main portion forming space. Footwear article forming steps are as follows: injecting a pre-determined amount of a footwear main portion rubber material into a footwear main portion sprue channel, the footwear main portion rubber material being injected from a footwear main portion rubber injection opening into the footwear main portion forming space via a transfer injection channel; and placing a footwear lower portion rubber material into the footwear lower portion forming space.

Heeled footwear such as a shoe or boot including a sole assembly and a heel part may be provided. In one implementation, the heel part may include an insert formed in a first material. The insert may include a core body delimited by an upper surface, a lower bottom surface, and an outer surface connecting the upper and lower surfaces. At least a part of the outer surface may be encased in a second material different from the first material. The outer material may form an outer contour layer of the heel part, and the sole assembly may include an outsole formed in the second material, the second material being softer than the first material. The outsole and the outer contour layer may be designed to be formed in one piece providing an outer sole unit being one component.

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.

An article of footwear includes an upper assembly having a foot insertion volume with a proximal part and a lateral part that extends from the proximal part and in a vertical direction upwards away from the proximal par. A first layer has a lateral surface and a medial surface. A waterproof and vapor permeable functional second layer has a lateral surface and a medial surface. The second layer is positioned between the foot insertion volume and the medial surface of the first layer. A sole assembly includes an upper facing surface and a ground contacting surface. The sole assembly is connected to the upper assembly. A peripheral part of the sole assembly overlaps a proximal part of the first outer layer and/or the second layer. An attachment member is provided between the first layer and the second layer where the sole assembly overlaps the first layer and the second layer.

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.

The invention concerns a method of producing an article of footwear comprising: providing an upper; providing a mold and opening the mold; inserting the upper into the open mold; closing the mold; and injecting a pressurized molten resin, wherein, after the injecting, there is a gap filled with the resin between a side wall of the mold and an outer surface of at least a first portion of the upper, wherein the gap is essentially zero at a contacting point, wherein the gap increases gradually from the contacting point in at least a first region of the mold.

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.

A last for forming an upper of an article of footwear includes a first portion including a lateral side and a medial side that opposes the lateral side, and a second portion connected with and extending upward and transversely outward in an angled manner away from the first portion such that a terminal end of the second portion is distanced from the first portion. An exterior surface of the last can include a plurality of three dimensional structural surface components disposed over at least 50% of the exterior surface of the last.

An upper for a shoe and a shoe including an upper and a sole that is connected to the upper may be provided. In one implementation, an upper for a shoe may be provided, the shoe including the upper and a sole connected to a lower edge of the upper via injection molding. The upper may include a first knitted area having a first stitch density, wherein a portion of the first knitted area may be located at the lower edge of the upper and may include a first meltable material having a first melting temperature. The first meltable material may be melted prior to or during the connection of the sole to the upper and may limit the flow of molding material through a melted area of the upper.