Everyone needs them, everyone wears them
Shoe manufacture made simple
The manufacture of footwear goes back a long way in history: Even 40,000 years ago humans felt the need to protect their feet from adverse outdoor conditions. Several hundred centuries passed however, before the modern aesthetic footwear of the present was developed and consequently also manifold procedures for the manufacture of shoes. Whereas in the pre-industrial era shoes were crafted by shoemakers, today shoe manufacture is largely an industrial process. Nevertheless, the manual aspect of production is still a significant part of the process. The manufacture process is composed of three key sections: development and design, manufacture of shoe uppers and the actual shoe production.
First, a sketch of the shoe is created, pattern pieces for the various upper parts are made and the shoe lasts are manufactured. The last is the interior profile to which the uppers are shaped and joined to the sole of the shoe. Next the various parts for the uppers are cut and glued or sewn together to create the shoe upper. The lower edges of the uppers are given a larger margin so that they can later be fixed to the inner sole of the shoe. Now the inner sole of the shoe, the insole, is made. It is the bottom part of the finished shoe, upon which the foot stands. The rest of the shoe is formed around the insole: the upper at the top and the outer sole underneath.
The shoe is moulded around the last. The uppers cover it and the insole is attached beneath it. There are several different procedures for joining the uppers with the shoe base: in industrial production, they are usually glued or sewn. So that both soles are fixed securely, some footwear manufacturers roughen the edges of the insole in order to achieve perfect adhesion. The rough surface must however, be identical along the entire length and be the same width all the way round - impossible to ensure and sustain long-term by hand. The system created by Vektor-Gruppe can remedy this. In close collaboration with the air motor specialists DEPRAG SCHULZ GMBH & CO., a robot system has been developed using a durable DEPRAG milling motor for fast and accurate results.
DEPRAG air motors for special applications are particularly suited to the sustained, precise and consistent surface roughening of inner soles. The DEPRAG milling robot 27-030 with a grinding disc is the number one choice for connection to a robot. The long-life milling motors with top running precision have a space-saving design and are powerful in high torque ranges. They are available in the power class 400 W and with a torque range of up to max. 20,000 rpm. The combination of a flexible robot arm and permanently constant speed of the air motor ensures optimal results and increased working productivity.
More information: DEPRAG SCHULZ GMBH u. CO.