GB1401001A - Shoe making - Google Patents

Abstract

1401001 Boots &c SHOE & ALLIED TRADES RESEARCH ASSOCIATION 28 June 1972 [1 April 1971 12 May 1971] 8474/71 and 14502/71 Heading A3B Apparatus for preforming shoe uppers includes conveyor means 12 for conveying jigs 14 supporting the shoe upper material from a loading station 4, through a treatment station 6 for rendering the shoe upper material stretchable, and through a preforming station 8 to an unloading station 10. Each jig 14 (Fig. 3) consists of a pair of plates hinged together at 22, each of which has an aperture of slightly smaller size than the shoe upper blank 16, the plates being held apart by spacers 28, 30 which are slightly thinner than the blank 16. The blank 16 is located across the apertures by locating pins 24 on the lower plate which pass through apertures in the upper plate. The jigs 14 are carried through the apparatus by a pair of conveyer chains 32 (Fig. 1) which are driven from an electric motor (not shown) via clutch 40, belt 42 and sprockets 36. The jigs 14 are held on the chains 32 by pairs of rollers 44, each pair 44 being mounted on a member 46 which is urged downwardly with respect to guide rail 34 by springs (not shown). The conveyor 12 stops when the jigs 14 engage movable stops at the station 6 and 8. The treatment station 6 consists of chambers 54 mounted above and below the conveyor 12. In the case of leather uppers the chambers 54 form part of a mulling device and in the case of synthetic uppers, e.g. of poromeric material, the chambers 54 contain heaters, e.g. infra-red, R.F., or microwave heaters. The preforming station 8 (Figs. 1, 7) ineludes a box 56 mounted above the conveyor 12 and a box 60 mounted below the conveyor 12, the boxes being movable towards, and away from each other by a piston and cylinder device 102 which acts via bell cranks 96 and links 86, 90 and 98. When the boxes 56, 60 are in their closed positions as shown in Fig. 7 seals carried in flanges 56a, 60a engage the jig 14 in the region of the outer spacers 30. Each box 56, 60 also includes a clamping device 106 consisting of a plate 108 carrying adjustably mounted clamping pins. When the boxes 56, 60 are moved together the clamping pins engage both sides of the jig 14 so that the upper blank 16 is firmly gripped by the jig 14. The plates 108 are resiliently mounted in the boxes by elastomeric blocks 116 or by adjustable spring loaded devices (not shown). The lower box 60 contains a mould 62, e.g. of the type described in Specification 1300931, which can be raised by piston and cylinder device 70 acting via toggle linkage 78 and push rod 66. The outline shape of the mould 62 corresponds to the apertures in the jigs 14. During the moulding operation air under pressure may be applied to the upper box 56 and/ or vacuum may be applied to the lower box 60. The machine also includes a safety device (not shown) which stops the conveyor if the orientation of the jig 14 (e.g. for a right or left shoe) does not correspond to that of the mould 62.