GB2103068A - Backpart moulding machine for shoe uppers - Google Patents

Abstract

Backpart moulding machine has an inner mould member (10), a heel seat plane of which is inclined at about 20 DEG to the vertical away from the operator, when the member 10 is in the loading position shown. This angle makes for ease of loading the backpart onto member 10 and/or positioning the upper in side grippers 26. The outer mould member (28) is inclined at about 30 DEG away from the operator. The height of the inner mould member (10) can be varied by means of jacking screws incorporated in feet (82) of the base portion (2) of the machine. The head of the machine, incorporating the outer mould member (28) and also wiping means (66) can be mounted in side walls (4) selectively with the wiping means towards the operator or away from the operator. Also the heightwise relationship of said head with the side walls (4) can be varied according to the height of the inner mould member (10) to be used. In operation, the inner mould member (10) is carried from its loading position rearwardly and upwardly into the outer mould member (28) under cam control 18. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Backpart moulding machine This invention is concerned with backpart moulding machines, i.e. machines for moulding backparts of shoe uppers prior to assembly of such uppers on a last for a lasting operation to be performed thereon. The term "shoe" where used herein is used generically as indicating articles of outer footwear generally and as including articles of footwear in the course of their manufacture.

Conventionally backpart moulding machines comprise an inner mould member on which the backpart to be moulded of a shoe upper can be supported and about which it can be tensioned by the application of tension to the upper along its length, and an outer mould member between which and the inner mould member relative movement of approach can take place whereby the backpart supported by the inner mould member can be moulded therebetween.

For applying tension to the shoe upper as aforesaid, the operator may himself apply such tension or, more usually, the operator will feed the upper into grippers arranged one at each side of the inner mould member and toewardly thereof or alternatively a toe gripper, such gripper or grippers then being closed and moved away from the inner mould member thus to apply the tension.

Machines of this sort are used for moulding backparts of shoes incorporating stiffeners, such stiffeners may be thermoformable, made of board (fibre board), or solvent activated. In the case of thermoformable stiffeners, the backpart is heated prior to being placed on the inner mould member, and the inner mould member is then chilled or refrigerated in order that, during the backpart moulding process, the thermoformable material is caused to become consolidated in the moulded condition. In the case of fibre board and solvent activated stiffeners, on the other hand, the inner mould member and sometimes the outer mould member is heated, since there is a requirement for heat during the moulding operation of such material.

Backpart moulding machines usually also comprise wiping means by which lasting marginal portions of the backpart of the upper can be wiped over and pressed against a surface of the inner mould member, which surface corresponds to the heel end of an insole in the finished shoe and is usually flat, an inwardly turned flange thus being provided on the moulded backpart. Customarily the wiping means, which comprises hinged wiper plates of the sort found also in heel seat lasting machines, are mounted in association with the outer mould member.

One backpart moulding machine is described in U.K. Patent Specification No. 1029275, which machine comprises an inner mould member having a loading position in which a heel seat plane (as hereinafter defined) of the inner mould member lies inclined at about 100 to the vertical towards the operator, the inner mould member, together with side grippers, being pivotal about a transverse axis to carry the inner mould member, with the upper thereon, into an operative position, in which the inner mould member is aligned with the outer mould member, the arrangement being such that, during such movement of the inner mould member, the outer mould member is moved there towards, whereby the backpart supported by the inner mould member is moulded between the two mould members.The phrase "heel seat plane" is used herein to denote a plane in which lies the usually flat surface of the inner mould member against which lasting marginal portions of the backpart can be wiped over and pressed, as referred to above, or otherwise refers to the plane of a flat surface of the inner mould member which corresponds to the heel seat portion of the finished shoe. In using the aforementioned machine, because of the angle of inclination of the inner mould member in the loading position, the operator has a clear view of the back seam region of the mould member, so that positioning the backpart thereon is facilitated.

On the other hand, because of the inclination, it is difficult for the operator easily to feed the upper into the side grippers and, furthermore, it is awkward for the operator to apply initial tension, which he customarily applies when feeding the upper into the grippers.

Another backpart moulding machine is described in U.S. Patent Specification No.

2694821, in which machine the heel seat plane of the inner mould member is inclined about 450 away from the operator. In this case, positioning the backpart on the inner mould member with any accuracy is difficult, although the initial tension applied by the operator as he feeds the upper into the side grippers is facilitated.

It is the object of the present invention to provide an improved backpart moulding machine wherein the operator retains a clear view of the back seam region of the inner mould member, when the mould members are in a loading condition, while at the same time rendering ergonomically acceptable the tensioning of the backpart of the upper over the inner mould member by the operator.

The invention thus provides a backpart moulding machine comprising an inner mould member on which the backpart to be moulded of a shoe upper can be supported and about which it can be tensioned by the application of tension to the upper along its length, and an outer mould member between which and the inner mould member relative movement of approach can take place whereby the backpart supported by the inner mould member can be moulded therebetween, wherein, with the mould members in an initial condition, in which a shoe upper can be placed on the inner mould member, the latter is arranged with its heel seat plane (as herein defined) inclined at about 20 to the vertical away from the operator.

It will be appreciated that, by so inclining the inner mould member, the operator can still survey the back seam region of the inner mould member, but the tensioning of the backpart about said member, whether for tensioning it while feeding the upper into the grippers, or for tensioning it until the mould members have closed, is facilitated.

Preferably, when the mould members are in their initial condition, the inner member is in a loading position out of alignment with the outer member, said inner member being movable between said loading position and an operative position, in which it is aligned with the outer mould member for an operation to be performed on the backpart therebetween. Furthermore, preferably in such case the arrangement is such that, with the inner mould in its operative position, the heel seat plane thereof is further inclined away from the operator. In this way, the outer mould member is well clear of the inner mould member during the loading operation and is positioned so as not to interfere with the operator's view of the back seam region of the mould during loading.

It will further be appreciated that the height of the operator of the machine may well also be significant when considering his view of the back seam region of the inner mould member.

Customarily, either the operator is obliged to tolerate any inconvenience arising out of his size in relation to the design of machine which he is operating, or at best will acquire (if he happens to be small in relation to the machine design) a suitable platform on which to stand in order to operate the machine. In order to obviate such problems, in a machine in accordance with the invention preferably the heightwise position of the inner mould member, when in its initial condition can be varied. Conveniently, to this end, a frame portion of the machine, on which the inner mould member is mounted, is itself carried on legs and said legs incorporate jacking screws for varying the heightwise position of the frame portion, and thus of the inner mould member.

The machine in accordance with the invention is intended for use on various types of footwear. In order to accommodate the majority of styles, conveniently the mould members and any wiper members which are also provided are arranged to operate on a shoe which is located in the machine with the top line of the upper thereof facing towards the operator; thus, conventionally the wiping means is arranged at the side of the mould members away from the operator.Where, however, it is desired to be able manually to clear the lining of a shoe to be operated upon, i.e. to ensure that there are no pleats or undesired folds in the lining, prior to the backpart moulding operating being effected thereupon (and this may be the case, even if automatic spreading means is provided in the machine, where the inner mould member is intended for use with extra long counters), it may be desirable to arrange the upper on the inner mould member with the lasting marginal portion facing the operator, thus to afford ready access to the lining in the region of the shoe bottom.In order thus to accommodate both moulding arrangements, conveniently, in a machine in accordance with the invention, the wiping means and the outer mould member are mounted on a common sub-frame, the arrangement being such that said sub-frame can be supported in the frame portion of the machine with the wiping means disposed either at the side of the outer member facing the operator, or at the opposite side, selectively according to the type of shoe to be operated upon. In such a case, furthermore, where control means is provided for adjuting the position of the wiping means in relation to the sub-frame, and thus to the outer mould member, in a direction extending fore-andaft of the machine, preferably such means is provided at both sides of the sub-frame, so that ready access is provided thereto, which ever way the sub-frame is mounted in the frame portion.

Similarly, the outer mould member is preferably also mounted for fore-and-aft adjustment relative to the sub-frame.

The control means for adjusting the position of the wiping means may operate in conjunction with resilient means, the arrangement being such that the resilient means serves to urge the wiping means towards the outer mould member to a limit determined by said control means.

The machine in accordance with the invention is arranged to operate on a variety of sizes of counters; thus, at one end of the size range, it is intended that children's shoes with a relatively short counter may be operated upon, while, at the other end, men's shoes with so-called long counters, i.e. counters which extend well into the shank region of the shoe, are accommodated. It will of course be appreciated that the inner mould member is supported on its support with its toeward end face resting on top of the support, so that, the longer the mould member, the more closely the back seam region thereof will lie to the outer mould member.If the space in between the two mould members is sufficient to allow for relative movement of approach in the case of a large inner mould member, then, without an adjustment facility, a small inner mould member will have an excessive travel to bring it into the outer mould member. Such travel is not only expensive in terms of the size of motor required, but is also time-consuming, leading to a shorter daily output than could otherwise be achieved using the smaller mould members. In the machine in accordance with the invention, therefore, said sub-frame on which the outer mould member is mounted can be supported in the frame portion in a selected heightwise relationship with the inner mould member, and in this way the outer mould member can be set appropriate to the size of inner mould member, so that the minimum travel necessary to enable convenient loading of the shoe on the one hand without excessive travel on the other can be achieved. It is envisaged that a plurality of bolt holes will be provided in one of the frame portion and sub-frame, which holes can be used to receive the fixing bolts, in accordance with the particular type of inner mould member which it is intended to use in the machine.Of course, if it is intended that the machine shall be used for more than one size of mould member, then clearly the selected disposition of the sub-frame will in general reflect an appropriate position for the larger size of inner mould member likely to be used.

There now follows a detailed description, to be read with reference to the accompanying drawing, of one machine in accordance with the invention, which machine has been selected for description merely by way of non-limiting example.

The accompanying drawing shows a view in side elevation of the machine in accordance with the invention, with parts broken away.

The machine in accordance with the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing is a backpart moulding machine comprising a base portion 2, two side walls 4 extending upwardly from said base portion and carrying at the upper ends a cross-head 6. The machine comprises two operating stations side-by-side, only one of which will now be described in detail.

Each operating station comprises a support post 8 for an inner mould member 10, the post 8 being carried on a block 12 which is movable heightwise of the machine under the action of a piston-and-cylinder arrangement 14 accommodated within the base portion 2.

Associated with the block 12 are follower rolls 1 6 which are captive in cam slots 1 8 formed in cam plates 20, one such plate being arranged at either side of the block 12. The cam slots 18 are so constructed and arranged that, when the pistonand-cylinder arrangement 14 is operated, the support post 8 is moved upwardly and rearwardly, as will be referred to later.

Also carried by the block 1 2 is a piston-andcylinder arrangement 22, through a piston rod 24 of which are operatively connected, one disposed at each side of the inner mould member 10, two sets of grippers generally designated 26, the arrangement being such that, upon actuation of the piston-and-cylinder arrangement 22, the jaws of the grippers are first caused to close and thereafter the grippers are moved downwardly relative to the inner mould member. Thus, with a shoe upper placed over the inner mould member 10, the backpart of the upper can be tensioned about the inner mould member by the application of tension to the upper along its length.

The machine in accordance with the invention also comprises an outer mould member 28, which is made of a rubber material, is generally U-shaped and the inner surface of which is moulded complementarily to the outer surface of the inner mould member 10. The back seam region of the outer mould member is secured to a slide member 30, which is mounted for fore-and-aft adjusting movement, controlled by an adjustment screw 32, on a block constituting a head portion 34 of the machine.For urging the "legs" of the U-shaped outer mould member 28 inwardly, two pressure plates 36 are secured to said legs, the plates being carried on lower ends of levers 38 which are pivoted, intermediate their length, on the head portion 34, and upper ends of which are pivotally connected to piston rods of piston-and-cylinder arrangements 42, said arrangements being secured together back-to-back and carried on the levers 38, a centralising pin 44 being provided, upstanding from a base plate 46. For holding the legs open, furthermore, in order to allow the inner mould member to be embraced thereby, latch members 40 are provided at the bottom of each lever 38.

Arranged at opposite sides of the base plate 46, which also supports the head portion 34, are two side plates 48 on each of which are pivoted a first lever 50, intermediate its length, and a second lever 52. Connected between the first levers 50, at the lower ends thereof, is a block 54 on which is carried a cam plate 56 forming part of wiping means of the machine. The cam plate has secured at each side thereof, and spaced from the surface thereof, two locating strips 58, each strip having secured thereto a block 60 carried at the lower end of one of the second levers 52.

The cam plate 56 has two appropriately shaped arcuate cam slots therein in which are accommodated follower rollers 62 supported on carrier plates 64 for wiper plates 66. The wiper plates, and carrier plates, are pivoted about a common pivot 68, and a further follower roll on the axis coincident with said pivot is accommodated in a first, vertical, cam slot (not shown). Thus, in the operation of the machine, as the wiper plates are moved relative to the cam plate, they first moved from an out-of-the-way position towards the inner mould member with some radial movement of the wiper plates, and then, after the leading edges of the wiper plates have traversed the inner mould member surface, only radial movement about the common pivot takes place.

For moving the wiper plates as aforesaid, outward portions of each carrier plate 64 are connected by links 70 to a cross-member 72 which is carried by a piston rod of a piston-andcylinder arrangement 74, said arrangement being mounted on the base plate 46.

The wiping means is mounted for adjustment fore-and-aft of the machine, and to this end a rod 76 is supported in the head portion 34 and is captive therein, said rod also carrying two trunnion blocks 78 by which is connected respectively with the levers 50, 52. Thus, rotation of the rod 76 is effective to move the levers 50 about their pivotal connection in the side plates 48, the levers 50, 52 acting as a parallel linkage arrangement, whereby the cam plate is maintained in a vertical position during such adjustment. In addition, the rod 76 carries a plurality of Belville washers which act to urge the rods rearwardly, and thus to urge the wiper plates 66 towards the inner mould member.

In this way, the wiper plates 66 may yield, on engaging a shoe upper on said inner mould member, should it be necessary.

For rotating the rod 76, a knob 80 is carried at each end thereof, for purposes to be described below.

The machine in accordance with the invention is so constructed and arranged that, when the inner mould member is in a loading position, the heel seat plane (as herein defined) thereof is inclined at about 200 to the vertical away from the operator, while a corresponding plane of the outer mould member is inclined at about 300 to the vertical away from the operator. In this way, the inner mould member 10 is well clear of the head portion 34 for loading purposes and furthermore, because of the angle of inclination, the operator has a clear view of the back seam region of the inner mould member, while at the same time for initially tensioning the upper along its length for feeding into the grippers 26, the angle is such that such drafting of the upper can readily be performed.Of course, the optimum angle for loading purposes will be affected according to the height of the operator, and to this end, the base portion 2 of the machine in accordance with the invention is mounted on feet 82 which incorporate jacking screws, so that the height of the machine can be varied according to operator height. The amount of adjustment provided by the jacking screws incorporated in the feet 82 is in the region of 100 mm (4"). It will thus be clear that, by jacking the base portion 2, the heightwise position of the inner mould member 10, when in its initial condition, can be varied.

In using the machine in accordance with the invention, usually the head portion 34 and its dependent integers will be arranged in the manner shown in the drawing, that is with the inner mould member arranged to receive uppers with the top line facing the operator, and with the wiping means arranged behind the outer mould member 28.In certain cases, however, it may be convenient if the lasting marginal portions of the upper are facing the operator, and to this end, firstly the support post 8 for the inner mould member 10 is so arranged that the inner mould member may be located thereon with its heel seat region facing either way, and further the subframe constituted by the head portion 34, base plate 46 and side plates 48 can be carried in the side walls 4 of the machine either in the manner shown in the drawing or effectively rotated through 1800, so that the wiping means is on the side of the outer mould member 28 facing the operator. The control knobs 80 referred to above are provided at both sides of the head portion 34, so that they will be excessible at the front of the machine which ever way the sub-frame is mounted in the machine.Furthermore, the heightwise relationship between this sub-frame and the side walls 4 can also be selected according to the size of inner mould member which is intended to be used in the machine; it will of course be appreciated that there is a significant difference in height between e.g. a children's and a men's using so-called long counters. To facilitate such selection, the side walls are provided with a plurality of (e.g. three) bolt holes for receiving securing bolts 86 which are threadedly secured in the side walls 48. It is of course intended that this selection be made during assembly of the machine, although it will be possible, if necessary to vary the heightwise relationship of the subframe and side walls in the factory.

In the operation of the machine, the operator loads a shoe upper on the inner mould member 10 and applies an initial tension, feeding toeward portions of the upper into the grippers, which are then closed and tension the backpart about the inner mould member. When the operator is satisfied with the position of the upper on the inner mould member, he initiates an operating cycle, whereupon, under the action of a pistonand-cylinder arrangement 14, the inner mould member 10 is carried rearwardly and upwardly to bring the backpart supported thereon into contact with the outer mould member 28, urging the back seam region thereof against the back seam region of said member 28. The piston-and-cylinder arrangements 42 are then operated and caused, through the pressure plates 36, the "legs" of the outer mould member 28 to close against the inner mould member 10. At this stage, if the lasting marginal portions of the upper are facing the operator, clearance of the lining can take place manually, and, when the operator is satisfied, the next stage of the operating cycle is initiated, whereupon wipers are caused to move downwardly and inwardly to wipe lasting marginal portions of the upper, in the heel seat region, inwardly over and press them against corresponding portions of the heel seat face of the inner mould member. Where the backpart of the shoe incorporates a counter of thermoplastic material, preferably the inner mould member 10 is chilled or refrigerated (the backpart having previously been activated by heat), while if the counter is of fibre board, then the inner mould member 10 and sometimes the outer mould member 28 is heated.

Claims (10)

1. Backpart moulding machine comprising an inner mould member on which the backpart to be moulded of a shoe upper can be supported and about which it can be tensioned by the application of tension to the upper along its length, and an outer mould member between which and the inner mould member relative movement of approach can take place whereby the backpart supported by the inner mould member can be moulded therebetween, wherein, with the mould members in an initial condition, in which a shoe upper can be placed on the inner mould member, the latter is arranged with its heel seat plane (as herein defined) inclined at about 200 to the vertical away from the operator.

2. Backpart moulding machine according to Claim 1 wherein, when the mould members are in their initial condition, the inner member is in a loading position out of alignment with the outer member, and further wherein the inner mould member is movable between said loading position and an operative position, in which it is aligned with the outer mould member, tlie arrangement being such that, in said operative position, the heel seat plane of the inner mould member is further inclined away from the operator.

3. Backpart moulding machine according to either one of Claims 1 and 2 wherein the heightwise position of the inner mould member, when in its initial condition, can be varied.

4. Backpart moulding machine according to Claim 3 wherein the inner mould member is mounted on a frame portion, itself carried on legs, and further wherein the legs incorporate jacking screws for varying the heightwise position of the frame portion, and thus of the inner mould member.

5. Backpart moulding machine according to any one of the preceding Claims wherein wiping means is provided whereby lasting marginal portions of the backpart of an upper on the inner mould member can be wiped over and pressed against a surface of the inner mould member, and further wherein the wiping means and the outer mould member are mounted on a common subframe, the arrangement being such that said subframe can be supported in a or the frame portion of the machine with the wiping means disposed either at the side of the outer mould member facing the operator, or at the opposite side, selectively according to the type of shoe to be operated upon.

6. Backpart moulding machine according to Claim 5 wherein control means is provided for adjusting the position of the wiping means in relation to the sub-frame, and thus to the outer mould member, in a direction extending fore-andaft of the machine, such means being provided at both sides of the sub-frame.

7. Backpart moulding machine according to Claim 6 wherein resilient means is provided whereby the wiping means is urged towards the outer mould member to a limit determined by said control means.

8. Backpart moulding machine according to any one of Claims 5 to 7 wherein the outer mould member is mounted for fore-and-aft adjustment relative to the sub-frame.

9. Backpart moulding machine according to any one of the preceding Claims wherein a (or said) sub-frame on which the outer mould member is mounted can be supported in a (or said) frame portion in a selected heightwise relationship with the inner mould member.

10. Backpart moulding machine constructed arranged and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore defined with reference to the accompanying drawing.