Methods and systems are provided for color printing. For example, a method of printing is provided, including printing a three-dimensional object onto a substrate using a printing device. The method includes receiving color graphic design information at the printing device and receiving the substrate at the printing device. The color graphic design information represents a color graphic. The method further includes printing a lower color graphic layer of the three-dimensional object onto the substrate using the color graphic design information and printing a transparent structural layer of the three-dimensional object onto the lower color graphic layer. The method further includes printing an upper color graphic layer of the three-dimensional object onto the transparent structural layer using the color graphic design information. A combination of the upper color graphic layer and the lower color graphic layer visually matches the color graphic.

The present invention relates to a method for interconnecting components of a sporting good, in particular a sports shoe, and a sports shoe manufactured with such a method. The method may include (a.) forming a pattern element having at least one removable at least partially non-transparent or non-reflective portion, (b.) irradiating at least one of the first and the second component via the pattern element with heat radiation and (c.) interconnecting the irradiated first and second component.

A method for inflating a chamber in an article composed at least partially of polymer layers, such as thermoplastic layers. The method can allow for forming an aperture in a polymer layer, inflating a chamber or volume in fluid communication with the aperture, and then welding or sealing the chamber so that the inflation fluid is substantially retained in the chamber and/or does not escape via the aperture. In various aspects, the formation of the aperture, inflation of the chamber, and sealing of the chamber or aperture can be performed by a single tool and/or based on a single registration of the thermoplastic article with a tool. In some aspects, formation of the aperture is enabled in part by using a punch with a cupped surface that allows the top layer of a thermoplastic article to be breached without forming a hole in at least one lower layer.

A sole structure for an article of footwear comprises a midsole including a polymeric bladder element enclosing a fluid-filled interior cavity, a first outsole component secured to a bottom surface and to a side surface of the polymeric bladder element, and a second outsole component. The first outsole component includes a first base, and a wall integral with the first base. The second outsole component includes a second base secured to the first base, and a wall integral with the second base and secured to the outer surface of the wall of the first outsole component. A method of manufacturing the article of footwear includes thermoforming the bladder element and the first outsole component, and securing the second outsole component to the first outsole component.

A sole structure includes a sole component, which has an inner surface and an outer surface opposite the inner surface. The sole component has a length and a thickness. The sole component includes a sole material, and the sole material has a density. At least one of the thickness or the density varies along the length of the sole component. The sole component defines a plurality of holes extending from at least one of the inner surface and the outer surface and arranged to form an auxetic structure. The auxetic structure is configured such that, when the sole component is tensioned in a first direction, the sole component expands in both the first direction and in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. A property of the auxetic structure varies as a function of the density or the thickness of the sole component.

The invention refers to a method for producing expanded polymer pellets, which comprises the following steps: melting a polymer comprising a polyamide; adding at least one blowing agent; expanding the melt through at least one die for producing an expanded polymer; and pelletizing the expanded polymer. The invention further concerns polymer pellets produced with the method as well as their use, e.g. for the production of cushioning elements for sports apparel, such as for producing soles or parts of soles of sports shoes. A further aspect of the invention concerns a method for the manufacture of molded components, comprising loading pellets of an expanded polymer material into a mold, and connecting the pellets by providing heat energy, wherein the expanded polymer material of the pellets or beads comprises a chain extender. The molded components may be used in broad ranges of application.

The present invention relates to a mold for molding a component, in particular a piece of sports apparel, a method for manufacturing the component using such a mold and a shoe with such a component. In one embodiment, a mold for molding a component, in particular a piece of sports apparel, comprises (a.) a mixture of a polymer material and a filler material, (b.) wherein the filler material is adapted to allow a heating of the component inside the mold by means of an electromagnetic field.

A method of manufacturing a footwear sole component is provided including projecting elongated pins into a mold cavity in the shape of the footwear sole component and partially filled with an expandable material including multiple unexpanded beads, and introducing steam into the cavity through ports defined by one or more cavity walls and through the pins in an internal region of the expandable material, to expand both exterior beads and interior beads in the internal region a predetermined amount. With the elongated pins, the interior beads can be expanded more, less and/or the same amount as exterior beads to provide particular physical characteristics to the component. For example, the interior beads can be fully expanded to a similar density as exterior beads, or expanded less to provide more density and rigidity in the internal region, or expanded more to provide less density and rigidity in the internal region.

A method for making an article of footwear includes placing a purified recombinant resilin composition in a mold with a cross-linking solution, incubating the recombinant resilin composition in the cross-linking solution to generate a solid resilin material, fabricating a cushioning element of the article of footwear including at least a portion of the solid resilin material, and assembling the cushioning element insole with at least an upper of the article of footwear.

Provided is a method for producing a shoe member that includes a plurality of portions including a first portion and a second portion, each of which is constituted by one or more of members, the method including: a step of preparing a collective body including a first member that constitutes the first portion and a second member that constitutes the second portion and formed of a material different from that of the first member; and a step of irradiating electromagnetic wave toward the collective body, wherein the electromagnetic wave irradiation step including partly shielding the electromagnetic wave irradiated toward the second member by a shielding member capable of shielding electromagnetic wave, thereby reducing the electromagnetic wave irradiated onto the second member. Also provided is a molding die having a molding space corresponding to a shoe member and capable of being used for producing the shoe member by performing the method.