Machine for stiffening and forming sheet material

In a machine for preforming and stiffening the backpart of a shoe upper preparatory to a lasting operation thereon, movable gripper means for transferring the upper from a position wherein it is suspended and disposed to receive a deposit or series of deposits of thick, hot, molten resin on the inside at the back portion of the upper to a backpart shaping position, and a pair of cooperative V-shaped backpart formers mounted for relative movement of approach with respect to said position and each other, the work engaging surfaces of said formers respectively defining a dihedral angle of from about 30.degree. to about 60.degree. to distribute the resin while still hot and molten as a generally thinner, coating continuously extending substantially throughout the backpart, and the dihedral angle of one of the formers being only slightly greater than that of the other to cause said coating to taper in thickness from the backpart extremity.

A machine for preforming and stiffening a selected area of a shoe upper comprising means including an applicator for thickly depositing a thermoplastic molten resin in a substantially central portion of said area, pincer means comprising a pair of spaced grippers for seizing different marginal localities of the upper to position it for reception of the resin, a pair of cooperative formers closeable for engagement with opposite sides of said area, said grippers being mounted for movement to spread the upper and tension it about a surface of one of said formers, and mechanism for thereupon moving the other of said formers into closing relation with said one former and a side area to complete distribution of the molten resin substantially throughout the area.

A machine for stiffening the end portion of a shoe upper while imparting predetermined three-dimensional configuration thereto comprising mechanism including spaced extremity pincers movable to control the position and tensioning of the end portion, means for depositing on a central side of the end portion while suspended between the pincers a series of substantially interconnecting blobs of hot molten resin of predetermined volume, and presser means including a cooperative pair of male and female forming members relatively movable into and out of pressing relation to the suspended end portion to distribute the deposited resin while still molten as a coating throughout at least a major section of the end portion, said members having their work-engaging surfaces substantially V-shaped, the dihedral angle of the male member being greater by up to about 3.degree. compared to that of the female member whereby thickness of the end portion diminishes from its end extremity and along opposite sides of the upper, and mechanism operable to further distribute the molten resin by forcing the work-engaging surfaces together without relative sliding movement relative to the upper or each other.

For preforming in situ the backpart of a shoe upper free of its last, the combination with an extruder including an applicator of molten thermoplastic resin, of cooperative inner and outer V-shaped formers relatively movable lengthwise of the upper to distribute the resin deposited by the applicator, and pincer means for controlling the upper first relative to the applicator during initial resin depositing on the backpart and thereafter relative to the formers to effect spreading of the backpart and the deposited resin prior to closure of the formers to shape the backpart and distributed resin.