Roughing machine for footware upper assemblies and a system that includes the roughing machine but typically includes as well other machines ahead of and following

A method to effect integrated operations on a footwear upper assembly in a system that includes a first machine, a second machine and a third machine, which first machine is an automatic rougher, which second machine is a transfer machine and which third machine is adapted to perform further operations on the footwear upper assembly, said footwear upper assembly comprising a last, a footwear upper disposed on the last and an insole on the last bottom, said footwear upper assembly having a cement margin to-be-roughed, said method comprising:

• effecting roughing of the footwear upper assembly by a roughing tool operable to remove material from the cement margin along a closed-loop path to provide a cementing surface therealong;
• attaching and positioning the footwear upper assembly by a mechanism that is operable to secure the footwear upper assembly relative to the roughing tool and apply motion of the cement margin relative to the roughing tool, which motion includes translational movement of the footwear upper assembly toward and away from the roughing tool in the course of roughing to present the footwear upper assembly to the roughing tool;
• sensing the position of the cement margin relative to the roughing tool as the roughing tool effects removal of said material during a cycle of roughing to provide electrical signals;
• receiving the electrical signals as roughing proceeds through said cycle, said electrical signals including tracing data representative of the roughing path traversed by the roughing tool;
• and
• transmitting said tracing data to another machine of said system to permit the latter to trace a like path on the basis of the tracing data.