Abstract
Manufacturing process for the production of flexible three-dimensional items which entails: cutting the pieces (4) which will form the outer material of the item to be produced, preparing a mould (1) and a counter mould (3) with smooth opposing surfaces onto which the cut pieces (4) which will form the outer material are placed, these cut pieces, alongside the mould and counter mould, delimiting a network of channels (6) through which a molten plastic material is injected.
Claims
1. Manufacturing process for the production of flexible three-dimensional items, made from an outer material formed by flat cuts of flexible material comprising: cutting pieces of flexible material, which form the outer material; preparing a mold and a countermold, between which a volume corresponding to that of the three-dimensional item is delimited; placing the cut pieces, which form the outer material, between the mold and countermold delimiting channels and spaces between them; injecting a plastic material through the channels and spaces; and opening the mold once the plastic material injected has solidified and then removing the item produced, wherein: the cut pieces, which form the outer material, are secured on a flexible laminated template, in a position where the cut pieces match with the outer material of the flexible three-dimensional item produced; the mold and countermold have opposing surfaces without ridges in areas occupied by the cut pieces which form the outer material of the item produced; the laminated template together with the cut pieces which form the outer material, are arranged on an inner surface of the mold, with said cut pieces facing the countermold; and a network of channels, through which the plastic material is injected, is delimited between the laminated template and the countermold, coinciding with the channels and spaces, which separate the cut pieces which form the outer material.
2. Process according to claim 1, wherein the cut pieces forming the outer material have sheared edges.
3. Process according to claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional item further comprises a lining formed by separate cut pieces, which are arranged on the surface of the countermold.
4. Process according to claim 3, wherein lines separating cuts of leather and the cut pieces which form the lining coincide, the injected plastic material serving to bind the cuts of leather and the cut pieces which form the lining.
5. Process according to claim 4, wherein the surface of the mold corresponding to the outer material is delimited by a ridge with a height greater than the depth of adjacent edges of the cuts of leather.
6. Process according to claim 3, wherein the cut pieces which form the lining are secured on a laminated template in a matching position to the lining formation, and the template then takes on the form of the surface of the countermold.
7. Process according to claim 6, wherein the cut pieces which form the outer material and lining are secured on the laminated template with adhesive.
8. Process according to claim 7, wherein part of a volume delimited between the mold and countermold is occupied by a filler, which limits the volume allocated to the cut pieces which form the outer material and lining.
9. Process according to claim 3, wherein on the surface of the countermold and/or inner surface of the lining, a substance which repels the injected plastic material is applied.
10. Process according to claim 6, wherein the laminated template on which the cut pieces which form the lining are secured consists of an electrostatically charged sheet or film made of plastic material.
11. Process according to claim 1, wherein the flexible laminated template on which the cut pieces which form the outer material are secured consists of an electrostatically charged sheet or film made of plastic material.
12. Process according to claim 1, wherein on the surface of the mold and/or the inner surface of the laminated template on which the cut pieces forming the outer material are arranged, a substance which repels the injected plastic material is applied.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
(1) The invention manufacturing process is represented in the accompanying figures intended to serve as a non-limiting example and wherein:
(2) FIG. 1 is an overhead view of a counter mould used in the manufacture of footwear representing the invention process.
(3) FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section of the mould and counter mould used in the manufacture of footwear, taken according to the cut line II-II in FIG. 1.
(4) FIG. 3 is a cross section of one of the cut pieces which will form the footwear upper.
(5) FIG. 4 is an enlarged representation of detail A in FIG. 2, representing the cut pieces which will form the upper arranged on the inner surface of the mould and counter mould inside it.
(6) FIG. 5 is a schematic section of the mould position, the cut pieces which form the upper and the counter mould during the placement process for the various components, before closing the mould.
(7) FIG. 6 is a schematic section, similar to FIG. 5, representing the position of the various components once the mould is closed.
(8) FIGS. 7 and 8 are schematic sections, similar to FIGS. 5 and 6, representing an alternative implementation.
(9) FIG. 9 represents the structure or skeleton of the footwear produced following the invention process, without the cut pieces which form the upper.
(10) FIG. 10 is a side view of the footwear produced following the invention process, with the structure or skeleton represented in FIG. 7.
(11) FIG. 11 represents a similar view to FIG. 2, including those cut pieces which form the lining, located on the counter mould.
(12) FIG. 12 represents a similar view similar to FIG. 2, representing an alternative implementation.
(13) FIG. 13 represents a similar view to FIG. 4, showing the ridge in the counter mould which delimits the surface to receive the liquid plastic.
(14) FIG. 14 is an enlarged representation of detail B in FIG. 14.
(15) FIG. 15 represents the arrangement of the consecutive cut pieces which form the upper with their overlapping edges.
(16) FIG. 16 is an enlarged representation of detail C in FIG. 15.
(17) FIGS. 17 to 25 are cross-sections of various possible types of binding between the cut pieces which form the outer material and lining.
(18) FIG. 26 represents a counter mould used to produce an item of clothing.
(19) FIGS. 27 and 28 represent the two parts of a mould used to produce an item of clothing, with the counter mould in FIG. 26.
(20) FIG. 29 represents the aggregate of cut pieces which will form the outer material of the clothing to be produced, with the mould and counter mould in FIGS. 26 to 28.
(21) FIG. 30 is a schematic of the network of channels through which the plastic material will injected.
(22) FIG. 31 is a front elevation of the clothing produced using the mould in FIGS. 26 to 28.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ONE EMBODIMENT
(23) The characteristics and advantages of the invention process may be better understood with the following description of one possible embodiment, applied to the manufacture of footwear in FIGS. 1 to 17 and to the manufacture of clothing items in FIGS. 27 to 32.
(24) The manufacture of footwear with the invention process is carried out with a mould and counter mould, represented in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4.
(25) In the example depicted in the drawings, the mould comprises two independent parts 1 and 2 and the counter mould 3 consists of a last. Once the last 3 has been placed inside part 1 and part 2 is coupled to part 1, in such a way that the mould is closed, a space or volume corresponding to the upper and sole of the footwear to be produced is created between the mould and the counter mould.
(26) Once the mould and counter mould have been prepared as described, the pieces 4 which will form the upper are cut out, FIG. 3. These cut pieces will have a specific outline, corresponding to the desired footwear design; the edges 5 of these cuts of material are also sheared, preferably on the base side 7. Following this, the cut pieces are placed on the inner surface of part 1 of the mould, with the upside 7 facing the surface of said mould and the various cut pieces are arranged consecutively with their sheared edges 5 touching completely, as illustrated in FIG. 4.
(27) Once all the cut pieces 4 which will form the upper are placed, the last 3 which shapes the counter mould is coupled to the base side, thus outlining channels 6, FIG. 4 with the sheared edges 5 of the cut pieces 4 which remain in contact with one another and also with spaces 8, FIG. 2, without cut pieces 4, delimited between part 1 of the mould and the last 3, as well as with the space 9 created between this last and part 2 of the mould, which correspond to space required for the sole or bottom of the footwear.
(28) FIGS. 5 and 6 are schematic representations of the relative position of the various components, prior to closing the mould. The cut pieces 4 which will form the upper are placed on the inner surface of the mould 1, upside 7 facing the mould. The sheared edges 5 of the cut pieces 4 are completely touching or very close together. On the base side 7 of cut pieces 4, the last 3 or counter mould are coupled. FIGS. 6 and 8 represent the position of the various components, once the mould (1) and counter mould (3) have been coupled, thus delimiting channels (6) between the cut pieces (4) mould (1) and counter mould (3), through which the plastic material will be injected.
(29) Once the last 3 has been coupled inside the mould 1 and the mould 1 is closed by part 2, FIG. 2, a plastic material which will fill the channels 6 and spaces 8 and 9 is injected, forming an armour or skeleton, as shown in FIG. 9, which consists of ridges 11 corresponding to the volume of the channels 6, the parts 12 which correspond to the volume of spaces 8 in FIGS. 2 and 4 and the sole or bottom 13 which corresponds to the volume of space 8 between the last 3 and the mould closure 2.
(30) Once the plastic has been injected, the mould is opened and the footwear and the last are taken out, thus producing an item of footwear as shown in FIG. 10, which comprises the cut pieces 4 initially placed inside the mould and joint together by the ridges 11 of the injected plastic material, said footwear including the sole 13 and the toe and stiffener which correspond to the areas or bodies 12.
(31) If the cut pieces 4 which form the upper are placed in the last with their edges touching, only those narrow lines 14 separating the cut pieces 4 will be visible on the outer surface of the footwear. Whereby the cut, pieces 4 forming the upper are separated slightly when placed in the last, the cuts 4 will be separated by ridges made of the injected plastic material in the footwear item produced, as shown in the figures. The width of these ridges corresponds to the extent to which these cut pieces 4 are separated when they are arranged in the mould.
(32) The sheared edges of the cut pieces 4 which form the upper may also be made on the upside 7 of the material, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8. In this case the channels 6 will be delimited between the shearing 5 and the inner surface of part 1 of the mould. In this embodiment, bands will appear on the visible surface of the footwear produced, which correspond to the width of the channels 6 separating the cut pieces 4 which form the upper, as shown in FIG. 8.
(33) As already indicated, the nature of the plastic material injected may be such that the ridges 11 created are flexible and partially elastic, the footwear produced thereby being more capable of moulding itself to the surface of the foot and to the changes that occur in the foot when the footwear user walks, especially at the joints.
(34) The cut pieces 4 may be stuck to the inner surface of the mould with an adhesive substance or even using a suction system, through holes which lead to the inner surface of the mould 1.
(35) In order to ensure that the injected plastic material sticks perfectly to the sheared edges of the cuts 4 which form the upper, an adhesive compatible with the plastic material to be injected may be applied to the sheared edges 5 of the cut pieces 4 prior to the plastic material being injected.
(36) For the purposes of decoration and reinforcement only, certain adjacent cut pieces may be joined together prior to the injection of the plastic material using seams.
(37) The footwear lining may also consist of cut pieces 15, FIG. 11, in the same way as described for the upper. These cut pieces 15 are arranged on the last 3 using any of the abovementioned methods. The number of cut pieces 15 making up the lining may be equal to or less than the number of cut pieces 4 forming the upper but, the lines 16 separating the lining cut pieces will preferably coincide with the channels 6 separating the cut pieces 4 which form the upper in such a way that, the injected plastic material, which will form the binding ridges 11 between the cut pieces 4 of the upper, also serves to bind the cut pieces 15 which form the lining and to bind these cut pieces to the upper. A seamless lining would thus be created and the plastic ridges binding the cut pieces of the upper and the lining would be hidden between the lining and the upper.
(38) FIG. 11 also illustrates the mould's peripheral ridges 17 which would determine the surface upon which the cut pieces 4 of the upper would be placed.
(39) As shown in FIG. 12, part of the volume delimited between the mould 1 and the last 3 may be occupied by an attachment or filler part 18 which limit the volume allocated to the cut pieces 4 which will form the upper. Therefore, when the mould 1 and counter mould 3 are used without the filler part 18, a boot style item of footwear can be produced. Conversely, when the filler part 18 is inserted, a shoe shaped item of footwear will be produced. This makes it possible to use one single mould to fabricate various footwear models.
(40) As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the surface intended to be filled with the plastic fluid for the sole may be limited by a ridge 19 pertaining to the mould 1, which is higher up than the depth of the adjacent edges of the cuts of leather 4. As already mentioned, these cuts of leather may be secured on a lamellar template 20 which facilitates the placement of the cut pieces 4 on the mould's 1 surface. The position of the ridge 19 enables the plastic fluid injected 21 for the sole to fall on the cut of leather 4 when it gets higher than the ridge itself, as illustrated in reference 21, FIG. 14. This pushes it towards the mould 1, thereby preventing this liquid from penetrating the leather face in contact with the mould.
(41) As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the opposing adjacent edges 22-22 of the consecutive cut pieces 4, which form the upper, may overlap and be bound together, for example by sewing 23 them; this would occur prior to introducing these cut pieces into the mould. The depth of these edges may be sheared in such a way that, when they overlap, their thickness virtually equals that of the cut pieces 4. This makes it possible to use the same mould to fabricate different footwear models.
(42) FIGS. 17 to 25 are cross-sections of various possible types of binding between the cut pieces forming the outer material and lining of the item to be produced.
(43) FIG. 17 shows how the cuts of leather 4 and the cut pieces 15 which form the lining are bound together by the ridges 11 created by the plastic material when it is injected. The cuts of leather 4 are arranged with their sheared edges slightly separated from one another.
(44) FIG. 18 illustrates one possible embodiment in which the cuts of leather 4-4 vary in depth. This will only be noticeable on the outer surface of the footwear or garment produced.
(45) FIGS. 19 and 20 illustrate that the ridges 11 may protrude from the outer surface of the footwear or garment produced for decorative purposes and to provide elasticity in flexible areas of the footwear or garment. In both cases, the edges of the cuts of leather 4 are sheared, without lining as shown in FIG. 20 whereas the cut pieces 15 which form the lining are also bound by the ridges 11, as shown in FIG. 19.
(46) In FIG. 21 the ridges 11, which serve to bind the cut pieces 4 of plastic material and the cut pieces 15 which form the lining, will be formed by the channels delimited between the cuts of leather 4 and the counter mould, by partially separating the cut pieces 15 which form the lining. This embodiment applies to cut pieces 4 whose edges cannot be sheared.
(47) In the same conditions, an outer material composed as illustrated in FIG. 22 may be produced, whereby the ridges 11 are limited between the cut pieces 4 of the outer material and the cut pieces 15 of the lining by partially separating the intermediate cut pieces 15, which have a textile or foam backing, for example.
(48) FIG. 23 shows an alternative, which may also be applied to the cut pieces 4, which form the outer material whose edges cannot be sheared and in which the ridges 11 will be created by ridges or channels formed in the inner surface of the mould. Similarly, the mounting systems, illustrated in FIGS. 24 and 25, may be obtained; in the latter case, the outer material has no lining. In both cases, the ridges protrude from the outer surface of the outer material for decorative purposes and to provide elasticity at the flex points.
(49) FIG. 26 represents a counter mould 24 which, alongside components 25 and 26, FIGS. 27 and 28, which shape the mould, makes it possible to produce the item of clothing 27 represented in FIG. 31. FIG. 29 shows the arrangement of the cut pieces 4, which form the outer material, with the separations which determine the channels 6 delimited between components 25 and 26 of the mould and the counter mould 24 and which enable the structure or skeleton of the ridges 11 to be produced, as shown in FIG. 30, which in turn serve to bind the cut pieces 4.
(50) Certain parts or areas of the garment 27 produced may be more bulky than others, for example areas pertaining to the collar 28 and the cuffs 29. Moreover, the garment may have areas reinforced using the abovementioned methods. This applies to areas 30, the underarms and especially to areas 31, the elbows, for example.
