FOOTWEAR INJECTION MOULD

Abstract

A footwear injection mold includes a primary injection mold having a first coupling element of a first coupling assembly; and a secondary injection mold provides at least part of an injection chamber for molding a footwear part. The injection chamber has a proximal surface defining at least part of a distal surface of the footwear part and a second coupling element of the first coupling assembly. The first coupling assembly is configured to fix the secondary injection mold relative to the first injection mold.

Claims

1. A footwear injection mold, the footwear injection mold comprising: a primary injection mold comprises a first coupling element of a first coupling assembly; a secondary injection mold providing at least part of an injection chamber for molding a footwear part, where the injection chamber comprises a proximal surface defining at least part of a distal surface of the footwear part and a second coupling element of the first coupling assembly, where the first coupling assembly is configured to fix the secondary injection mold relative to the first injection mold.

2. The footwear injection mold in accordance with claim 1, wherein the primary injection mold comprises a first side frame, a second side frame, and/or a bottom frame.

3. The footwear injection mold in accordance with claim 1, wherein the secondary injection mold comprises a first side frame, a second side frame, and/or a bottom frame.

4. The footwear injection mold in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first coupling element is configured to mate with the second coupling element.

5. The footwear injection mold in accordance with claim 1, wherein the second coupling element is positioned on a distal part of the secondary injection mold.

6. The footwear injection mold in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first coupling element is positioned on a proximal part of the primary injection mold.

7. The footwear injection mold in accordance with claim 1, wherein the secondary injection mold comprises a second injection channel.

8. The footwear injection mold in accordance with claim 1, wherein the primary injection mold comprises a second coupling assembly, where the second coupling assembly is configured to attach the primary injection mold to an injection moulding apparatus.

9. The footwear injection mold in accordance with claim 1, wherein the footwear part is a shoe sole.

10. The footwear injection mold in accordance with claim 1, wherein the secondary injection mould is configured to seal at least partly against an upper of a shoe, when the footwear injection mold is in its closed state.

11. The footwear injection mold in accordance with claim 1, wherein the secondary injection mold comprises an upper part that is configured seal the chamber.

12. The footwear injection mold in accordance with claim 1, wherein the secondary injection mold is additive manufactured.

13. The footwear injection mold in accordance with claim 1, wherein the primary injection mold has a higher thermal conductivity than the secondary injection mold.

14. The footwear injection mold in accordance with claim 1, wherein the primary injection mold has a thermal conductivity of at least 10 W/M/° K.

15. The footwear injection mold in accordance with claim 1, wherein the secondary injection mold has a thermal conductivity of no more than 50 W/M/° K.

16. The footwear injection mold according to claim 1, wherein the second mold comprises an upper lip.

17. The footwear injection mold according to claim 1, wherein the secondary injection mold comprises a first side frame, a second side frame, and/or a bottom frame and wherein the first and the second side frame comprises an upper lip.

18. The footwear injection mold according to claim 1, wherein the second coupling elements extends more than 10% of a mold length.

19. The footwear injection mold according to claim 1, wherein the coupling force between the primary injection mold and the secondary injection mold may at least exceed the force applied through gravity, or may be more than 1.5 the force of gravity.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0060] The following is an explanation of exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings, in which

[0061] FIG. 1 a-d show sectional schematic diagram of a footwear injection mould from its open position to their closed position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] The use of the terms “first”, “second”, “third” and “fourth”, “primary”, “secondary”, “tertiary” etc. does not imply any particular order, but are included to identify individual elements. Moreover, the use of the terms “first”, “second”, “third” and “fourth”, “primary”, “secondary”, “tertiary” etc. does not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms “first”, “second”, “third” and “fourth”, “primary”, “secondary”, “tertiary” etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. Note that the words “first”, “second”, “third” and “fourth”, “primary”, “secondary”, “tertiary” etc. are used here and elsewhere for labelling purposes only and are not intended to denote any specific spatial or temporal ordering.

[0063] Furthermore, the labelling of a first element does not imply the presence of a second element and vice versa.

[0064] It is to be noted that the word “comprising” does not necessarily exclude the presence of other elements or steps than those listed.

[0065] It is to be noted that the words “a” or “an” preceding an element do not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements.

[0066] FIG. 1a shows a cross-sectional view of a footwear injection mould 1 in accordance with the present disclosure, where the cross sectional plane is a horizontal plane that may be seen as being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the footwear injection mould. The footwear injection mould comprises a first primary side mould 2, a second primary side mould 3 and a first primary bottom mould 4. The footwear injection mould 1 in FIG. 1 a is in an open state, where the first primary side mould 2, the second primary side mould 3 and the first primary bottom mould 4 are spaced from each other, allowing access to the mould cavity 5 from one or more positions, such as from the upper opening 6. The first primary side mould 2, the second primary side mould 3 and the first primary bottom mould 4 are provided with attachment parts (not shown) that allow the primary injection moulds 2, 3, 4 to be attached to an injection moulding equipment (not shown), and where the attachment to the injection moulding equipment may be adapted to transfer heat from the injection moulding equipment to the primary injection moulds 2, 3, 4 so that the footwear injection mould can be warmed up to a predefined temperature to optimize the injection moulding of the footwear part in the mould cavity 5.

[0067] The first primary side mould 2, the second primary side mould 3 and the first primary bottom mould 4 may be provided with a first secondary side mould 10, a second secondary side mould 11 and a first secondary bottom mould 12, respectively, where the secondary injection moulds 10, 11, 12 may be coupled to the primary injection moulds 2, 3, 4. The primary injection moulds 2, 3, 4 may be provided with first coupling elements 13, 14, 15, 16 that are adapted to mate with second coupling elements 17, 18, 19, 20 that allow the secondary injection moulds 10, 11, 12 to be coupled to the primary injection moulds 2, 3, 4. The coupling elements may be adapted to hold the secondary injection moulds 10, 11, 12 relative to the primary injection moulds 2, 3, 4 during the injection moulding process, ensuring that the secondary injection moulds 10, 11, 12 are held in position while the footwear injection mould 1 is moved from its open position, as shown in FIG. 1a towards its closed position, shown in FIG. 1 c and during the injection moulding process, as shown in FIG. 1d.

[0068] The secondary injection moulds 10, 11, 12 may be adapted to provide a mould cavity 5, by providing a first side inner surface 21, a second side inner surface 22 and a third bottom inner surface 23 providing an outer surface of the element to be moulded inside the mould cavity 5. The upper part of the mould cavity 5 may be delimited by a footwear upper 24, which may be mounted on a last 25, where the last fixes the upper 24 relative to the mould cavity 5. Furthermore, the first secondary side mould 10 and the second secondary side mould 11 are provided with a lip 26, where the lip has a form and shape that is adapted to follow an outer surface 27 of the upper 24. When the lip 25 is pushed into contact with the outer surface 27 of the upper 24, as e.g. seen in FIG. 1 b the lip may close off the mould cavity in conjunction with the bottom part 28 of the upper 24, and assist in preventing that injection moulding material which is introduced into the mould cavity 5 does not exit the cavity 5 via the upper opening 6 of the cavity 5.

[0069] The first secondary injection side mould 10 and the second secondary injection side mould 11 may be provided with a first 29 and a second contact surface 30 positioned on a bottom part of the first secondary injection side mould 10 and the second secondary injection side mould 11, respectively, which may be adapted to abut a first 31 and a second 32 upper contact surface of the secondary bottom mould 12. The contact surfaces may be adapted to close off the mould cavity 5 between the secondary side moulds 10, 11 and the secondary bottom mould 12, as seen in e.g. FIG. 1 c. The contact surface may extend from a front end (toe end) of the secondary injection moulds 10, 11, 12 towards its back end (heel end). Furthermore, the first side injection mould 10 and the second side injection mould 11 may have third and/or a fourth contact surface (not shown) between the moulds, where the contact surfaces may be positioned in an area where the first and second secondary injection moulds divide the sides of the mould cavity between them.

[0070] FIG. 1a shows that the last 25 has been introduced into the moulding cavity, allowing the bottom part of the upper 34 to be exposed to the upper part of the mould cavity 5. The last 25 may be moveable in a vertical direction in and out of the mould cavity 5, so that when the footwear part has been moulded to the upper, the last 25, the upper 26 and the footwear part may be maneuvered away from the mould cavity for removal, and the next last and upper may be introduced into the mould cavity. FIG. 1 b shows an intermediate state of the footwear injection mould, where the primary side moulds 2, 3 and the secondary side moulds 10, 11 have been maneuvered inwards in the directions A, B towards the upper 24, where the lip 26 is moved into contact with the upper 24, and the secondary side moulds 10, 11 come into contact with each other at their toe and heel end (not shown) to close off the upper part of the mould cavity 5. The lip 26 and the contact surfaces are forced into contact so that the flow of the injection material can pass out of the mould cavity via the contact surfaces and the lip 26.

[0071] Prior to this movement, the injection material 35, may be introduced into the mould cavity, e.g. by introducing it to the upper surface 23 of the secondary bottom mould 12 prior to the closing of the footwear injection mould 1, where the mould 1 may be closed allowing the injected material to expand to fill the mould cavity 5 and to bond to the lower part 28 of the upper 26.

[0072] FIG. 1c shows where the primary bottom injection mould 4 and the secondary bottom injection mould 12 have been moved upwards in a vertical direction C, where the secondary bottom injection mould 12 abuts the first 10 and the second side moulds 11, and closing the mould cavity 5. When the footwear injection mould 1 is closed, the mould cavity 5 is closed to the surrounding environment, ensuring that the injected material takes the shape of the mould cavity 5.

[0073] FIG. 1d shows where the injected material 35 has expanded to fill out the entire volume of the mould cavity 5, where the injected material 35 comes into contact with the inner surfaces of the secondary injection mould, causing the outer surface 38 of the injected material 35 to take the shape of the mould cavity and the inner surfaces of the secondary injection mould, to form a footwear sole 37.

[0074] When the injected material 35 has cured, the primary side injection moulds 2, 2, may be moved in a horizontal movement opposite to the direction A, B shown in FIG. 1 b, and the primary bottom injection mould 4 to be moved in the opposite direction C shown in FIG. 1c, and thereby opening the footwear injection mould. The movement of the primary injection moulds 2, 3, 4 allows the secondary injection moulds 10, 11, 12 to be removed from the injected material 35 and the last 25, the upper 26 and the sole 37 may be removed from the mould 1.

[0075] If the injection moulding equipment is supposed to be utilized for a different type of shoe or a different size of shoe, the secondary injection moulds may be de coupled from the primary injection moulds, and replaced with another set of secondary injection moulds, that define an alternative mould cavity, as well as exchanging the last and the upper to close off the upper part of the mould cavity, where the additional set of secondary injection moulds may be coupled to the primary injection moulds. Thus, the primary injection mould parts may be utilized for a plurality (more than one) secondary injection moulds, and the injection moulding equipment may be quickly made ready for the injection of a different type of article of footwear.

[0076] It should further be noted that any reference signs do not limit the scope of the claims, that the exemplary embodiments may be implemented at least in part by means of both hardware and software, and that several “means”, “units” or “devices” may be represented by the same item of hardware.

[0077] Although features have been shown and described, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the claimed invention, and it will be made obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention. The specification and drawings are, accordingly to be regarded in an illustrative rather than restrictive sense. The claimed invention is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents.