Nike, Inc.

Grabit, Inc.

Nile, Inc.

Dragan Jurkovic

Kuo-Hung Lee

Patrick Conall Regan

Chang-Chu Liao

Chih-Chi Chang

Ming-Feng Jean

Yen-Hsi Liu

Harsha Prahlad

Howard Fu

Chun-Chi Lin

Chun-Wei Huang

Chin-Yi Lin

Hung-Yu Wu

Shih-Yuan Wu

Yu-Shu Hsiao

John Matthew Farren

Philip Mars

Feng-Ming Ou

I-Huang Liu

Chia-Hung Lin

Chia-Wei Chang

Susan Kim

Matthew Thomas Leettola

Richard J Casler

Chien-Liang Yeh

Po Cheng Chen

Wen-Ruei Chang

Kenneth Tan

Patrick Wang

John Mathew Farren

Chien-Chun Chen

Aishwarya Varadhan

Jon Smith

Eric Y Lee

Mike F Quigley

Jen-Chuan Lin

Ming-Ji Lee

Liu I Huang

Shih Chi Tung

Honam Ko

Tsung Tai Chien

TaeHoun Kim

Chih-Chun Chai

Todd R Farr

Che-Sheng Chen

Qingde Chen

Greg Miller

Hsi-ming Wang

Wang Hsi Ming

Chang-chu Liao

A method for locating critical control points on a part or combination of parts during a manufacturing process involves mating, directly or indirectly, a jig extension to the part or parts. A pattern on the jig extension defines an origin point that is used to track the position of the part or parts during manufacturing, such as during location-sensitive operations. The jig extension may be a shoe last extension which connects to a shoe or shoe component via a shoe last.

Shoe last extension as an origin

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

Manufacturing of a shoe or a portion of a shoe is enhanced by executing various shoe-manufacturing processes in an automated fashion. For example, information describing a shoe part may be determined, such as an identification, an orientation, a color, a surface topography, an alignment, a size, etc. Based on the information describing the shoe part, automated shoe-manufacturing apparatuses may be instructed to apply various shoe-manufacturing processes to the shoe part, such as a pickup and placement of the shoe part with a pickup tool.

Automated manufacturing of shoe parts with a pickup tool

An apparatus for buffing a shoe part includes a housing adapted to be articulated around at least a portion of the footwear part. A rotating spindle is positioned in the housing and has a buffing surface for engagement with the footwear part. A carriage is slideably connected to the housing and holds the spindle such that the buffing surface can be moved closer to and further away from the footwear part. An actuator is in the housing and in contact with the carriage. The actuator applies force to the carriage to increase the force of the buffing surface onto the footwear part. A biasing member is in the housing and in contact with the carriage. The biasing member exerts force onto the carriage in a direction opposite the force exerted by the actuator.

Shoe buffing system

A tool path for treating a shoe upper may be generated to treat substantially only the surface of the shoe bounded by a bite line. The bite line may be defined to correspond to the junction of the shoe upper and a shoe bottom unit. Bite line data and three-dimensional profile data representing at least a portion of a surface of a shoe upper bounded by a bite line may be utilized in combination to generate a tool path for processing the surface of the upper, such as automated application of adhesive to the surface of a lasted upper bounded by a bite line.

Generation of tool paths for shoe assembly

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

A last extension for a shoe last provides a pattern defining an origin location. The origin location on the last extension can be used to identify locations or points on a last or a shoe component on a last for control of location-critical manufacturing operations, including decorative and functional operations.

Shoe last extension

Rubber pellets are coated with an anti-tack material. The anti-tack material may be comprised of a metallic stearate, such as magnesium stearate. The coated rubber pellets are loaded on to a rotational conveyance mechanism that rotates at a speed and radial amount to provide an interaction time between the rubber pellets and the anti-tack material. The coated rubber pellets may then be dried in a centrifuge dryer having a plurality of angled fins extending from a rotational shaft.

Rubber pellet treatment

Systems, apparatus, and methods of manufacturing an article using electroadhesion technology for the pick-up and release of materials, respectively.

Methods and systems for electroadhesion-based manipulation in manufacturing

Systems, apparatus, and methods of manufacturing an article using electroadhesion technology, either as a sole modality of handling such materials or in concert with vacuum for the pick up and release of materials, respectively.

Methods and systems for combined negative pressure and electroadhesion-based manipulation in manufacturing

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Taichung, Taiwan

Dragan Jurkovic