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.

A footwear injection mold includes a secondary injection mold defining at least part of an injection chamber. The injection chamber includes a proximal surface defining a part of a distal surface of a footwear part. The secondary injection mold includes a protrusion having an upper contacting surface, a proximal end, a primary surface faced away from the injection chamber, and a secondary surface facing the injection chamber. A normal of the upper contacting surface intersects a center point of the upper contacting surface. A protrusion plane is defined by the normal of the upper contacting surface along a width of the protrusion, and defines a boundary between a primary half and a secondary half of the protrusion, the primary half arranged between the protrusion plane and the primary surface, and the secondary half arranged between the protrusion plane and the secondary surface. A height of the proximal end of the protrusion is larger than the height of the upper contacting surface of the protrusion, relative to the normal of the upper contacting surface.

A method for manufacturing three-dimensional items with flexible walls is provided, by method of a mold and counter-mold between which a volume corresponding to that of the item to be obtained is delimited. The item is made up of laminar parts which are mounted on a template that is fixed to the inner surface of the mold. The laminar parts are joined to one another by means of a material which is injected in molten state through a network of conduits delimited between the counter-mold, template and the facing edges of adjacent laminar parts. The template is made of an elastically deformable material and has a three-dimensional configuration.

A method for forming a bladder comprises providing a mold including a chamber wall having a first height and a cavity wall having a second height. The cavity wall is surrounded by the chamber wall and defines a plurality of cavities. A first sheet, a second sheet, and a gasket are provided to the mold, whereby the gasket is disposed adjacent to at least one of the first sheet and the second sheet. The mold is moved such that a peripheral portion of the at least one of the first sheet and the second sheet and the gasket are compressed by the chamber wall. A first pressure is provided between the first sheet and the second sheet through the gasket to form a plurality of chambers, and the mold is moved to a second position to seal the first pressure between the first sheet and the second sheet.

Aspects hereof relate to a multi-part mold assembly for use in manufacturing articles. The mold assembly provides for contouring, shaping and cutting materials to form articles via a continuous single processing operation. The mold assembly includes an upper mold portion with a three-dimensional contouring/shaping portion and a first cutting edge, a lower mold portion with a three-dimensional contouring/shaping portion and a second cutting edge, and a base portion into which the lower mold portion may retract during use. Upon application of a first force, the upper and lower mold portions cooperate to contour/shape a material from which an article is to be formed. Upon application of a second force greater than the first, the first cutting edge and the second cutting edge interact to shear the material that extends beyond the respective cutting edges. The result is an article that is contoured, shaped and cut/trimmed utilizing a single processing operation.

A fluid chamber for a shoe may be formed using pressure channels in a forming mold, eliminating the need to insert a nozzle or needles into the chamber for inflation. A fluid chamber so formed may have a smaller seal area than a chamber formed using an inflation needle, making the chamber more visually pleasing. Apparatus and methods for forming a fluid chamber in this fashion are also disclosed.

A production process of an insole, the steps of: cleaning an insole mold; spraying an oily release agent into a cavity of an upper mold and a cavity of a lower mold of the mold; uniformly fixing cloth in the cavity of the upper mold; injecting shoe material into the cavity of the lower mold of the mold, covering the upper mold of the mold to lock the upper mold and the lower mold after finishing injecting shoe material, and then placing the mold in an oven for baking, opening the upper mold of the mold after finishing baking, and taking out the insole. The production process of an insole is simple in process and high in yield rate, and uses the characteristics that the cloth and the raw material have good adhesion to directly put the cloth into the mold to take shape, thereby eliminating a glue adhesion process.

A system and method for molding a component within a molding system having a mold cavity that includes at least one controlled compression region associated with and adjacent to a movable mold part. In one embodiment, the mold cavity may include a reference compression region for which the movable mold part is configured to substantially avoid affecting or to substantially act independently, or both.

A method of forming an upper for an article of footwear includes providing a first material layer over a shoe last, providing a second material layer over the first material layer such that the first and second material layers adhere to each other at an interface between the first and second material layers, where one or both of the first material layer and second material layer is provided by spray forming a polymer material onto the last. The material layers are removed from the last and turned inside out such that the first material layer includes an exposed surface that forms an exterior surface of the upper.

A method for manufacturing a midsole of an article of footwear includes generating a positive model of a midsole. The positive model includes a region of empty volume that defines an aperture or channel. The method further includes creating a negative model based on the positive model, and printing, layer by layer, a negative mold to form a physical representation of the negative model. The negative mold includes a region of solid volume that corresponds with the region of empty volume in the positive model. The method further includes supplying a midsole material to the negative mold to form the midsole. The midsole includes a midsole aperture or channel formed therein by the region of solid volume in the negative mold.