New industrial process for footwear manufacturing using 3D Bonding

ended

The 3D BONDING project addresses a disruptive process, based on a family of patents (Simplicity Works- PCT/ES2012/07001369) for highly automated and robotised manufacturing of high-end footwear. Through a polymer injection process, we bond materials in 3D (instead of stitching), that creates a stable skeleton without overlapping seams, in a few seconds. This technology eliminates the need of complex stitching operations, improving the mechanical properties foot the footwear (adaptation, comfort, and permeability). 3D Bonding simplifies footwear manufacturing reducing the total number of operations to 20 (70 for traditional manufacturing), reducing labour costs associated to stitching and assembly by 72%, and using 50% less material. Moreover, the carbon footprint is 13% less than a traditionally made product. Our 3D BONDING project can bring back to EU the manufacturing process, resulting in reduced delivery times, multiple job positions and a stronger economy for the EU.