"Installation for manufacturing shoes".

The present patent application for industrial invention relates to an installation for manufacturing shoes.

The installations used for manufacturing shoes currently consist in an assembly line along which the article to be produced travels and passes through multiple operating stations provided along the assembly line.

In each operating station an operator and/or machine works on the product that is temporarily stopped in the operating station in order to undergo structural or aesthetic modifications.

After the product has passed through the assembly line and has undergone the necessary operations in each operating station, the desired shoe is obtained and stocked in the warehouse.

The assembly line is generally composed of a conveyor device, whereon the shoe is placed in order to travel through the multiple operating stations where it is machined or finished with additional parts in order to obtain the finished product in the shortest time possible.

Similar installations are impaired by the lack of flexibility because the same assembly line cannot be adjusted to produce a variety of shoes that differ in their structure or in the type of work to be carried out.

WO2010/037035 discloses a shoe manufacturing method that is able to reduce the specialized human labor required to manufacture a pair of shoes, while avoiding the high costs and special maintenance requirements associated with highly automated manufacturing equipment.

US2010037035 discloses a manufacturing method of shoes or portions of shoes through various automated manufacturing processes.

The purpose of the present invention is to devise an installation for manufacturing shoes, characterized by: - increased versatility through the combination of multiple work steps;

- reduced handling of the shoes to be manufactured;

- higher flexibility in terms of machining operations carried out without generating downtime;

- reduced handling of semi-finished products and parts used to finish the shoe;

- possible introduction of the so-called "Andon" system in order to give the operators the responsibility of managing the forward travel of the shoe, respecting the synchronization with the entire installation and obtaining real-time information on production and quality performance; and

- high productivity while differentiating and manufacturing multiple types of different shoes in terms of structure or treatment of the materials used.

These purposes are achieved according to the invention with the installation, whose characteristics are listed in the independent claim 1 .

Advantageous embodiments of the invention appear from the dependent claims.

The installation of the invention comprises:

- machines for manufacturing sandals, comprising machines used to prepare-assemble, machine and finish a sandal;

- machines for manufacturing pump shoes, comprising machines used to prepare-assemble, machine and finish a pump shoe;

- machines for manufacturing boots, comprising machines used to prepare-assemble, machine and finish a boot;

- a plurality of islands, each island being provided with at least two machines for manufacturing a shoe;

- a mobile frame that moves through the different islands and supports the shoes with relevant accessories adapted to be mounted on the shoes during the machining operations carried out in the islands; - an actuation device for each island; said actuation device moving said mobile frame along the entire island;

- a transfer device actuating said mobile frame between two islands;

- a first area to prepare-assemble a shoe; said first area being provided with at least one island;

- a second area used to machine the parts provided in the shoe; said second area being provided with at least one island;

- a third area used to finish the shoe; said third area being provided with an island for finishing a pump shoe and a sandal or a boot.

In particular, said island for finishing a pump shoe and a sandal or a boot comprises: a suction machine, a seam beating and ironing machine and a brushing machine.

The advantages of the installation according to the present invention are evident because it allows for manufacturing different models of shoe simultaneously, thus reducing production time and cost.

For the sake of clarity the description of the installation according to the present invention continues with reference to the attached figures, which only have an illustrative, not limiting value, wherein:

- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the installation of the invention;

Figure 2 is the same as Figure 1 , except for it shows the route traveled by a sandal to be manufactured with the installation of the invention;

- Figure 3 is the same as Figure 1 , except for it shows the route traveled by a pump shoe to be manufactured with the installation of the invention;

Figure 4 is the same as Figure 1 , except for it shows the route traveled by a boot to be manufactured with the installation of the invention.

Referring to Fig. 1 the installation of the invention comprises: - machines for manufacturing sandals, comprising machines for preparation-assembly (B, U, I, F, S), machining (SF, O, I, F, MP, N, S, BO, H, K, Z, J, AT, PS, G, M, IT) and finishing (Z, B, FS, SI, R, S) of the sandal;

- machines for manufacturing pump shoes, comprising machines for preparation-assembly (A,B,C,D,Q,E,H,I,P,U,L), machining (SF, O, I, F, ΜΡ,Ν, S, BO, H, K, Z, J, AT, PS, G, M, IT) and finishing (Z,B,FS,SI,R,S) of the pump shoe;

- machines for manufacturing of boots, comprising machines for preparation-assembly (A,B,C,D,Q,E,H,I,P,U,L), machining (Z, FS, SF, O,

I, F, ΜΡ,Ν, S, BO, H, K, Z, J, AT, PS, G, M, IT) and finishing (Z,B,V,S) of the boot;

- a plurality of islands (1 ,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10), each island being provided with at least two machines for manufacturing a shoe;

- a mobile frame (1 1 ) that moves through at least five islands

(1 ,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10) and supports the shoes and the relevant accessories adapted to be mounted on the shoes during the machining operations carried out in the islands (1 ,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10);

- an actuation device (12) for each island (1 ,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10); said actuation device (12) moving said mobile frame (1 1 ) along the entire island (1 ,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10);

- a transfer device (13) that moves said mobile frame (1 1 ) between two islands (1 ,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10).

Said transfer device (13) that moves said mobile frame (1 1 ) between at least two islands (1 ,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10) comprises two parallel conveyor belts (13); said islands (1 ,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10) being interposed between said two conveyor belts (13), each mobile frame (1 1 ) being adapted to move from said conveyor belts (13) to the actuation device (12) provided in each island (1 ,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10), as shown in Figs. 2, 3 The aforementioned figures show the route traveled by a shoe inside the installation of the invention according to the type of the shoe, i.e. a sandal, a pump shoe or a boot.

The installation of the invention comprises:

- a first area (A1 ) for preparing-assembling a shoe; said first area being provided with three islands (1 ,2,3);

- a second area (A2) for machining the parts provided in the shoe; said second area (A2) being provided with five islands (4,5,6,7,8);

- a third area (A3) for finishing the shoe; said third area (A3) being provided with two islands (9,10).

Each shoe must necessarily pass through said 3 areas (A1 , A2, A3) in order to be manufactured.

More precisely, the shoe and the relevant parts are positioned on said mobile frame (1 1 ), which follows a predefined route according to the type of shoe to be manufactured.

The first area (A1 ) is provided with:

- two islands (1 ,2) used to prepare-assemble a pump shoe or a boot;

- one island (3) used to prepare-assemble a sandal and/or finish a heel.

The two islands (1 ,2) used to prepare-assemble a pump shoe or a boot comprise the following machines; cement feeder (A), seam beating and ironing machine (B), counter molding machine (C), mechanical nailing machine (D), crimping machine (Q), toe puff applying machine (E), grinding machine (H), pneumatic nailing machine (I), two different types of toe lasters (P), one humidifier (U) and one trimming machine (L).

The island (3) used to prepare-assemble a sandal and/or finish a heel comprises the following machines: seam beating and ironing machine (B), dehumidifier oven (F), pneumatic nailing machine (I), brushing machine (S), and humidifier (U).

With reference to Fig. 1 , the second area (A2) of the installation of the invention comprises: - one island (4) used to age a boot;

- four islands (5,6,7,8) used to make machining operations on the bottom and/or the heel of boots or pump shoes or sandals.

The island (4) used to age a boot comprises the following machines:

- three suction benches (Z) in series;

- iron (FS).

The four islands (5,6,7,8) used to make machining operations on the bottom and/or on the heel of boots or pump shoes or sandals comprise the following machines: lining ironing machine (SF), seat and side lasting machine (O), pneumatic nailing machine (I), dehumidifier oven (F), pneumatic hammer (MP), ironing machine (N), brushing machine (S), automatic heel seat pounding machine (BO), grinding machine (H), riveting machine (K), suction bench (Z), reactivating oven (J), heel screwing machine (AT), sole pressing machine (PS), refrigerator (G), last removing machine (M), and heel nailing machine (IT).

With reference to Fig. 1 , the third area (A3) of the installation of the invention comprises:

- an island (9) used to finish a pump shoe and a sandal;

- an island (10) used to finish a boot.

The island (9) used to finish a pump shoe and a sandal comprises the following machines: suction bench (Z), seam beating and ironing machine (B), iron (FS), forming machine (SI), water veil cabin (R), and brushing machine (S).

Said island (10) used to finish a boot comprises the following machines: suction bench (Z), seam beating and ironing machine (B), boot ironing machine (V), and brushing machine (S).

As shown in the attached figures, each island comprises some benches (T) where the operators can place the shoe during the manufacturing cycle. Moreover, it must be noted that the broken line of Fig. 3 shows an optional route that provides for passing the shoe through the fourth island (4) only if the shoe needs to undergo special leather aging treatments.