Common shoe-making techniques

Common shoe-making techniques

1. Adhesive shoe technology
Also known as cold bonding technology, it is a process that uses adhesive to connect the shoe upper, insole, and outsole together. Due to the different materials used for the bonding surface of the shoe upper and sole, the types and properties of adhesives used are also different, such as chloroprene adhesive, polyurethane adhesive, SBS adhesive, etc. Due to its simple process, short production cycle, high production efficiency, low manufacturing cost, fast changes in color and variety, and ease of expansion and reproduction, adhesive technology is the most widely used assembly process in the shoe-making industry, accounting for more than 80% of the total number of shoe-making products. This process is most commonly used in leather shoes and sports shoes products.

2. Sewing shoe craftsmanship
Also known as stitching shoe technology, it is a process that uses sewing thread to sew the upper, sole, and other connecting components together. The sewing thread used is ramie thread, which has the characteristics of high strength, low elongation, fast moisture absorption and removal, and high wear resistance. Sewing shoe technology is most commonly used in leather shoe products, mainly including sewing edge leather shoes, sewing flanged leather shoes, and through seam leather shoes. Although its craftsmanship has a long history, complex operations, and low production efficiency, its product structure, style, and sturdy and durable characteristics cannot be replaced by other crafts. Combined with the development and improvement of machine sewing technology, it is more in line with the needs of modern production and consumption, thus occupying an important position in footwear products. Moreover, it has auxiliary functions in adhesive shoe technology, which has led to the emergence of adhesive sewing technology.

3. Molding shoe process
It is a process that uses the flow of rubber material and the clamping pressure generated during the vulcanization process of the rubber outsole in the mold to bond the outsole and upper together. The outsole and upper of the shoe are bonded and connected by rubber under high temperature and pressure, so the molding process of the shoe has the characteristics of firm bonding of the sole, less likely to peel off, wear resistance, and flexibility resistance. Due to the long production cycle and slow changes in color and variety of molded shoe molds, it is suitable for the production of large-scale products. Labor protection shoes, hiking shoes, military and police shoes and other products are mostly produced using molding technology. The molding process is a molded vulcanization process derived from the non molded vulcanization process, which is commonly used for leather shoe products.

4. Injection molding process for shoes
Also known as continuous injection molding process, it is a process of injecting molten plastic into an outer mold and bonding it to the shoe upper as a whole. The materials for the outsole are mostly polyvinyl chloride, thermoplastic polyurethane, thermoplastic rubber, etc. Its process is to complete the bottom bonding assembly under the conditions of automatic feeding, automatic plasticization, automatic metering, automatic injection, automatic mold closing and opening, and automatic molding, so it has the advantages of high production efficiency and automated production. It is applied in the production of leather shoes, cloth shoes, sports shoes, and plastic shoes.

5. Vulcanized shoe technology
It is a process method that involves bonding raw materials such as outsole, edge strip, and outer toe cap to the shoe upper, and then heating and pressing them in a vulcanization tank to form the product. The outsole of this process is divided into moldless (rolling) molding and moldable molding. Due to the relatively rough process and difficulty in controlling quality, only low-end products can usually be produced. In recent years, due to the introduction of advanced production technologies from abroad, the product quality has been significantly improved. Due to the comfort and economy of wearing vulcanized shoes, as well as their high efficiency and low cost in production, this process is still applied in the production of cloth rubber shoes, rubber shoes, and leather shoes, with a large production volume.

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