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LASER CELL
Speed is essential in industrial
production today and a laser is able to
process a large area in a short space of
time; properly applied, this is where
they can really score for roughing shoe
uppers. Brustia’s prototype was
essentially an automatic roughing
machine with the brush replaced by a
laser, so the shoe was fixed while the
laser moved. Its potential was
therefore limited.
Klöckner DESMA GmbH of Germany
did the reverse and, at its House Fair in
2008, demonstrated a prototype laser
system where the laser remained fixed
while the shoe moved through all
dimensions. The Laser Cell as it is called
has since been extensively tested on all
types of footwear and upper materials
and the first commercial units have now
been delivered and are up and running.
Every part of the upper can in fact be
reached so that, as well as preparing the
shoe bottom for sole attaching, the
upper itself can be decorated with
writing, logos or other design elements.
Thus special sample series for industrial
customers, special editions and even
personalised shoes all become possible
in just one operation.
As remarked earlier, the laser does
not ‘rough’ in the accepted sense, so
seams pose no problem. As it also
operates at low energy, the actual
stitching holding the seam together is
not damaged, a factor unavoidable with
roughing brushes however light the
pressure involved. Maintenance is
limited to cleaning
the optical equip-
ment and except
for some vent-
ilation only a small
amount of air
filtration is required,
so roughing with a
laser rougher is also
energy saving.
User-friendliness is a
key consideration now-
adays and while one might
expect laser technology to require
specially trained operators, it is in many
ways easier to program than a
conventional automatic roughing
machine. An integrated laser pointer is
used to quickly sketch out the required
contours for the shoe bottom and any
additional upper treatments directly
onto the upper. This allows the operator
to clearly see not only contour points
but also the entire contour itself and so
avoids the need to make adjustments
later on.
It is sometimes hard to remember
that the stuck-on or cemented process
has been with us for over 60 years. But
then again, while the basic principle
remains the same, the adhesives and
machinery available today bear little in
common with those early days. While
basic revolving wire brush or scouring
band machines are still available in
their original form, that simple
technology has been progressively
developed into the sophisticated
automatic machines now used by many
manufacturers.
Whichever way you look at it,
however, they still rely on what is
essentially 20th century technology in
the form of a roughing brush or tool.
Laser roughing, on the other hand, is a
total break with the past and a truly 21st
century technology that opens up all
manner of new possibilities. And, unlike
the simple machine of 60 years ago, it
can achieve all this without the need for
a high degree of human skill,
concentration and stamina.
21
ROUGHING BRUSH TO LASER
MAY/JUNE 2012 | www.footwearbiz.com
DESMA laser cell in operation.
CREDIT: DESMA
Laser roughed shoe bottom.
CREDIT: ADIDAS