Patent · US11884791B2 · B2 · US

Footwear component manufacturing system

(11) Publication number

US11884791B2

(21) Application number

17/195,067

(22) Filing date

2021-03-08

(30) Priority date

2020-03-09

(43) Publication date

2024-01-30

(45) Date of grant

2024-01-30

(51) IPC

A43B 1/14; A43D 119/00; B25J 15/00; B29C 44/10; B29C 44/58; B29C 44/60; B29C 45/00; B29C 45/04; B29C 45/78; B29D 35/00; B29D 35/08; B29D 35/12; B29D 35/14; B29K 105/04; B29K 21/00; B29K 67/00; B29L 31/50; C08J 9/12; G06K 19/04

(52) CPC

C08J Working-up; general processes of compounding; after-treatment not covered by subclasses C08B, C08C, C08F, C08G or C08H: 9/12, 2203/06, 2203/08, 2205/044, 2300/30, 2367/00, 2400/30, 2467/00, 9/0061, 9/122, 9/34
A43B Characteristic features of footwear; parts of footwear: 1/00, 1/0063, 1/14, 13/02, 13/026, 13/125, 13/18, 13/187
A43D Machines, tools, equipment or methods for manufacturing or repairing footwear: 119/00, 2200/10
B25J Manipulators; chambers provided with manipulation devices: 15/0019
B29C Shaping or joining of plastics; shaping of material in a plastic state, not otherwise provided for; after-treatment of the shaped products, e.g. repairing: 2945/76531, 2945/76752, 44/10, 44/105, 44/42, 44/424, 44/427, 44/428, 44/58, 44/60, 45/0001, 45/04, 45/16, 45/78
B29D Producing particular articles from plastics or from substances in a plastic state: 35/00, 35/0018, 35/0036, 35/0045, 35/061, 35/062, 35/081, 35/12, 35/122, 35/128, 35/148
B29K Indexing scheme associated with subclasses B29B, B29C or B29D, relating to moulding materials or to materials for {moulds, } reinforcements, fillers or preformed parts, e.g. inserts: 2021/003, 2067/00, 2105/04
B29L Indexing scheme associated with subclass B29C, relating to particular articles: 2031/50, 2031/504
G06K Graphical data reading; presentation of data; record carriers; handling record carriers: 19/045
Y02P Climate change mitigation technologies in the production or processing of goods: 70/62
Y02W Climate change mitigation technologies related to wastewater treatment or waste management: 30/62

(73) Assignee

Nike Inc

(72) Inventors

Paul Irving Archer; Hossein Allen Baghdadi; Jay CONSTANTINOU; Gregory Paul Dufour; Sami Mohamad Fakhouri; Floyd Whitney Miles; Joseph Thomas Muth; Bradley C. Tutmark

(54) Title

Footwear component manufacturing system

(57) Abstract

A system including an injector, a press, and a robotic conveyance is used to form a physically foamed article of footwear component from a single-phase solution of a polymeric composition and a supercritical fluid. The parameters and features of the system are configured for the formation of the footwear component in an automated manner with enhanced throughput by the system.

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Claims (20)

A physical foaming injection molding system for a footwear component, the system comprising: an injector; a press paired with the injector, the press comprising a universal runner plate comprising at least one runner outlet and configured to interface with a removable mold that is configured to engage with the injector and the press, the mold being one of an array of molds that the universal runner plate is configured to interface with; and a robot comprising an end effector adapted to reversible engage with the mold, wherein the robot is positioned relative to the press to reversible engage the end effector with the mold.
The system of claim 1, wherein the injector is paired with the press via the universal runner plate.
The system of claim 1, wherein the press comprises a press plate, the universal runner plate is a hot-runner plate, and one of the hot-runner plate or the press plate is moveably positioned in a first configuration with a first distance between the hot-runner plate and the press plate and in a second configuration with a second distance between the hot-runner plate and the press plate, wherein the first distance is greater than the second distance.
The system of claim 3, wherein the hot-runner plate is statically positioned in the press and the press plate is moveably positioned in the press.
The system of claim 1, wherein the press comprises: a support platform; and a press plate having a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein the press plate bottom surface is supported by the support platform.
The system of claim 5, wherein the press plate comprises a temperature conditioning fluid channel extending between the press plate top surface and the press plate bottom surface, wherein the temperature conditioning fluid channel of the press plate is fluidly coupled with a temperature control unit.
The system of claim 1, wherein the injector comprises at least two heating elements along a longitudinal length of the injector, wherein the at least two heating elements are individually adjustable to supply varied thermal energy to the injector.
The system of claim 1 further comprising a gas counter pressure regulator that maintains a counter pressure of the mold in the press during an injection of a single-phase solution of a polymeric composition and a supercritical fluid by the injector.
The system of claim 1 further comprising: a temperature control unit; a temperature conditioning rack effectively coupled with the temperature control unit, wherein the temperature conditioning rack is adapted to condition a temperature of the mold maintained at the temperature conditioning rack; a physical foaming agent supply fluidly coupled with an injector physical foaming agent port; and an unloader comprising a frame, an unloader plate, and a pair of unloader arms, wherein the unloader arms move in a first direction in agreement and move in a second direction in disagreement.
The system of claim 1 further comprising: a temperature control unit; and a temperature conditioning rack effectively coupled with the temperature control unit, wherein the temperature conditioning rack is adapted to condition a temperature of the mold maintained at the temperature conditioning rack.
The system of claim 1 further comprising a physical foaming agent supply fluidly coupled with an injector physical foaming agent port, wherein the physical foaming agent supply is configured to contain carbon dioxide gas or nitrogen gas.
The system of claim 1 further comprising an unloader, the unloader comprising: a frame, an unloader plate, and a pair of unloader arms, wherein the unloader arms move in a first direction in agreement and move in a second direction in disagreement.
The system of claim 1, wherein the robot rotates in at least one axis and moves in at least two other axes.
The system of claim 1, wherein the end effector comprises a first side and a second side adjustably offset from the first side.
The system of claim 14, wherein the first side and the second side are slideably position between an open configuration with a first distance between the first side and the second side and a closed configuration with a second distance between the first side and the second side, wherein the second distance is less than the first distance.
The system of claim 1 further comprising a controller having a processor and memory.
The system of claim 16, wherein the controller is logically coupled with an RFID reader of the system, the robot, and the press.
The system of claim 17, wherein the controller is effective to store data retrieved from the RFID reader and provide instructions to the robot to retrieve the mold in response to the data retrieved from the RFID reader.
The system of claim 1, wherein the array of molds comprises a first mold and a second mold, wherein the first mold includes a different set of properties than the second mold.
A physical foaming injection molding system for injecting a single-phase solution of a polymeric composition and a supercritical fluid, the system comprising: a temperature control unit; a temperature conditioning rack effectively coupled with the temperature control unit, wherein the temperature conditioning rack is adapted to condition a temperature of a mold maintained at the temperature conditioning rack; a press comprising a universal runner plate comprising at least one runner outlet and configured to interface with a removable mold that is configured to engage with the press, the mold being one of an array of molds that the universal runner plate is configured to interface with; a robot comprising an end effector adapted to reversible engage with the mold, wherein the robot is positioned relative to the temperature conditioning rack to manipulate the end effector at the temperature conditioning rack to reversible engage with the mold and the press to reversible engage with the mold; an RFID reader; and a controller having a processor and memory, the controller is logically coupled with the RFID reader and the robot.

Description

Aspects hereof relate to systems and methods for forming a physically foamed footwear or other apparel or equipment component.

Injection molding is used to manufacture various components of a footwear article, such as a footwear sole, a footwear upper, and parts of a footwear sole or a footwear upper (e.g., cushioning elements, trim, etc.). For example, an injection molding system is used, in some situations, to distribute a polymer melt into a cavity of a mold, after which the polymer melt solidifies into a polymer product having the shape of the mold cavity. In some instances, it may be advantageous for the polymer product to include a foamed material, such as when manufacturing a footwear sole (e.g., all of, or a portion of, a footwear midsole). Systems configured to mold foam polymer products may include some components that are different from systems configured to mold non-foam polymer products. For example, some injection molding systems both foam and mold the polymeric composition.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential elements of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. The present invention is defined by the claims. At a high level, the present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for physically foaming with an injection molding system configured to mold various articles.

Citations (80)

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Record as JSON

{
  "publication_number": "US11884791B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Footwear component manufacturing system",
  "abstract": "A system including an injector, a press, and a robotic conveyance is used to form a physically foamed article of footwear component from a single-phase solution of a polymeric composition and a supercritical fluid. The parameters and features of the system are configured for the formation of the footwear component in an automated manner with enhanced throughput by the system.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A physical foaming injection molding system for a footwear component, the system comprising: an injector; a press paired with the injector, the press comprising a universal runner plate comprising at least one runner outlet and configured to interface with a removable mold that is configured to engage with the injector and the press, the mold being one of an array of molds that the universal runner plate is configured to interface with; and a robot comprising an end effector adapted to reversible engage with the mold, wherein the robot is positioned relative to the press to reversible engage the end effector with the mold.",
    "2. The system of claim 1, wherein the injector is paired with the press via the universal runner plate.",
    "3. The system of claim 1, wherein the press comprises a press plate, the universal runner plate is a hot-runner plate, and one of the hot-runner plate or the press plate is moveably positioned in a first configuration with a first distance between the hot-runner plate and the press plate and in a second configuration with a second distance between the hot-runner plate and the press plate, wherein the first distance is greater than the second distance.",
    "4. The system of claim 3, wherein the hot-runner plate is statically positioned in the press and the press plate is moveably positioned in the press.",
    "5. The system of claim 1, wherein the press comprises: a support platform; and a press plate having a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein the press plate bottom surface is supported by the support platform.",
    "6. The system of claim 5, wherein the press plate comprises a temperature conditioning fluid channel extending between the press plate top surface and the press plate bottom surface, wherein the temperature conditioning fluid channel of the press plate is fluidly coupled with a temperature control unit.",
    "7. The system of claim 1, wherein the injector comprises at least two heating elements along a longitudinal length of the injector, wherein the at least two heating elements are individually adjustable to supply varied thermal energy to the injector.",
    "8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a gas counter pressure regulator that maintains a counter pressure of the mold in the press during an injection of a single-phase solution of a polymeric composition and a supercritical fluid by the injector.",
    "9. The system of claim 1 further comprising: a temperature control unit; a temperature conditioning rack effectively coupled with the temperature control unit, wherein the temperature conditioning rack is adapted to condition a temperature of the mold maintained at the temperature conditioning rack; a physical foaming agent supply fluidly coupled with an injector physical foaming agent port; and an unloader comprising a frame, an unloader plate, and a pair of unloader arms, wherein the unloader arms move in a first direction in agreement and move in a second direction in disagreement.",
    "10. The system of claim 1 further comprising: a temperature control unit; and a temperature conditioning rack effectively coupled with the temperature control unit, wherein the temperature conditioning rack is adapted to condition a temperature of the mold maintained at the temperature conditioning rack.",
    "11. The system of claim 1 further comprising a physical foaming agent supply fluidly coupled with an injector physical foaming agent port, wherein the physical foaming agent supply is configured to contain carbon dioxide gas or nitrogen gas.",
    "12. The system of claim 1 further comprising an unloader, the unloader comprising: a frame, an unloader plate, and a pair of unloader arms, wherein the unloader arms move in a first direction in agreement and move in a second direction in disagreement.",
    "13. The system of claim 1, wherein the robot rotates in at least one axis and moves in at least two other axes.",
    "14. The system of claim 1, wherein the end effector comprises a first side and a second side adjustably offset from the first side.",
    "15. The system of claim 14, wherein the first side and the second side are slideably position between an open configuration with a first distance between the first side and the second side and a closed configuration with a second distance between the first side and the second side, wherein the second distance is less than the first distance.",
    "16. The system of claim 1 further comprising a controller having a processor and memory.",
    "17. The system of claim 16, wherein the controller is logically coupled with an RFID reader of the system, the robot, and the press.",
    "18. The system of claim 17, wherein the controller is effective to store data retrieved from the RFID reader and provide instructions to the robot to retrieve the mold in response to the data retrieved from the RFID reader.",
    "19. The system of claim 1, wherein the array of molds comprises a first mold and a second mold, wherein the first mold includes a different set of properties than the second mold.",
    "20. A physical foaming injection molding system for injecting a single-phase solution of a polymeric composition and a supercritical fluid, the system comprising: a temperature control unit; a temperature conditioning rack effectively coupled with the temperature control unit, wherein the temperature conditioning rack is adapted to condition a temperature of a mold maintained at the temperature conditioning rack; a press comprising a universal runner plate comprising at least one runner outlet and configured to interface with a removable mold that is configured to engage with the press, the mold being one of an array of molds that the universal runner plate is configured to interface with; a robot comprising an end effector adapted to reversible engage with the mold, wherein the robot is positioned relative to the temperature conditioning rack to manipulate the end effector at the temperature conditioning rack to reversible engage with the mold and the press to reversible engage with the mold; an RFID reader; and a controller having a processor and memory, the controller is logically coupled with the RFID reader and the robot."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "Aspects hereof relate to systems and methods for forming a physically foamed footwear or other apparel or equipment component.\n\nInjection molding is used to manufacture various components of a footwear article, such as a footwear sole, a footwear upper, and parts of a footwear sole or a footwear upper (e.g., cushioning elements, trim, etc.). For example, an injection molding system is used, in some situations, to distribute a polymer melt into a cavity of a mold, after which the polymer melt solidifies into a polymer product having the shape of the mold cavity. In some instances, it may be advantageous for the polymer product to include a foamed material, such as when manufacturing a footwear sole (e.g., all of, or a portion of, a footwear midsole). Systems configured to mold foam polymer products may include some components that are different from systems configured to mold non-foam polymer products. For example, some injection molding systems both foam and mold the polymeric composition.\n\nThis Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential elements of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. The present invention is defined by the claims. At a high level, the present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for physically foaming with an injection molding system configured to mold various articles.",
  "cpc": [
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  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Nike Inc"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Paul Irving Archer",
    "Hossein Allen Baghdadi",
    "Jay CONSTANTINOU",
    "Gregory Paul Dufour",
    "Sami Mohamad Fakhouri",
    "Floyd Whitney Miles",
    "Joseph Thomas Muth",
    "Bradley C. Tutmark"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2021-03-08",
  "publication_date": "2024-01-30",
  "grant_date": "2024-01-30",
  "priority_date": "2020-03-09",
  "application_number": "US-202117195067-A",
  "family_id": "75252868",
  "cited_by_count": 2,
  "citations": [
    "US3447251A",
    "US3682579A",
    "US3891362A",
    "US3871806A",
    "US4372525A",
    "DE3145346A1",
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    "US20030071386A1",
    "JP2004314625A",
    "US20050037104A1",
    "US20060046004A1",
    "US20060082010A1",
    "US20060082009A1",
    "KR100757966B1",
    "US20080175942A1",
    "US20080193585A1",
    "TW200922769A",
    "US20100242312A1",
    "JP2009190251A",
    "US20120052143A1",
    "US20120137449A1",
    "US20120196115A1",
    "US8869430B2",
    "US9021720B2",
    "CN102167840A",
    "US20140179818A1",
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    "US20190073709A1",
    "WO2016077820A1",
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