US3858263A

US3858263A - Semiautomatic footwear production line

Info

Publication number: US3858263A
Application number: US397739A
Authority: US
Inventors: Mikhail Dmitrievich Smirnov; Ivan Demyanovich Sergeev; Ilya Iosifovich Brod; Mikhail Nikolaevich Kharman; Leonid Vasilievich Puzynya; Ikhil Abramovich Veinberg; Ekaterina Georgievna Zakharova; Vladimir Pavlovich Lapshin; Valentina Vasilievna Kitaeva; Leonid Alexandrovich Petrov; Vladimir Maximovich Kukushkin; Vladimir Nikolaevich Stukalov; Pavel Mikhailovich Smirnov; Viktor Timofeev Novokreschenov; Eduard Nikolaevich Shushkevich; Anatoly Alexandrovich Atkarsky; Boris Davydovich Okun; Vladimir Zakharovich Karasik; Vera Nikolaevna Khodosova
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1973-09-17
Filing date: 1973-09-17
Publication date: 1975-01-07
Anticipated expiration: 1992-01-07

Abstract

The semiautomatic line for producing footwear with the bottom attached by the cementing, vulcanizing or direct-moulding method, incorporates a number of separate sections each of which comprises one machine that makes part of the line, and a device to control the operation of the machine.

Description

United States Patent [1 1 Smirnov et al.

SEMIAUTOMATIC FOOTWEAR PRODUCTION LINE Inventors: Mikhail Dmitrievich Smirnov,

Moskovsky prospekt, 175, kv. 7; Ivan Demyanovich Sergeev, ulitsa Zamshina, 27, korpus 4, kv. 236; Ilya Iosifovich Brod, prospekt Kosmonavtov, 52, korpus 1, kv. 117; Mikhail Nikolaevich Kharman, prospekt Mechnikova, 14, kv. 77; Leonid Vasilievich Puzynya, prospekt Engelsa, 22, kv. 5; Ikhil Abramovich Veinberg, Ligovsky prospekt, 31, kv. 5; Ekaterina Georgievna Zakharova, Kuznetsovskaya ulitsa, 30, kv. 50, all of Leningrad; Vladimir Pavlovich Lapshin, Profsojugnaya ulitsa, 32, kv. 178; Valentina Vasilievna Kitaeva, ulitsa Vayilova, 56, korpus 2, kv. 200, both of Moscow; Leonid Alexandrovich Petrov, prospekt Slavy 35, korpus 1, kv. 19, Leningrad; Vladimir Maximovich Kukushkin, prospekt Slavy, 35, korpus 1, kv. 23, Leningrad; Vladimir Nikolaevich Stukalov, ulitsa III Internatsionala, 135, kv. 48, Leningrad; Pavel Mikhailovich Smirnov, prospekt Bolshevikov, 25, kv. 354, Leningrad; Viktor Timofeevich Novokreschenov, Nagormaya ulitsa, 24, Leningradskaya oblast Krasnoe Selo; Eduard Nikolaevich Shushkevich, Grazhdansky prospekt, 89, korpus 2, kv. 24,

Leningrad; Anatoly Alexandrovich Atkarsky, Dgroenevskaya Naberezhnaya 13/17, korp. 3, kv. 78, Moscow; Boris Davydovich Okun, Kozhevnikovskaya ulitsa, 9, kv. 44, Moscow; Vladimir Zakharovich Karasik, ulitsa Vysokaya, 4, kv. 27, Moscow; Vera Nikolaevna Khodosova, ulitsa Obukha, 18, kv. 22, Moscow, USSR.

22 Filed: Sept. 17, 1973 21 App1.No.:397,739

[52] US. Cl 12/1 A [51] Int. Cl A43d 00/00 [58] Field of Search 12/1 R, 1 A, 10.1, 142 R [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,594,838 7/1971 Stewart 12/1 A 3,608,118 9/1971 Rey et a1 12/1 A Primary ExaminerPatrick D. Lawson Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Holman & Stern [57] ABSTRACT The semiautomatic line for producing footwear with the bottom attached by the cementing, vulcanizing or direct-moulding method, incorporates a number of separate sections each of which comprises one machine that makes part of the line, and a device to control the operation of the machine.

3 Claims, 15 Drawing Figures Pntcntqd Jan. 7, 1975 3, 53,263

10 Sheets-Sheet 1 7 -1-52 F/EZI Patented Jan. 7, 1975 3,858,263

10 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 7, 1975 3,858,263

10 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Jan. 7, 1975 3,858,263

10 Sheets-Sheet 4 Puma Jan. 7, 1975 I 3,858,263

10 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Jan. 7, 1975 10 Sheets-Sheet '7 m ml Pmmd Jan. 1, 1975 3,858,263

10 Sheets-Sheet 8 Patented Jan. 7, 1975 3,858,263

10 Sheets-Sheet 9 SEMIAUTOMATIC FOOTWEAR PRODUCTION LINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates in general to the sphere of light industry and in particular it relates to semiautomatic lines for producing footwear with the bottom attached by cemented process, or direct-moulding process, or by the method of sole casting from plastic materials.

The present invention finds most utility when used for shoe-assembling process in transfer lines at footwear factories.

It is known to use in the light industry of the USSR a semiautomatic footwear production line using the methods and techniques of bottoming.

The line incorporates an intermittent-action vertically-closed conveyor and equipment for performing technological operations involved in shoe assembling on lasts, comprising the machine for positioning the upper back on and holding it to the last; the toe lasting machine; the automatic shank laster; the automatic heel seat leaster; the automatic lasting-margin roughing machine; the automatic lasting-margin cementing machine; the shoe radiation drier; the equipment for bottoming by the cemented process, direct-moulding process or solecasting process; and the automatic last puller. Further, the semiautomatic line comprises the hydraulic and electrical equipment and the control desk and station.

The vertically-closed conveyer is essentially a chain mounted on a frame having a drive and a tensioning stations. Located inside the conveyer frame under the chain bottom side is the shoe radiation drier. The links of the chain carry yokes held in place therein, with spring-mounted stops which retain detachable supports with lasts; the latter are fixed to the supports with the sole upwards. The afore-listed machinery and equipment are arranged along the conveyer and located thereon, being held in position to the conveyer frame.

Moreover, the top portion of the conveyer mounts devices for fixing the supports with the lasts in their working positions, the devices being arranged opposite to the upper-back positioning and holding machine, the automatic lasting-margin roughing machine, and the automatic last puller, as well as at the sole attachment station.

This device comprises two cylinders having rods which are adapted to move towards each other in the direction perpendicular to the conveyer axis. The hydraulic cylinders carry fork-shaped stops adapted to interwork with the support carried by the conveyer chain. One of the fork-shaped stops has a constant stroke, while the other stop forces the last against the former one. This makes it possible to relay load developed during performing a technological step, from the chain itself to the conveyer framing.

Located inside the frame along the entire production line in between the bottom and top sides of the conveyor chain, is a device to control the machines incorporated into the production line, the device being essentially a camshaft carrying also cams for control of the lifting and lowering the frame of the radiation drier.

The camshaft is rotated by an electric motor through two worm-reducers. The hydraulic equipment of the semiautomatic line serves to impart intermittent motion to the vertically-closed conveyer and actuate the working mechanism of the automatic machines and devices according to a strictly preset cycle.

The hydraulic equipment incorporates a pumping station and a hydraulic accumulator.

The electrical equipment of the production line serves to operate the camshaft drive of the control device, as well as operating the heating elements of the drier and the working mechanism of the machines and automatic operations.

The primary disadvantage inherent in the known productionline resides in that its technological equipment is partly or completely suspended from the common frame of the conveyer and is thus devoid of a structural support. This necessitates some control elements of the automatic machines having to be built into the conveyer framing which plates obstacles in the line installation, testing and checking the automatic machines themselves since the latter require the entire line to be assembled to perform testing or checking procedure.

The use of a common conveyer framing in the line makes it impossible to later incorporate into the line up-dated or newly-developed. equipment in case of modifications that are likely to be introduced into the production flowsheet.

Further, the control device adopted in the line of effect control of the process machinery has a rigid coupling of the camshaft with the control valves, this hampers the adjustment of the automatic machines accord ing to the operational cyclogram of the line, since adjustment of one automatic machines alters the operating cycle of the other machines.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a semiautomatic line for producing footwear with the bottom attached by any one of the cementing, direct-moulding or sole-casting method, the design of which will enable it to be conveniently installed at shoe-making factories.

It is another object of the present invention toprovide a semiautomatic footwear production line enabling better operating conditions thereof.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide such a semiautomatic footwear production line that will make provision for possibly of replacing process equipment in case of any changing of production flowsheets.

Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide a semiautomatic footwear production line that envisages a possibility of improving the quality of the products and increasing its productivity.

These and other objects of the present invention are accomplished in a semiautomatic line for producing footwear with the bottom attached by any one of the cementing, direct-moulding or sole-casting vulcanizing method, incorporating an intermittent-action vertically-closed conveyer provided with a drive and carrying detachably-mounted supports with the lasts for shoe uppers, process machinery arranged according to the sequence of the flowsheet procedures and adapted to be turned in to carry out process operations, and a hydraulic drive connected to the working members of the machines and to the conveyer drive. The semiautomatic line, according to the invention, consisting of sections each of which incorporates one of the machines making part of the production line, ways on which is mounted the conveyer portion corresponding to the machine of the section and a control unit adapted to turn the machine in operation to effect the process operation involved, the control unit being mechanically associated with the control units of the adjacent sections to ensure synchronism in operation of the machines of the line, and with the hydraulic drive.

Such a construction of the line makes it possible to improve the hydraulic equipment, in particular, that concerned with the control unit, to conveniently situate the electrical equipment and controls, and ensures independent manufacture, setup and testing of each section, as well as the installation of the entire line at shoemaking factories under optimum conditions. Additionally, there are ensured convenient operation of a line assembled from the sections, as well as a possibility of quick replacement or installation of new sections in the line in case of any change in the process flowsheet.

Most expedient embodiment of the herein-proposed production line is one, wherein the control unit of each machine incorporated in the line, comprises a drive shaft carrying a rotatably mounted hollow sleeve which bears disks with change cams adapted to interact, through a train of levers, with the conrods of hydraulic valves controlling the movement of the machine working members.

Such an embodiment of the control units makes it possible to ensure operation of the working members of the machines and automatics in a strictly definite sequence, and the sequence can easily be changed by merely rotating the sleeve with respect to the shaft. In order to provide a reliable returning of the working members into the initial position, it is expedient to provide a projection on the side surface of each disk of the control unit, the projection being adapted to interact with the lever to return the conrods of the hydraulic valves of the control units into the initial position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order to promote understanding of the essence of the present invention a specific embodiment thereof will hereinafter be considered with due reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a general diagrammatic view of a semiautomatic footwear production line;

FIG. 2 illustrates the mutual arrangement of a support and a last;

FIG. 3 is a section view taken along the line IIIIII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a portion of the conveyer chain;

FIG. 5 is a section view taken along the line VV of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view along the arrow A in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a semiautomatic footwear production line;

FIG. 8 is a front elevation view of a tensioning station;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the tensioning station of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a drive station as viewed from the conveyer drive;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the drive station of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 illustrates the section-to-section joint;

FIG. 13 illustrates a control unit;

FIG. 14 is a section taken along the line XIVXIV of FIG. 13; and

FIG. 15 is a an enlarged scale section view along the line XV-XV of FIG. 14.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Reference being now directed to the accompanying drawings, the herein-proposed semiautomatic line for production of footwear with the bottom attaching by the cementing or direct-moulding method, or by sole casting vulcanizing from plastic materials, comprises an intermittent-action vertically-closed conveyer 1 (FIG. 1) with a drive 2, the conveyer carrying detachablymounted supports 3 (FIG. 2) with lasts 4, machines and automatics arranged in the sequence of the flowsheet operations, a hydraulic drive (not shown) interconnected with the working members of the machines and with the drive 2 of the conveyer 1, and a device to control the machines of the line. The semiautomatic production line is composed of sections 5 (FIGS. 1, 3), each comprising one of the machines comprising part of the production line, ways 6 (FIG. 3) made of angle iron and serving for mounting the conveyer l, and a control device made as a control unit 7 (FIGS. 1, 3) particular to each machine of the line and mechanically associated with the control units of the adjacent sections and with the drive 2 which is in fact a hydraulic drive.

The intermittent-action vertically-closed conveyer 1 consists of two chains 8 (FIG. 4) and 9 arranged in parallel to each other and consisting each of plates 10 and rollers 11. The chains 8 and 9 are rigidly interconnected by stays 12 passing through the rollers 11 of the plates 10 and held in place therein.

Each link of the chains 8 and 9 has a carriage 13 mounted therebetween on the stays l2 and made as an integral piece from two yokes l4 interconnected by strips 15. The carriages 13 have a pivot 16 (FIG. 5) arranged square with the yokes 14. A stop 17 is fitted on the yokes 14 so as to freely rotate about the pivot 16 and hold the detachably-mounted support 3 to the carriage l3. Fitted inside the yoke 14 on the pivot 16 are two springs 18 and 19 one ends of which are fixed to the pivot 16, while the other ends interact with the stops 17 to hold the support 3 on the carriage 13.

The detachably-mounted support 3 shown in FIG. 2, is in effect a platform 20 whose bottom surface carries two parallel V-ways 21, while its top surface has a ridge 22 (FIG. 6) provided with two pins for centering the last 4 and a screw 24 to hold it in position. The last 4 has, in turn, a bearing surface 25 with two holes 26 and a T-slot 27 into which the head of the screw 24 is fitted to attach the last 4 to the ridge 22 of the support 3. Two fiIlister-head screws 28 are provided at the front and rear of the support 3.

The intermittent-action vertically-closed conveyer l assembled from the links of the chains 8, 9, the rollers 11 and the yokes 14, is not mounted until all the sections 5 of the production line are assembled.

Two end sections of the line are made respectively as a tensioning station 29 (FIG. 7) and a drive station 30 of the conveyer 1. The tensioning station 29 is the initial section of the line and comprises a welded frame 31 (FIGS. 8 and 9) with seats 32, two vertically arranged sprockets 34 and 35 fixed on a common shaft 33 and adapted for tensioning the chains 8 and 9, respectively, and the tensioning device made of two slides 36 movably mounted in the seats 32 of the frame 31.

The shaft 33 of the sprockets 34 and 35 is held in the slides 36. The slides 36 travel by means of screws 37 provided on the frame 31 and resting against the slides 36.

The welded frame 31 has brackets 38 to mount four ways 6 for the rollers 11 of the intermittent-action vertically-closed conveyer l. The ways 6 are mounted in strict accordance with the ways 6 of all the other sections 5 of the production line.

The drive station illustrated in FIG. and 11, is the terminal section of the line. The drive station 30 (FIG. 7) comprises, like the tensioning station 29, a welded frame 39 (FIGS. 10, 11), two vertically arranged

sprockets

41 and 42 of the drive 2 (FIGS. 1, 10, 11) fixed on a common shaft 40. The frame 39 is made as a rigid welded skeleton which carries the bearings movably mounting the shaft 40.

Like the frame 31 of the tensioning station 29, the frame 39 of the drive station 30 has brackets to mount the ways 6 for the rollers 11 of the intermittent-action vertically-closed conveyer 1.

Set on one of the extensions of the shaft 40 is a gear 43 with a ratchet mechanism 44 and a disk 45 with toothing 46. The frame 39 mounts also a lever 47 to stop the conveyer 1, and a hydraulic cylinder 48 of the drive 2 of the conveyer l. The end of a conrod 49 of the hydraulic cylinder 48 of the drive 2 is fashioned as a toothed rack 50. The gear 43 with the cylinder 48, the disk 45 with the toothing 46 and the conveyer stopping lever 47 establish the drive f the intermittent-action vertically-closed conveyer 1.

Now there will be hereinafter considered in terms of a specific embodiment of the present invention as applied to the shoe-making process by the bottomcementing method, the functional analysis of the other sections from which the semiautomatic line is composed, as well as their constructional features.

All sections constituting the line, irrespective of their functional designation, have common structural elements, such as frames 51 (FIG. 3), the ways 6 of the rollers 11 of the intermittent-action vertically-closed conveyer l, the brackets 38 securing the ways 6, the components of the.section-to-secti0n joints, viz., adjustment sleeves 52 (FIG. 12), bolts 53 and nuts 54, platforms 55 (FIG. 3) to mount the control unit 7 thereon; the frames 51 of all the sections though somewhat differing from one another, are welded from similar parts and have identical dimensions.

As it has been stated hereinabove, the initial section of the line is the tensioning station 29 of the intermittent-action vertically-closed conveyer.

In order to facilitate understanding of the essence of the present invention, in the detailed disclosure that follow each section will be assigned its particular reference numeral according to the functional designation thereof.

The second section as viewed along the sequence of the flowsheet procedures, is intended for solecementing operation and is indicated at Ref. No. 56 (FIGS. 1, 7).

A third section 57 is for dismounting the finished footwear from lasts.

A fourth section 58 is used for mounting the control desk and for arranging the workplace for insole positioning and mounting uppers of last.

A fifth section 59 is intended to be a standby toe lasting machine.

A sixth section 60 is similar to the fifth one, being essentially a toe lasting machine.

A seventh section 16 serves for carrying out the shank lasting operation, being essentially an automatic shank laster.

An eight section 62 is for the heel lasting process, being essentially an automatic heel-seat laster.

A ninth section 63 is for last heating and shoe drying.

A tenth section 64 is for roughing the lasting margin, being essentially an automatic lasting-margin rougher.

An eleventh section 65 is for cement application to the lasting margin.

A twelvth section that terminates the entire line, is the drive station 30 whose construction has been discussed hereinbefore.

Each section which is in effect the machine incorporated into the production line, has a control device made as an individual control unit for each machine, mechanically interconnected with the control units of the adjacent sections and with the hydraulic drive.

All the control units are assembled from similar elements and differ only in the number of control valves corresponding to the number of working mechanism.

The control unit 7 (FIGS. 1, 13) comprises a drive shaft 66 (FIGS. 13, 14), whereon is fitted a hollow sleeve 67 rotatably mounted for governing the machine operation. The hollow sleeve 67 carries disks 68 with change cams 69 adapted to interact, through a train of levers, with conrods 70 of hydraulic valves 71 that control the movement of the machine working members. The drive shaft 66 of the control unit 7 runs in bearings through two brackets 72. Mounted on the brackets 72 from above is a plate 73 carrying the hydraulic valves The cams 69 are made as split semi-rings with lobes, detachably mounted on the carrying disks 68 and having a central recess to suit the diameter of the hollow sleeve 67, whereon the cams are fitted. This enables the cams 69 to be easily detached or mounted. Besides, the cams 69 mounted fixedly on the disks 68 rotatably mounted on the sleeve 67, can be turned with respect to the sleeve 67, thus changing the operating time of the working members of every particular machine.

Each disk 68 has on its side surface a special projection 74 interacting with a lever 75 (FIGS. l4, 15) of a positive returning of a conrod 76 of the hydraulic valve 71 into the initial position.

The semiautomatic line functions as follows.

Prior to putting the line into operation, the electric heaters should be turned on to warm up the working mechanism of the machines and automatics, and to throw in the hydraulic drive of the line. As a result, all the mechanisms and working members assume their initial position, whereupon the line is started. The result is that the drive shaft 66 starts rotating together with the hollow sleeves 67 set thereon which carry the disks 68 with the cams 69. The cam 69 interacts, through a train of levers, with the hydraulic valves 71 of the control units 7 to bring the valves in or out of operation in a definite sequence. This results in that the working members of the machines and automatics which are interconnected with the hydraulic drive via the control units 7, performs the operating cycle that ensures the fulfilling of the appropriate process steps. The following flowsheet operations are performed per operating cycle of the line:

at the station 58 there is performed the positioning of insoles and mounting of the uppers on the last (the operation being carried out by the operator manuy); at the station 60 there is performed the toe-lasting operation (the operation being a man-assisted one); at the station 61 there is performed the shank-lasting operation (a fully automated one); at the stations 75 (FIGS. 1 and 7) there is performed the toe bedding operation with the use of the two similar arrangements (the operation being an automated one); at the station 62 there is performed the heel-seat lasting operation (the operation being an automated one); at the station 63 there is performed heating of the lasts with the simultaneous blowing them out with warmed-up air; at the station 64 there is performed the lastingmargin roughing operation (the operation being an automated one); at the station 65 there is performed the application of cement to the lasting margin of the shoe upper (the operation being an automatic one); at the station 76 (FIG. 7) there is performed the positioning of soles with a preliminarily heated cement film (the operation being carried out by the operator manually); at the station 56 there is performed the cementattaching of the sole (the operation being an automated one); at the station 57 there is performed dismounting of the finished shoe from the last and transferring it into a bin receptable (the operation being an automated one). i The return stroke of'the conrod 49 (FIGS. 10, 11) of the hydraulic cylinder 48 of the drive 2 of the vertically-closed conveyer occurs during the operating cycle in response to the command from the cam 69 carried by the drive shaft 66. When the conrod 49 of the hydraulic cylinder 48 performs the return stroke, the gear 43 engaged therewith is free to turn round the shaft 40. At the end of the return stroke, the conrod 49 of the hydraulic cylinder 48 exerts upon the stopping lever 47 to release it from one of the teeth of the disk 45. Upon completing the operating cycle, the drive shaft 66 of the control units stands still, and the working stroke of the conrod 49 of the hydraulic cylinder 48 of the drive 2 commences. Thereupon, the gear 43 engaged with the conrod 49, starts turning and imparts rotation to the

sprockets

41 and 42 through the ratchet mechanism 44. The sprockets impart motion to the chains 8, 9 of the vertically-closed conveyer 1. At the beginning of its working stroke, the conrod 49 releases the stopping lever 47 which is spring-forced against the disk 45 (the spring being not shown in the drawing). The disk 45 while rotating together with the

sprockets

41, 42 turns until coming to rest against the lever with one of its teeth. At the same moment the forward stroke of the conrod ceases and simultaneously stops the vertically closed conveyer 1 in a strictly definite position. All the supports 3 with the lasts 4 are traversed as a result through one pitch and are stopped again at their respective station of the process flowsheet. The lasts 7 with the finished shoes located on the bottom side of the conveyer l are exposed to the drying process.

Once the vertically-closed conveyer 1 has stopped, the drive shaft 66 of the control unit 7 starts rotating again, and the operating cycle at all the working stations of the semiautomatic footwear production line is repeated.

What is claimed is:

1. A semiautomatic line for producing foot-wear with the bottom attached by any one of the cementing, directmoulding or valcanizing methods, said line comprising: process machines including working mechanisms, said machines being arranged according to the sequence of flowsheet procedures; an intermittentaction, vertically-closed conveyer including means adapted to feed shoe uppers to the working stations of said process machines; a hydromechanical drive for said conveyer; supports detachably mounted on said conveyer; lasts mounted on said supports and including means adapted for positioning shoe uppers thereon; working mechanisms of said machines; a hydraulic drive being interconnected with said working mechanisms and with said hydromechanical drive of said conveyer; individual control units for each machine; and a device including means adapted to control the operation of the machines in said line, said device being formed essentially of said control units mechanically interconnected and associated with said hydromechanical drive; said semiautomatic line being subdivided into sections; each of said sections incorporating one of said machines with an individual control unit, a portion of said conveyer corresponding to said machine, and ways for mounting said conveyer portion.

2. A semiautomatic line as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said control units of the machine incorporated into the line, comprises a drive shaft having a hollow sleeve which is rotatably mounted to control the machine operating cycle, said sleeve carrying disks with change cams adapted to interact, through a train of levers, with connecting rods of hydraulic valves controlling themovement of the machine working mechanisms.

3. A semiautomatic line as claimed in claim 2, wherein each disk of said control units has a side surface of projection adapted to interact with the lever for rod to an initial position.

Claims

1. A semiautomatic line for producing foot-wear with the bottom attached by any one of the cementing, directmoulding or valcanizing methods, said line comprising: process machines including working mechanisms, said machines being arranged according to the sequence of flowsheet procedures; an intermittent-action, vertically-closed conveyer including means adapted to feed shoe uppers to the working stations of said process machines; a hydromechanical drive for said conveyer; supports detachably mounted on said conveyer; lasts mounted on said supports and including means adapted for positioning shoe uppers thereon; working mechanisms of said machines; a hydraulic drive being interconnected with said working mechanisms and with said hydromechanical drive of said conveyer; individual control units for each machine; and a device including means adapted to control the operation of the machines in said line, said device being formed essentially of said control units mechanically interconnected and associated with said hydromechanical drive; said semiautomatic line being subdivided into sections; each of said sections incorporating one of said machines with an individual control unit, a portion of said conveyer corresponding to said machine, and ways for mounting said conveyer portion.

2. A semiautomatic line as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said control units of the machine incorporated into the line, comprises a drive shaft having a hollow sleeve which is rotatably mounted to control the machine operating cycle, said sleeve carrying disks with change cams adapted to interact, through a train of levers, with connecting rods of hydraulic valves controlling the movement of the machine working mechanisms.

3. A semiautomatic line as claimed in claim 2, wherein each disk of said control units has a side surface of projection adapted to interact with the lever for positive 14 returning of the hydraulic valve connecting rod to an initial position.