Method for manufacturing at least one part of a sole assembly of a shoe, and sole assembly for a shoe

Abstract

The invention related to a method for manufacturing at least one part of a sole assembly ( 7 ) of a shoe ( 300 ) comprising the steps of directing a laser beam towards the at least one part of the sole assembly, which comprises a polymer material, and creating at least one of an opening ( 55 ), passage, cavity or engraved pattern in the at least one part of the sole assembly by means of the laser beam, or removing material from the at least one part of the sole assembly by means of the laser beam.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for manufacturing at least one part of a sole assembly of a shoe comprising the steps of directing a laser beam towards the at least one part of the sole assembly comprising a polymer material and creating at least one of an opening, passage, cavity or engraved pattern in the at least one part of the sole assembly by means of the laser beam, or removing material from the at least one part of the sole assembly by means of the laser beam. 
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one part of the sole assembly comprises a polymer material which is resistant to hydrolysis or contains material which is resistant to hydrolysis. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one part of the sole assembly comprises a polyurethane material based on a mixture of an isocyanate and a polyether. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one part of the sole assembly comprises a polyurethane material based on a mixture of an isocyanate and a polyester based polyol, wherein one or more of hydrolysis preventing additives are added to the polyol. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein one or more of the following hydrolysis preventing additives are added to the polyol: calcium and magnesium carbonate, or calcium and magnesium stearate, particularly in the range of 1% to 10% of the weight of the polyol including process additives, if any. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one part of the sole assembly comprises a thermoplastic polyurethane, or a mixture of cork and polyurethane. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , comprising the step of creating at least one opening or passage by means of the laser beam such that the opening or passage is connecting an interior of the shoe with an outside of the shoe for air ventilation of the shoe. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1 , comprising the step of creating at least one opening or passage by means of the laser beam, wherein the opening or passage has a diameter in the range of 0.1 to 5 millimeters. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the point of laser beam focus is placed on a side wall of the at least one part of the sole assembly. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of
 providing a ventilating sole element having a structure or material allowing for air flow through it, and   creating at least one opening in a side wall of the ventilating sole element by means of the laser beam such that the opening is enabling air ventilation from an interior of the ventilating sole element to an outside of the shoe.   
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1 , comprising the step of creating at least one opening or passage in an outsole, midsole or surrounding sole element of the sole assembly, 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 10 , further comprising the step of creating at least one opening or passage in a side wall of the ventilating sole element, which has a structure or material allowing for air flow through it and which is at least partially surrounded by at least a portion of the sole assembly with at least one passage in it, by means of the laser beam directed through the at least one passage in the portion of the sole assembly surrounding the ventilating sole element, in particular the outsole, the midsole or the surrounding sole element. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one part of the sole assembly comprises at least one of the following materials: TPU, styrene butadien rubber, latex or cork. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 1 , comprising the step of creating at least one of an opening, passage, cavity or engraved pattern in a lateral, medial, front or back side of the at least one part of the sole assembly. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the laser beam is controlled to generate a power output in a range between 50 W and 500 W at a speed in the range of 20 mm/s to 2000 mm/s. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the laser beam is applied in a laser beam cycle which repeatedly scans over a portion of the at least one part of the sole assembly, wherein the laser beam cycle is repeated within the range of 5 to 30 times. 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 1 , further providing a controllable robot which is adapted to place the at least one part of the sole assembly in front of the laser beam, wherein the laser beam through a series of repeated laser cycles on the at least one part of the sole assembly creates the at least one of an opening, passage, cavity or engraved pattern, or removes material from the at least one part of the sole assembly. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 17 , wherein a point of focus of the laser beam is changed in steps in the following way:
 a) placing the target of the at least one part of the sole assembly in a point of focus,   b) performing a first series of laser cycles which generate a channel with a first penetration depth,   c) moving by means of the robot said at least one part of the sole assembly towards the point of focus so that the bottom of the channel is placed in the focus point of the laser beam,   d) performing a second series of laser cycles which deepens the channel in the sole.   
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one part of the sole assembly is formed by sole material injected onto an upper of the shoe, or is part of a pre-assembled part of the sole to be glued to an upper of the shoe. 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein a first laser workstation is used for roughing an upper of the shoe, whereafter the upper is placed in a mould and sole material is injected onto parts of the upper and hereby adhered to the upper, and whereafter the first laser workstation or a second laser workstation is used for creating the at least one of an opening, passage, cavity or engraved pattern, or removing material from the sole material. 
     
     
         21 . Sole assembly for a shoe comprising at least one part which is manufactured from a polymer material, wherein the at least one part of the sole assembly comprises at least one of an opening, passage, cavity or engraved pattern created by means of a laser beam. 
     
     
         22 . The sole assembly according to  claim 21 , wherein the at least one part of the sole assembly comprises a polymer material which is resistant to hydrolysis or contains material which is resistant to hydrolysis. 
     
     
         23 . The sole assembly according to  claim 21 , wherein the at least one part of the sole assembly comprises a polyurethane material based on a mixture of an isocyanate and a polyether. 
     
     
         24 . The sole assembly according to  claim 21 , wherein the at least one part of the sole assembly comprises a polyurethane material based on a mixture of an isocyanate and a polyester based polyol, wherein one or more of hydrolysis preventing additives are added to the polyol. 
     
     
         25 . The sole assembly of  claim 24 , wherein one or more of the following hydrolysis preventing additives are added to the polyol: calcium and magnesium carbonate, or calcium and magnesium stearate, particularly in the range of 1% to 10% of the weight of the polyol including process additives, if any. 
     
     
         26 . The sole assembly according to  claim 21 , wherein the at least one part of the sole assembly comprises a thermoplastic polyurethane, or a mixture of cork and polyurethane.