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electronic unit then takes care of
identifying the specific shoe model and
last by reading an RFID tag mounted on
the last fixture and of retrieving the
appropriate lasting program that is then
executed automatically. At end of the
process, the machine hands over the
lasted shoe to the robot that then
transfers it to the downstream stations.
A complex manufacturing step is
therefore executed with no manual
intervention to the lasting machine which
is perfectly integrated with all the other
elements of the automated manu-
facturing line. An interesting example
that proves two important assumptions:
a programmable seat and side lasting
machine, if properly integrated, can work
unattended and robots can be used as
intelligent manipulators to tend this type
of machine.
AUTOMATED FINISHING
The second example brings us much
further downstream in the shoe
manufacturing process to the finishing
phase. This, together with upper
stitching, is a highly labour intensive
step in shoemaking. The shoe,
completely assembled, must be
cleaned, polished, waxed and,
eventually, finish up with all those
components and accessories that
contribute so greatly to its final look. If
we observe how these operations are
performed in a shoe factory, we can see
a high number of repetitive
manipulation tasks in which the shoe is
handled by an operator in conjunction
with various polishing brushes and
attendant waxing heads or spray guns.
So, the question technicians asked
themselves, was whether these
movements could be done in a
repetitive and reliable way by a robot
with the express purpose of reducing
labour content in this final yet
important shoemaking phase.
Once again, a first ‘proof of concept’
was given in the EUROShoE project
where a robot was used to retrieve the
shoe from the transportation line and to
perform a number of finishing
operations following a ‘recipe’ defined
model by model and trajectories
designed into the CAD. This turned out
to be an almost unsustainable
challenge, especially when finishing
trajectories had to be traced on the shoe
and for which no specific design tools
and background knowledge existed.
Almost ten years later, the same
problem was addressed in another EU
research project (Robofoot) and
INESCOP, based in Elda, seems to have
reached the goal in a more effective and
convincing way. In the robot-based
finishing cell that the Spanish institute
will exhibit at SIMAC in October, a robot
stands in the centre where it receives
the shoe to be processed from an
exchange station and then performs a
series of finishing steps using a number
of dedicated ‘devices’ positioned all
around it in pre-defined locations. A
CAD program tells the robot both which
devices to follow for the correct
finishing procedure required for the
particular shoe model concerned and
which trajectories to follow to execute
the specific steps involved.
WHAT COMES NEXT?
These are certainly two interesting
and innovative applications that seem
to demonstrate that robots can be
used in a wide variety of tasks to
replace humans in all those activities
in which the added value of their
intelligence and expertise is not really
needed. They also indicate a growing
interest from both technology
suppliers and shoe companies for a
more widespread adoption of robots in
the manufacturing of conventional
shoes. So what can we expect from
the future in terms of new and more
advanced robotic applications?
In the
World Footwear
25th anni-
versary review of the future
technological trends we referred to
‘human–robot close cooperation’ as one
of the most important evolutions in the
way robots will be seen in the factories
of the future. Rather than being simply
replaced by robots, workers will be
assisted and helped by them. A new
generation of low cost, smart robots is
under development in research centres
in different parts of the world. They will
be based on new architecture and on
new operational standards that will
allow them to work safely alongside
humans. They will be able to
understand voice commands issued by
their human counterparts. Like clever
and efficient servants they will perform
a variety of tasks such as fetching and
transporting
parts,
carrying
components, holding things, delivering
tools, sorting and picking up parts,
while sharing the same space as all the
‘other’ workers.
In the future, robotics may therefore
see a higher density of machines of a
new generation, re-establishing the
balance between labour and capital
intensity in a way that will possibly
induce companies to revise their
outsourcing polices in favour of
market
proximity
and
local
manufacturing. In such a futuristic
scenario, we cannot but share
The
Economist’s
view that we are at the
dawn of a new industrial revolution.
20
WORLD FOOTWEAR | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012
Digital image of a robot-based finishing cell.
CREDITS: INESCOP