Foamed articles including a foamed thermoplastic elastomeric material, methods of making the articles, and methods for manufacturing articles of footwear, apparel, and athletic equipment incorporating the articles are provided. One exemplary method for making a foamed article comprises placing an article comprising a foamable material and carbon dioxide in a vessel, the foamable material; maintaining the vessel at a first pressure and first temperature at which the carbon dioxide is a liquid and carbon dioxide is soluble in the foamable material; optionally exposing the infused article to a second temperature and second pressure; and subjecting the article to a third pressure and third temperature at which the infused carbon dioxide phase transitions to a gas, thereby expanding the foamable material into a foamed material and forming the foamed article.

The present disclosure is related to three-dimensionally printed articles for use in footwear and associated systems and methods. In some embodiments, a three-dimensionally printed article may comprise a closed-cell foam. The closed-cell foam may have a gradient in and/or may be a single integrated material. In some embodiments, a three-dimensionally printed article may comprise a sensor. The use of such arrangements can, according to certain embodiments, allow for the production of improved articles of footwear and/or customized articles of footwear.

A laminating auxiliary jig includes a base having an accommodating recess, and a pressing plate pivotably attached to the base and having a positioning trough. When the pressing plate is opened, it is separated from the accommodating recess, which a first composite material is put into. When the pressing plate is closed, it is located in the accommodating recess and pressed on the first composite material, the positioning trough communicates with the accommodating recess, and at least one middle foam material is put into the positioning trough to be positioned and attached to the first composite material. When the pressing plate is opened again, a second composite material is put into the accommodating recess to be attached to the middle foam material. Therefore, the laminating auxiliary jig helps a user quickly complete laminating the multilayer composite material. The method of using the laminating auxiliary jig is also provided.

This document discloses a process for manufacturing recyclable injection molded microcellular foams for use in, footwear components, seating components, protective gear components, and watersport accessories. The process includes the steps of providing a thermoplastic polymer which comprises at least one monomer derived from depolymerized post-consumer plastic, inserting a fluid into a barrel of a molding apparatus. The fluid is introduced under temperature and pressure conditions to produce a super critical fluid. The process further includes mixing the thermoplastic polymer and super critical fluid so as to create a single phase solution, and injecting the single phase solution into a mold of an injection molding machine under gas counter pressure. The process further includes foaming the single phase solution by controlling the head and temperature conditions within the mold.

The pressing of an article is achieved with a closed-loop feedback press. The closed-loop feedback press is effective to measure an amount of pressure applied and adjust the pressure to achieve a prescribed amount of compression on the article. Further, the press may leverage a closed-loop feedback system to maintain a consistent temperature of one or more platens. The press is able to adjust a pressure applied one or more times during a pressing operation to accelerate a temperature change in the pressed article while reducing the pressure applied as the temperature approaches a target temperature to limit unintentional deformation and bleeding of the pressed material of the article.

Foamed articles including a foamed thermoplastic elastomeric material, methods of making the foamed articles, and methods for manufacturing articles of footwear, apparel, and athletic equipment incorporating such foamed articles are provided. In one aspect, a method for making a foamed article comprises placing an article comprising a foamable material and carbon dioxide in a vessel, maintaining the vessel at a first pressure and first temperature at which the carbon dioxide is a liquid and carbon dioxide is soluble in the foamable material, optionally exposing the infused article to a second temperature and second pressure, and subjecting the article to a third pressure and third temperature at which the infused carbon dioxide phase transitions to a gas, thereby expanding the foamable material into a foamed material and forming the foamed article.

A method for manufacturing a sole assembly of an article of footwear includes injecting a first material into a first mold to forming a first component. A second material is injected into a second mold to form a second component in the second mold. The first component is formed from a first material and includes a first plurality of channel elements. The second component is formed from a second material and includes a second plurality of channel elements. Each of the first plurality of channel elements is aligned with a corresponding one of the second plurality of channel elements, and the first component is secured to the second component to form an initial sole assembly.

The present disclosure is related to three-dimensionally printed articles for use in footwear and associated systems and methods. In some embodiments, a three-dimensionally printed article may comprise a closed-cell foam. The closed-cell foam may have a gradient in and/or may be a single integrated material. In some embodiments, a three-dimensionally printed article may comprise a sensor. The use of such arrangements can, according to certain embodiments, allow for the production of improved articles of footwear and/or customized articles of footwear.

A main technical feature of a method for molding and forming a flip-flop and a mold thereof provided by the invention is that when a polymer raw material is filled into a mold chamber space of the mold, the filled raw material is preferentially flowed in a direction of a strap area space used to mold a V-shaped strap portion of the flip-flop to ensure that the slender V-shaped strap portion of the flip-flop can be integrally formed.

Manufacturing and assembly of a shoe or a portion of a shoe is enhanced by automated placement and assembly of shoe parts. For example, a part-recognition system analyzes an image of a shoe part to identify the part and determine a location of the part. Once the part is identified and located, the part can be manipulated by an automated manufacturing tool.