Patent Description:
Injection molding is an established production method for the manufacture of components of sporting goods, such as sports shoes. It allows to form a large variety of parts from a wide range of plastic materials. As it is generally known, injection molding comprises the steps of feeding one or more plastic materials into one or more heated barrels, mixing and forcing the molten material(s) into a mold cavity for subsequent cooling and hardening to the configuration of the cavity.

Various methods using injection molding are known, for example from <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT>. Further prior art is disclosed in <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT>.

A large number of plastic materials are known in the prior art out of which parts for sporting goods can be manufactured. For example, shoe soles for sports shoes may be manufactured from ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), rubber, polypropylene (PP) or polystyrene (PS). Each of these different materials provides a specific combination of different properties that are more or less well suited for shoe soles of specific types of sports shoes, depending on the particular requirements of the respective type of sports shoe. For example, TPU is very abrasion-resistive as well as tear-resistant and foamed EVA provides a high amount of cushioning.

While injection molding generally operates with materials which are in a molten state during the injection, there are also other techniques in the prior art, wherein individual particles or the like are injected into a cavity. For example, applicant disclosed in <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT> deformation elements for shoe soles comprising a plurality of randomly arranged particles. Moreover, WO2O16/O77221 A1 discloses the production of constructs of footwear and components thereof by jet extrusion. Here jets or streams of materials are used that solidify as fibers, and which form into two- or three-dimensional webs as they are collected. The webs may be in the nature of films, membranes, or mats.

Other examples known from the prior art are the slush process as disclosed in <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT> or rotational molding as disclosed in <CIT>, wherein molded parts may be molded from powder materials by applying them onto the walls of hot metal molds. Therefore, the metal molds are heated until the melting point of the powder materials so that they may be sintered together. Afterwards, the metal molds are severely cooled down for solidifying the powder materials so that the molded part may be removed from the metal molds. Thus, the metal molds are reheated for molding the next molded part. Especially for rotational molding, mostly material layers covering the whole metal mold with a homogenous thickness are produced.

Further prior art is disclosed in <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, , <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT> and <CIT>.

However, a common disadvantage of the known methods is that typically a number of different components are needed, which are at first separately manufactured and then have to be interconnected. The latter step involves generally a high amount of manual work as well as the use of potentially harmful solvents and/or adhesives.

Therefore, the underlying problem of the present invention is to provide an improved method for producing at least a part of a sporting good, in particular a sports shoe, which is capable to at least partly overcome some of the above-mentioned deficiencies of conventional production methods.

This problem is at least partly solved by a method according to claim <NUM>.

The inventors have realized that a vibration movement is beneficial to obtain a desired distribution of the first material in the mold. This may apply to a melted first material but applies in particular to particulate materials. The vibrating of the mold is realized by oscillations occur about an equilibrium point. These vibrations may be periodic or random and are performed by a robot arm. Therefore, the vibration movement is also beneficial to avoid any undesired cavities which would lead to a defective outsole. It is also conceivable that another vibration entity, e.g. a mechanical shaker operated by a human worker may perform the vibrations instead of the robot arm. Therefore, the vibration, which can be easily automized, may improve a reliable distribution of the particles into essentially all voids of the mold in a short amount of time. As a consequence, the time for a processing cycle is reduced. Also, the quality of final sporting good is improved as the vibration may reduce the risk of defects in the final sporting good.

However, a vibration serves to achieve a specific non-uniform distribution of the first material. For example, if the vibration movement of the mold is combined with generally orienting the mold in a certain direction, a selective distribution of the first material within the mold by be obtained, such as an accumulation of particles only in the heel part of a mold for a shoe. Compared to known rotational molding processes, the method according to the present invention may be significantly more advantageous due to the local covering of certain areas of the mold by the selective distribution of the first material. Therefore, the thickness of the first material may locally vary so that a sporting good with functionalized performance characteristics may be produced.

Vibrating the mold comprises a three-dimensional movement of the mold. Such an embodiment may further improve the modification of the distribution of the first material in the mold as the mold may be moved in four or six different directions in space.

In some embodiments, the method may further comprise the step of at least partially melting and/or solidifying at least a portion of the first material. Moreover, the melting and/or solidifying may comprise a selective melting and/or solidifying of a selected portion of the first material, preferably by using a localized heat and/or cooling source of the mold or locally affecting the mold. Furthermore, selectively melting and/or solidifying may comprise a two or three-dimensional movement of the mold. Additionally, it is also conceivable that the whole material may get melted and solidified at defined areas of the mold surface which could be achieved by partially heating and/or cooling or an adjusted mold movement where only certain parts of the mold surface are in contact to the first material. Therefore, the above-mentioned aspect of a locally varying thickness may be further improved for producing a sporting good with functionalized performance characteristics.

It is also possible that the melting can be partially. For example, when using expanded thermoplastic polyurethane (eTPU) particles as a first and/or second material, it may be possible to only melt the surface of the particles.

Moreover, if, for example, a localized heat and/or cooling source is arranged outside the mold or inside the mold in selected areas of the mold, the first material, e.g. a powder or granulate, may be selectively melted and/or solidified on defined parts of the mold surface. For a localized heat and/ or cooling source arranged outside the mold, moving the mold in two or all three dimensions may carry out the selectively melting and/or solidifying. This is a fundamentally different manufacturing approach compared to regular injection molding or rotational molding, wherein all of the mold is filled with material and homogeneously melted and/or solidified throughout the mold. The inventors have found that such a selective melting and/or solidification is particularly useful for the manufacture of sporting goods, such a sport shoes, wherein the final product is made from a plurality of different materials and wherein a selective processing of a first material is desirable. Moreover, a localized heating reduces the power consumption of the producing process.

In some embodiments, depositing the material into the mold may comprise a selective depositing of the first material into selected areas of the mold. Moreover, the selective depositing of the first material may involve a movement of the mold. Furthermore, the selective depositing may be performed with an accuracy of less than <NUM>, preferably less than <NUM> and more preferably less than <NUM>. All of these embodiments follow the same idea for improving the whole producing process by providing the first material in an exactly dosed amount and in desired areas of the mold. The inventors have found out that the indicated numerical values for the accuracy of the deposition may provide a good compromise between sufficient accuracy of the depositing step and high production speed in order to significantly reduce the overall cycle time of the producing process.

In some embodiments, the above described method of depositing material is done into the open mold allowing a good accessibility. The mold may be heated and/or cooled and moved during the depositing to allow for a defined positioning of the material. After depositing and adhering of the material the mold may be closed and further material layers may be generated as will be described in the following.

In some embodiments, the method according to the invention may further comprise the steps of (c) depositing a second material into the mold (d) vibrating the mold to modify the distribution of the second material in the mold; and (e) melting and/or solidifying at least a portion of the second material. Moreover, the second material may be at least partly deposited onto the at least partially melted and/or solidified portion of the first material. The vibrating of the mold can for example be realized in the same manner as mentioned above.

The inventors have realized that depositing of a second material after the first material allows to produce a complete sporting good, for example a sports shoe, as a composite in one single mold. For example, if the first material has been molded to be a part of or a complete outsole, the second material may be molded to be a part of or the complete midsole of the sports shoe.

In some embodiments, the first material may be deposited into the mold. Then the first material may be at least partially melted and afterwards the first material is partially solidified. It may be possible that only the portion of the first material closely to the wall of the mold is solidified and the rest of the first material stays in the melted and/or a granular state. In the next step, the mold may be moved and the molten and/or granular portion of the first material may be moved to another area within the mold and gets at least partially melted and/or solidified. By this procedure, the first material may be successively distributed within the mold by only depositing the first material into the mold at the beginning of the process.

In some embodiments, the first and/or the second material may comprise foamed particles and/or fibers. For example, the first and/or the second material may comprise chemical blowing agents leading to the foaming of defined part regions during processing. Moreover, the first and the second material may be from the same material class, in particular a thermoplastic elastomer. Furthermore, the thermoplastic elastomer may be selected from the group of thermoplastic polyurethanes, TPU, thermoplastic polyester-elastomers, preferably polyetherester and/or polyester/ester, thermoplastic copolyamides, preferably thermoplastic styrene- and/or butadiene-blockcopolymers. Especially for elastomers on the basis of TPU, the thermoplastic elastomers may comprise a shore hardness from <NUM> A to <NUM> D.

Foamed particles provide excellent cushioning properties and are very light-weight. TPU is relatively easy to work with. Furthermore, TPU is an elastomer, which is shape-stable, deforming under tensile and compressive stress, but returning largely to its original shape in the stress-free state. Thus, TPU is very well suited to making sporting goods subjected to pressure, such as soles for sports shoes. TPU, be it as a solid material or in the form of expanded particles, is likewise suitable for sporting goods which are regularly exposed to impacts, such as shinguards for soccer players.

In some embodiments, the first and/or second material may be a granulate, a micro-granulate or a powder, preferably with a diameter less than <NUM>, preferably less than <NUM> and more preferably less than <NUM>. Such embodiments may be further advantageous for the selective distribution or the selective melting and/or solidifying of the materials.

In some embodiments, the method may further comprise the step of positioning one or more inserts in the mold before and/or after depositing the first and/or the second material. Such embodiments enable that one or more elements, for example a supporting element for a midsole, may be positioned in the mold so that the producing of a sporting good providing specific performance characteristics in certain parts of the sole may be further improved. For example, the supporting element may support the sports shoe against torsion forces during movements of a wearer. It is also possible, that a shoe upper may be inserted before depositing the first and/or second material so that certain parts, e.g. a heel cap, can be directly molded onto the surface of the shoe upper. As a result, the overall cycle time for producing sporting goods may be further reduced with such an additional method step.

Having one or more inserts also provides a synergistic effect with the vibration step explained above. The vibration will assure that the first and/or second material distributes as desired around the insert and thus improves the quality of final product.

The mold may be a negative mold of an essentially complete sporting good, such as a shinguard, a ball or a sport shoe. It may comprise a structured inner wall, in particular a structured inner wall that is adapted to determine the outer appearance of an upper and/or a sole of a sport shoe. The described manufacturing method thus may not only provide a sporting good made from several materials but also provides the option to control the design of the sporting good.

The mold are moved by means of a robot arm, the robot arm being capable to perform 3D movements of the mold. Such a robot arm can not only easily transfer the mold between different processing stations, it can also subject the mold to the above described vibrations and therefore efficiently implement aspects of the present invention.

In some embodiments, the mold may be a multi-axis mounted mold. Preferably, the mold may have six degrees of freedom of motion.

According to a further aspect, the present invention relates to a sporting good, in particular sport shoe, wherein at least a part of the sporting good is produced by one of the methods described above.

Possible embodiments of the present invention are further described in the following detailed description with reference to the following figures, wherein:.

Possible embodiments and variations of the present invention are described in the following with particular reference to a sporting good, in particular a sports shoe. However, the concept of the present invention may identically or similarly be applied to any sporting goods such as shirts, pants or sports equipment such as a ball, a racket, etc. wherein at least a part of the sporting good is molded. Moreover, it is also conceivable to use the concept of the present invention for the manufacture of any three-dimensional part.

It is also to be noted that individual embodiments of the invention are described in greater detail below. However, it is clear to the person skilled in the art that the constructional possibilities and optional features described in relation to these specific embodiments can be further modified and combined with one another in a different manner within the scope of the present invention and that individual steps or features can also be omitted where they appear to be unnecessary to the skilled person. In order to avoid redundancies, reference is made to the explanations in the previous sections, which also apply to the embodiments of the following detailed description.

<FIG> presents a possible embodiment of a mold <NUM> according to the present invention for producing at least a part of a sporting good, in particular a sports shoe. The mold <NUM> is presented in three different views (from left to right): a side view, a bottom view and a top view.

The mold <NUM> comprises two main parts, namely a top part <NUM> and a bottom part <NUM>. For example, the top part <NUM> may correspond to a shoe upper and the bottom part <NUM> may correspond to a shoe sole. Therefore, the mold <NUM> is a negative mold of a complete sports shoe. It is also conceivable, that the negative mold <NUM> may be only for a part of the sports shoe, e.g. the shoe sole, and that the shoe upper will be joined with the molded shoe sole in a separate producing process, for example by welding with infrared radiation.

Moreover, the top part <NUM> and the bottom part <NUM> of the negative mold <NUM> may be connected to each other by any suitable means of attaching such as screws, nuts, rivets, clamps, magnets, etc. As can be seen in <FIG>, the two parts <NUM> and <NUM> of the negative mold <NUM> may comprise pairwise holes for connecting to each other which may be arranged in an additional area of the negative mold <NUM> surrounding the junction between the top part <NUM> and the bottom part <NUM> as well as in an area perpendicular to this additional area. In the illustrated embodiment, there are three holes in the heel area of the negative mold <NUM>, two in the midfoot area on the lateral side and on the medial side each and two in the toe area of the negative mold <NUM>. Advantageously, such means of attaching the top part <NUM> and the bottom part <NUM> of the negative mold <NUM> may thus provide a high stability for the vibrating step of the molding process to obtain a desired distribution of the first material in the mold as mentioned above and explained in more detail below.

As can be seen on the right side in <FIG>, the top part <NUM> of the negative mold <NUM> comprises an opening <NUM> in the collar area. This opening <NUM> may be used for supplying the first and/or second material into the negative mold <NUM>. It is also conceivable that the mold <NUM> may comprise one or more other openings for supplying the first and/or second material. Additionally or alternatively, the first and/or second material may be supplied to the negative mold <NUM> when the two parts <NUM> and <NUM> are separated from each other, i.e. the open negative mold <NUM> may be filled with the first and/or second material.

In one embodiment, the negative mold <NUM> may be manufactured by an additive manufacturing method. Additive manufacturing can create very fine structures that cannot be obtained by traditional mold production techniques, or which are at least difficult or costly to produce. One advantage is therefore that the mass of the negative mold <NUM> can be significantly reduced without endangering the negative mold's stability during the molding process. As a consequence, a lower heat capacity of the negative mold <NUM> may be obtained. This in turn reduces the loss of energy, when heating the negative mold <NUM> and also leads to a faster cooling process as the reduced heat capacity will accelerate the cooling of the negative mold <NUM> at the end of the process cycle. Also, the vibration of the mold can be easier implemented.

Moreover, the additive manufacturing method may involve laser sintering. However, other additive manufacturing methods such as 3D printing, stereolithography (SLA), selective laser melting (SLM) or direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), selective laser sintering (SLS), fused deposition modeling (FDM), etc. can additionally or alternatively be used to make the negative mold <NUM>. It is also conceivable that the additive manufacturing method may be used so that the negative mold <NUM> may consist of only one main part.

Furthermore, the negative mold <NUM> may comprise stainless steel alloys, stainless hot-work steels, precipitation hardening stainless steels, tool steels, aluminum alloys, titanium alloys, commercially pure titanium, hot-work steels, bronze alloys, nickel based alloys, cobalt based alloys, in particular, cobalt chromium tungsten alloys, copper alloys, precious metal alloys. Additionally or alternatively, any other material or a mixture of at least two materials may be used provided the material(s) have appropriate properties for a mold such as durability and/or heat conductivity.

As can be seen in <FIG>, the negative mold <NUM> comprises a means for holding <NUM> in its forefoot area. Such a means for holding <NUM> may be connected with a device for vibrating, for example a robot arm (not shown in <FIG>), to modify the distribution of the first and/or second material in the negative mold <NUM>. The means for holding <NUM> may be connected with the robot arm by screws, nuts, clamps, magnets or any other suitable means. It is also possible that one part of the negative mold <NUM>, for example the bottom part <NUM>, may be permanently fixed to the robot arm or may even be a part of the robot arm. It is also conceivable that the means for holding <NUM> may be arranged in another area of the device for vibrating the mold <NUM>, for example in the heel area, in the midfoot area, on the lateral or on the medial side of the negative mold <NUM>. Additionally or alternatively, a plurality of means for holding <NUM> may also be used.

In one embodiment, the negative mold <NUM> may comprise one or more localized heat and/ or cooling sources for the method step of selectively melting and/or solidifying of a selected portion of the first material in the negative mold <NUM> (not shown in <FIG>). Such one or more localized heat and/or cooling sources may for example be arranged in the pairwise holes of the means for connecting the two parts of the negative mold <NUM> as described above. They may comprise, for example, resistive heaters or carbon fiber based heating elements or any other means to generate heat. Other heating methods may be for example radio frequency heaters or steam heaters.

In a further embodiment, the negative mold <NUM> may comprise more than two parts in order to be split up in smaller parts to have more flexibility when the sporting good is produced. For example, the negative mold <NUM> may be built out of three negative molds, for example a forefoot part, a midfoot part and a heel part. Another option may be also to use such a split-up negative mold for the production of shin guards, whereby the different negative mold parts are adapted to different parts of the leg. As a result, the different negative mold parts may be interchangeable to adapt to different leg sizes and/or shapes.

In a still further embodiment, the negative mold <NUM> may comprise a structured inner wall in the top part <NUM> or any other part. For example, the negative mold <NUM> may comprise grooves and/or protrusions on its inner surface in order to determine or at least influence the structure of the outer layer of an upper of a sports shoe.

<FIG> presents a schematic view of an embodiment of the present invention for a system <NUM> for producing at least a part of a sporting good, in particular a sports shoe. The system <NUM> may fully or partly perform one or more of the aforementioned methods, in particular the sequence of method steps: depositing a first and/or second material into a mold <NUM>; vibrating the mold <NUM> to modify the distribution of the first and/or second material in the mold <NUM> and at least partially melting and/or solidifying at least a portion of the first and/or second material, wherein melting and/or solidifying may comprise selective melting and/or solidifying of a selected portion of the first and/or second material, preferably by locally affecting the mold <NUM>. In the following, the method for producing a shoe sole for a sports shoe including an outsole and a midsole is further described. It is to be noted that the system <NUM> is preferably fully automatic. However, human intervention to perform some or even all of the method steps are not excluded.

At the first station <NUM>, a first material, for example TPU particles for an outsole, may be deposited into the mold <NUM> which is connected to a robot arm <NUM>. It is also conceivable that the first and/or second material may be a powder, granulate, liquid or one or more fibers, e.g. fibers coated with TPU or any other suitable material, or any other form ready for depositing. It is also conceivable that fibers may be functionalized by suitable techniques such as applying a plasma treatment. Additionally or alternatively, the mold <NUM> may comprise two or more parts and/or may be a negative mold such as explained with reference to the negative mold <NUM> in <FIG>. Furthermore, the first material may be hand-filled into the mold <NUM> so that it can be deposited.

Moreover, the mold <NUM> may then be vibrated at the first station <NUM> to modify the distribution of the first material in the mold <NUM>. The vibrating of the mold <NUM> is realized by oscillations occur about an equilibrium point. These vibrations may be periodic or random and are performed by the robot arm <NUM>. Therefore, the vibration movement is beneficial to obtain a desired uniform distribution of the first material in the mold <NUM> and to avoid any undesired cavities which would lead to a defective outsole. It is also conceivable that another vibration entity, e.g. a mechanical shaker operated by a human worker, located at the first station <NUM> may perform the vibrations instead of the robot arm <NUM>.

In one embodiment, the first material may be selectively deposited into selected areas of the mold <NUM>, wherein the selective depositing of the first material may involve a movement of the mold <NUM>. For example, the robot arm <NUM> may position the mold <NUM> in a manner so that the first material for the outsole may only be deposited in the bottom part of the mold <NUM>. Furthermore, if, for example, the outsole to be molded should comprise a thicker portion in the heel area than in the forefoot area, the robot arm <NUM> may tilt the mold <NUM> by some degrees, e.g. by <NUM> °, so that the first material may be more deposited in the heel area of the mold <NUM> than in the forefoot area. As a result, the final outsole comprises a thicker heel portion compared to the forefoot portion. Moreover, it is also conceivable that the mold <NUM> may be completely closed so that the first material may be deposited by a full rotation of the mold <NUM>.

In another embodiment, the first and the second material may be two different materials, e.g. with different colors, hardnesses or particles sizes, which may be deposited into the same area of the mold for creating certain design or functional properties in this area.

Additionally or alternatively, one or more inserts (not shown in <FIG>) such as a toe box, heel cap, side reinforcement elements, decorative elements, textile sock, particularly non-woven or knitted sock, etc. may be positioned in the mold <NUM> before and/or after depositing the first material to accelerate the whole producing process for the sports shoe and to provide specific technical features and/or designs. It is also conceivable that a shoe upper may be positioned in the mold <NUM> before the first material for the outsole is deposited so that the outsole may be molded directly to the shoe upper.

As schematically shown in <FIG>, the robot arm <NUM> may then transfer the mold <NUM> including the first material to a heating station <NUM>. The heating station <NUM> may serve to at least partially melt and/or fuse the first material in the mold <NUM>. For example, heat may be provided by an infrared "IR" source or a similar energy source. In one embodiment, the robot arm <NUM> may be moved so that only the bottom part of the mold <NUM> is affected so that a selected portion of the first material may be selectively melted. This may be achieved by the adjusted mold <NUM> movement through a movement of the robot arm <NUM>. It is also conceivable that the heat may be provided by one or more localized heat sources which are incorporated into the mold <NUM> for example openings for hot air or water vapor.

In one embodiment, the whole surface of the mold <NUM> may be covered by the first material and the first material thickness may locally vary by defined locally adjusted heating or an adjusted movement of the mold <NUM> as will be explained with reference to <FIG>.

The heated mold <NUM> may then be transferred by the robot arm <NUM> to a solidifying station <NUM> so that at least a portion of the first material may be at least partially solidified, wherein a selected portion of the first material may be selectively solidified. This may be achieved by moving the mold <NUM> through a movement of the robot arm <NUM>. Once again, the selectively melting together with the selectively solidifying is a fundamentally different producing approach compared to regular injection molding or rotational molding of sporting goods, wherein all of the mold is filled with material and more or less homogeneously melted and/or solidified throughout the mold.

After solidifying the first material, the robot arm <NUM> may return to the first station <NUM> so that the second material, for example foamed particles of TPU for a midsole, may be deposited into the mold <NUM>, e.g. at least partially onto the solidified portion of the first material, the mold <NUM> may be vibrated to modify the distribution of the second material in the mold <NUM> and at least partially melting and/or solidifying at least a portion of the second material.

<FIG> present schematic illustrations of embodiments of the present invention for producing at least a part of a sports shoe. In particular, the embodiments illustrate possible movements of the mold <NUM>, such as vibrating or orienting the mold <NUM>, by the robot arm <NUM> at the heating station <NUM> and/or the solidifying station <NUM> in <FIG> as explained above and in a gimbal as will be explained in <FIG>.

<FIG> presents an embodiment of the present invention of a robot arm <NUM> which is connected with a mold <NUM>. The mold <NUM> may be similar to the mold <NUM> and <NUM> as mentioned above. A first material for an outsole may be deposited into the mold <NUM>. It is also possible that a second material for a midsole may be deposited into the mold <NUM> as mentioned above. The robot arm <NUM> may move the mold <NUM> inside a heating station <NUM> equipped with one or more heat sources, e.g. IR heat sources, for selectively melting of a selected portion of the first material, i.e. locally subjecting the first material in the mold <NUM> to heat. For example, the IR heat sources may be arranged only on the left sidewall of the heating station <NUM>. It is also conceivable that the robot arm <NUM> may move the mold <NUM> inside a solidifying station for selectively solidifying of a selected portion of the first material.

As can be seen in <FIG>, the movement, e.g. orienting the mold <NUM>, may be performed in the x-z-plane. It is also conceivable that the movement of the mold <NUM> may be performed in other spatial directions or even in all spatial directions. A possible adjusted movement for heating and thus selectively melting the first material in the mold <NUM> will be explained in the following with reference to <FIG>. Additionally or alternatively, the mold <NUM> may be vibrated at any time of the movement in order to modify the distribution of the first material in the mold <NUM>.

As can be seen in <FIG>, the movement may start when the robot arm <NUM> is essentially parallel to the z-axis. This position may be set as <NUM> °. The robot arm <NUM> may then move the mold <NUM> clockwise in the x-z-plane. Therefore, the heel area of the mold <NUM> may be closer to the IR heat sources than the forefoot area, i.e. may be more heated up, so that the first material in the heel area may be selectively melted by the movement of the mold <NUM>.

In <FIG>, the robot arm <NUM> is essentially parallel to the x-axis, a movement by <NUM>° has been performed. In this position, the surface of the bottom and top part of the mold <NUM> may be affected with a minimum amount of IR heat radiation.

In <FIG>, the robot arm <NUM> may further move the mold <NUM> clockwise so that the surface of the top part may be more heated up than the bottom part of the mold <NUM> and the first material in the top part may be selectively melted. After the movement of the robot arm <NUM>, the mold may be removed from the heating station <NUM> in order to be transferred to the solidifying station.

As a result, the method according to the present invention may prevent that certain portions of the first material are heated up twice during the heating process by the movement of the mold <NUM>.

<FIG> presents other embodiments 350a-c of the present invention, wherein the mold may be a multi-axis mounted mold <NUM>. For example, the mold <NUM> may be attached in a gimbal <NUM>, i.e. a kinematic system with at least two degrees of freedom, and the robot arm <NUM> may comprise a means for depositing the first material into the mold <NUM>, for example an injection nozzle <NUM> or another dosing unit. It has to be noted that the mold <NUM> may also comprise one or more aspects of the molds <NUM> and <NUM> as explained above. Moreover, the mold <NUM> may comprise one or more localized heat sources, e.g. heating elements, wherein a first localized heat source <NUM> may be arranged in the forefoot part and a second localized heat source <NUM> may be arranged in the bottom part of the mold <NUM>. Alternatively or additionally, one or more localized heat sources may have inner modular heating elements, for example electrical heating patrons which can be inserted into cavities of the mold <NUM>. The electricity may be then created via induction. It is also possible to have flexible heating bands which may be laid on the outside of the mold <NUM>, i.e. direct contact heating. Electric heating elements would have the advantage that, compared to oil based heating for example, there is no need for oil supply lines and thus the process may be more safe for workers.

As can be seen in embodiment 350a, the selective depositing of the first material into selected areas of the mold <NUM>, for example in the forefoot part of the mold <NUM>, may be performed by a movement of the robot arm <NUM> equipped with the injection nozzle <NUM>. Such an embodiment may make the material supply to the nozzle much easier, because the injection nozzle <NUM> is not rotating. If the injection nozzle <NUM>, i.e. the dosing unit with material supply, would be directly attached to the mold <NUM>, then the injection nozzle <NUM> would necessarily rotate as well.

In embodiment 350b, the mold <NUM> may be vibrated or moved, e.g. through a seesaw movement in the gimbal <NUM> (as indicated with the dashed double arrow), so that the first material may be deposited and the first localized heat source <NUM> arranged in the forefoot part of the mold <NUM> may start to heat the first material. Then, the heated selected portion of the first material may be solidified, e.g. by cooling the mold <NUM> with surrounding air.

As can be seen in embodiment 350c, after solidifying the first material, a second material may be deposited into the bottom part <NUM> of the mold <NUM> by moving the robot arm <NUM> equipped with the injection nozzle <NUM>. Thus, the mold <NUM> may be vibrated to modify the distribution of the second material in the mold <NUM> and melting and/or solidifying at least a portion of the second material after being heated by the second localized heat source <NUM> arranged in the bottom part of the mold <NUM>.

<FIG> presents a schematic view of possible embodiments of a sports shoe <NUM>, wherein at least a part of the sports shoe <NUM> is produced by a method according to the invention.

As shown in embodiment 400a, an inner sock 402a may be pulled over a last (not shown in <FIG>) and may be inserted into the negative mold <NUM> which may be similar to the molds <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> of <FIG>. Alternatively, an inflatable last may be used, which has been be sprayed with fibers for creating an inner lining, will be removed and may be reused again after the process. In a first molding cycle, a first material, e.g. providing more rigid properties after molding, may be deposited onto the inner sock 402a inside the negative mold <NUM> and the negative mold <NUM> may be vibrated and/or oriented by the robot arm <NUM> so that an accumulation of particles of the first material may be obtained only in the heel part. After melting and solidifying, the first material may form a heel cap and/or a cage insert 402b.

As shown in embodiment 400b corresponding to a second molding cycle, a second material, e.g. providing more flexible properties after molding, may be at least partly deposited onto the melted and/or solidified portion of the first material inside the negative mold <NUM>. Using the robot arm <NUM>, the negative mold <NUM> may be then vibrated and/or oriented so that an accumulation of particles of the second material may be obtained over the entire surface of the inner sock 402a including the molded heel cap and/or cage insert 402b, i.e. the second material may form an intermediate layer 402c of the shoe upper of the sports shoe <NUM>. Advantageously, the negative mold <NUM> may comprise a structured inner wall, in particular a structured inner wall that is adapted to determine the structure of the layer 402c. The structured inner wall may extend <NUM>° around the inner sock 402a.

As can be seen in <FIG>, two further possible embodiments 400c and 400d are possible. The embodiment 400c may correspond to a third molding cycle, wherein a third material, e.g. providing another set of properties after molding such as blown on fibers or flocking, may be at least partly deposited onto the melted and/or solidified portion of the second material inside the negative mold <NUM>. Using the robot arm <NUM>, the negative mold <NUM> may then be vibrated and/or oriented so that an accumulation of particles of the third material may be obtained over a part or the entire surface of the intermediate layer 402c including the molded heel cap and/or cage insert <NUM>, i.e. the third material may form a soft outer layer 402d or padded layer of the shoe upper of the sports shoe <NUM>. Advantageously, the negative mold <NUM> may comprise a structured inner wall, in particular a structured inner wall that is adapted to determine the structure of the outer layer 402d which may or may not be the same structure as the intermediate layer 402c.

As another possibility, the embodiment 400d may correspond to a sports shoe which may be produced with a production step, wherein a textile, in particularly non-woven or knitted inner sock 402e covering the ankle portion of a foot of a wearer may be inserted into the sports shoe <NUM> instead of or in addition to the soft outer layer 402d.

<FIG> present possible embodiments of sports shoes 500a and 500b, wherein at least a part thereof is produced by a method according to the invention.

<FIG> presents a sports shoe 500a in front angled view, medial side view and bottom view. The sports shoe 500a comprises four elements, namely a bottom element <NUM>, a forefoot element <NUM>, a midfoot element <NUM> and a collar element <NUM>. It is also conceivable that another embodiment of a sports shoe may comprise more or less elements than the sports shoe 500a.

At least a part of at least one of the elements <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> may be produced by a method according to the invention as describe above. Accordingly, each of the four materials for the four elements may be selectively deposited into a mold in a respective step, vibrated to modify the distribution of the respective material, selectively melted and/or solidified. For example, in a first step, the first material for the bottom element <NUM> may be selectively deposited into a mold, e.g. mold <NUM>, vibrated to modify the distribution of the first material, selectively melted and selectively solidified. In a second step, the same process may be applied to the second material for the forefoot element <NUM> and to the third material for the midfoot element <NUM>. Finally, in a last step, the same process may also be applied to the fourth material for the collar element <NUM>. Moreover, at least one element may comprise a TPU material.

In the embodiment 500a, the bottom element <NUM> may comprise a higher hardness than the other elements and the midfoot element <NUM> may comprise a higher hardness than the forefoot element <NUM> and/or the collar element <NUM>. In one embodiment, the four elements may comprise a hardness from 60A - 83D Shore hardness, preferably form 90A - 60D.

In other embodiments, the bottom element <NUM> may comprise a lower hardness than the other elements in case a higher flexibility and/or a higher grip/traction of the sole is needed.

As can be seen in <FIG>, the sports shoe 500a may comprise protruding elements <NUM>, e.g. textures, extending <NUM>° around the sports shoe 500a. These protruding elements <NUM> may be achieved by using a mold comprising a structured inner wall that is adapted to determine the structure of an outer layer of an upper of the sports shoe 500a. By having such protruding elements <NUM>, the properties, e.g. bending, of the sports shoe 500a can be further improved instead of having protruding elements only on the soles as regular shoes have.

In another embodiment, a means for placing, e.g. masks, inserts, placeholders, etc., may be put into the negative mold before a material is deposited to prevent a transition zone between two different materials, e.g. between the first material for the bottom element <NUM> and the second material for the forefoot element <NUM>. The means for placing may be placed in areas of the mold where the material should not be distributed during the vibrating step. By using such means for placing, sharp contours between two different materials may be created as can be seen in <FIG>. For example, when the bottom element <NUM> is produced, a mask may be inserted into the mold covering the upper forefoot, midfoot and heel area of the mold. Alternatively or additionally, it is also conceivable that the material layers may overlapped on their edges, except when the above explained means for placing are used.

<FIG> presents a sports shoe 500b including an upper <NUM> produced by a method according to the present invention. The upper <NUM> of the sports shoe 500b comprises a first material, which has been deposited into to a mold, e.g. mold <NUM>, vibrated to modify the distribution of the first material, selectively melted and/or solidified according to one of the method as shown in <FIG>.

Claim 1:
A method for producing a sporting good, wherein the sporting good is a sports shoe (<NUM>), a shinguard or a ball, the method comprising the following steps:
a. Depositing a first material into a mold (<NUM>; <NUM>; <NUM>; <NUM>); and
b. Vibrating the mold (<NUM>; <NUM>; <NUM>; <NUM>) to modify the distribution of the first material in the mold (<NUM>; <NUM>; <NUM>; <NUM>);
c. wherein vibrating the mold (<NUM>; <NUM>; <NUM>; <NUM>) comprises a three-dimensional movement of the mold (<NUM>; <NUM>; <NUM>; <NUM>) and oscillations occurring about an equilibrium point by means of a robot arm (<NUM>; <NUM>; <NUM>) to achieve a non-uniform distribution of the first material inside the mold.