Nike, Inc.

Chien-Liang Yeh

Dragan Jurkovic

Chun-Wei Huang

Shih-Yuan Wu

Jen-Chuan Lin

Ming-Ji Lee

Che-Sheng Chen

Chih-Chun Chai

A nozzle dispenses a material, such as an adhesive, primer, paint, or other coating, through a dispensing port on to a substrate. The spray pattern provided by the nozzle defines, at least in part, an application pattern of the material on to the substrate. An air mask port integral with the nozzle or a separate nozzle expels a mask stream of pressurized gas. The mask stream projects toward the substrate to aid in limiting an application of the material beyond an application line on the substrate. The air-mask port and the dispensing port may be moved relative to the substrate and/or the application line such that the mask stream provides a barrier to the material being applied.

Air masking nozzle

Systems and methods for monitoring the quality of a surface treatment applied to an article in a manufacturing process are provided. A surface treatment may be applied to at least a portion of an article. A thermal profile of the article may be obtained and used to determine temperature indications of different regions of the article to which the surface treatment has been applied. A standard model of the article may be obtained that includes model regions having model temperature ranges. The temperature indications of the article can be compared with the model temperature ranges to determine if any temperature indications are outside of a corresponding model temperature range. The article may be a shoe part. The surface treatments may include the application of heat, plasma, dye, paint, primer, and/or the application of other materials, substances, and/or processes.

Controlling the quality of a manufactured article

Systems apply a material (e.g., adhesive) to an article (e.g., a component in an article of footwear) with a multiple-nozzle tool. A first nozzle of the multiple-nozzle tool is effective to provide an edge application of the material that is consistent in application of the material. A second nozzle of the multiple-nozzle tool is effective to provide a greater material coverage application than the first nozzle. The second nozzle may be implemented to apply the material at an interior area from the edge at which the first nozzle applies the material, in an exemplary aspect.

Multiple-nozzle defined edge tool

Growing community of inventors

Chunghua, Taiwan

Chien-Liang Yeh