THREE-DIMENSIONAL PRINTING OF A TRACED ELEMENT

• US 20170202309A1
• Filed: 01/18/2017
• Published: 07/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Waatti, Todd A., Sterman, Yoav
• Granted Patent: US 10,455,896 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0215 Plastics or artificial leather
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0225 Composite materials, e.g. material with a matrix
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0235 Different layers of different material
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/026 Laminated layers
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0265 having different properties in different directions
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/028 Resilient uppers, e.g. shock absorbing
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 7/085 in the upper
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 1/04 with rings or loops
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/106 using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/118 using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 35/126 Uppers
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/50 Footwear, e.g. shoes or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing

Abstract

A method of forming a traced element is disclosed. The method may include printing layers of a traced element and incorporating a textile strand in overlapping polymer layers of the traced element. In some embodiments, the traced element may be formed on a base layer. The traced element may be incorporated into an upper for an article of footwear.

Claims

1. An upper for an article of footwear comprising a traced element including:

a first polymer layer;

a second polymer layer; and

a strand layer,

wherein the first polymer layer defines a polymer-trace path;

wherein the strand layer comprises a material strand disposed along a strand-trace path and over the first polymer layer;

wherein the second polymer layer is disposed along at least a portion of the polymer-trace path and overlaps both the first polymer layer and the strand layer for at least the portion of the polymer-trace path; and

wherein the traced element includes a plurality of openings surrounded by the first polymer layer, the strand layer, and the second polymer layer.

2. The upper of claim 1, wherein the strand-trace path extends at least partially along the polymer-trace path.

3. The upper of claim 1, wherein the polymer-trace path and the strand-trace path intersect at an angle in a plurality of positions on the traced element.

4. The upper of claim 1, wherein the polymer-trace path comprises a plurality of curvilinear portions.

5. The upper of claim 1, wherein an average width of the material strand is at least 5 percent of an average width of the first polymer layer.

6. The upper of claim 1, wherein the first polymer layer is polymer-bonded to the second polymer layer adjacent to the material strand.

7. The upper of claim 1, wherein the traced element forms at least one lace aperture loop.

8. The upper of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the material strand is unattached to the first polymer layer.

9. The upper of claim 1, wherein the material strand is at least partially formed from a polytetrafluoroethylene material.

10. The upper of claim 1, wherein the upper further comprises a base layer, and the traced element is positioned on and secured to at least a portion of an outer surface of the base layer.

11. The upper of claim 1, wherein the upper consists of the traced element.

12. The upper of claim 1, wherein the strand layer further comprises at least one additional material strand.

13. The upper of claim 1, wherein the first polymer layer further defines at least one additional polymer-trace path.

14. A method of manufacturing an upper for an article of footwear, the method including the steps of:

depositing a first layer of polymer material on a receiving layer and along a polymer-trace path;

positioning a strand along a strand-trace path and over the first layer of polymer material; and

depositing a second layer of polymer material along the polymer-trace path and over both the first layer of polymer material and the strand,

wherein the first layer of polymer material, the strand, and the second layer of polymer material surround a plurality of openings.

15. The method of manufacturing of claim 14, wherein the strand-trace path extends at least partially along the polymer-trace path.

16. The method of manufacturing of claim 14, wherein the polymer-trace path and the strand-trace path intersect at an angle in a plurality of positions.

17. The method of manufacturing of claim 14, further comprising the step of bonding the first layer of polymer material to the second layer of polymer material adjacent to the strand.

18. The method of manufacturing of claim 14, further comprising the step of selecting the strand to have an average width that is at least 5 percent of an average width of the first layer of polymer material.

19. The method of manufacturing of claim 14, wherein the polymer-trace path comprises a plurality of curvilinear portions.

20. The method of manufacturing of claim 14, wherein the strand is unattached to the first layer of polymer material and the strand is unattached to the second layer of polymer material.

21. The method of manufacturing of claim 14, further comprising depositing the first layer of polymer material through fused deposition modeling printing.

22. The method of manufacturing of claim 14, further comprising the step of removing the first layer of polymer material, the strand, and the second layer of polymer material from the receiving layer to form a traced element.

23. The method of manufacturing of claim 14, further comprising the step of forming the upper from the first layer of polymer material, the strand, the second layer of polymer material, and at least a portion of the receiving layer.