Methods of manufacturing articles utilizing foam particles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11401396-B2
Application number	US-201916688501-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2019
Priority date	Dec 6, 2018
Publication date	Aug 2, 2022
Grant date	Aug 2, 2022

Abstract

Methods for manufacturing articles, including articles of footwear, apparel, and sporting equipment are provided. The methods comprise decorating a plurality of foam particles. The decorating can comprise applying a coating on the foam particles, or embossing or debossing the foam particles, or both. The decorating can comprise applying a coating on the foam particles by printing, painting, dyeing, applying a film, or any combination thereof. The plurality of foam particles are affixed utilizing aspects of additive manufacturing methods. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method of forming an article, the method comprising:
decorating a portion of a plurality of foam particles, and
arranging a plurality of foam particles, wherein the arranged plurality of foam particles comprises a first thermoplastic elastomeric material, and wherein the arranged plurality of foam particles has a number average particle size of about 0.04 millimeters to about 10 millimeters in a longest dimension; and
affixing together at least a portion of the plurality of foam particles, wherein the arranging and affixing are carried out for two or more iterations, forming a component, wherein affixing together at least a portion of the plurality of foam particles comprises:
depositing a binding material in a binding material target area, wherein the binding material target area comprises at least a portion of the arranged plurality of foam particles, and wherein the depositing coats at least a portion of defining surfaces of the arranged plurality of foam particles with the binding material; and
curing deposited binding material coating at least a portion of the defining surfaces of the arranged plurality of foam particles within at least the binding material target area, wherein curing comprises affixing at least a portion of the arranged plurality of foam particles within the target area, wherein the curing comprises:
applying energy within the infrared spectrum to the deposited binding material and the arranged plurality of foam particles in an amount and for a duration sufficient to soften the first thermoplastic elastomer material of the coated at least a portion of the defining surfaces of the arranged plurality of foam particles; and
decreasing a temperature of the region of the arranged plurality of foam particles to a temperature at or below which the softened thermoplastic elastomer material re-solidifies, thereby affixing at least a portion of the defining surfaces of the arranged plurality of foam particles in the binding material target area.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the decorating comprises:
applying a coating on the portion; or embossing or debossing the portion; or both.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the applying the coating on the portion of the plurality of foam particles comprises printing on the portion, painting on the portion, dyeing the portion using a dye composition, applying a film on the portion, or any combination thereof.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the portion of the plurality of foam particles have a first color, and the coating has a second color which is different than the first color.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the arranging a plurality of foam particles comprises depositing an essentially planar layer comprising the plurality of foam particles.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the arranging and affixing are carried out for three or more iterations.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the decorating is performed during an iteration, after an iteration, between two or more iterations, or a combination thereof.

8. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the decorating is performed on the component after the last iteration.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the decorating is performed between the arranging and the affixing.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the curing comprises solidifying the deposited binding material and binding the deposited binding material to the coated at least a portion of the defining surfaces of the arranged plurality of foam particles.

11. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the printing comprises screen printing, pad printing, ink jet printing, 3D printing, flexographic printing, heat transfer printing, or any combination thereof.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein printing comprises printing a marking onto at least a portion of an exterior surface of the component after forming the component.

13. The method according to claim 3 , wherein dyeing comprises dyeing the foam particles, the affixed foam particles, the binding material, the component or a portion thereof, or combinations thereof.

14. The method according to claim 3 , wherein applying the coating comprises applying a coating to the foam particles, the affixed foam particles, the binding material, the component or a portion thereof, or combinations thereof.

15. The method according to claim 2 , wherein embossing or debossing the component or a portion thereof comprises: contacting a first surface of the component with a second surface of a relief device; and, following the contacting, removing the second surface of the relief device from the first surface of the component, while retaining an embossed or debossed texture on the first surface on the component.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the arranging a plurality of foam particles comprises arranging a plurality of first foam particles comprising a first thermoplastic elastomeric material and a plurality of second foam particles comprising a second thermoplastic elastomeric material.

17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises mixing together the plurality of first foam particles with the plurality of second foam particles prior to the arranging.

18. The method of claim 3 , wherein the printing on the portion comprises depositing at least one ink formulation, the ink formulation of which includes an infrared-absorber, onto a target print area of the component, the target print area of which will be exposed to infrared radiation.

19. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the dye composition includes infrared absorbing dye.

20. The method according to claim 19 , wherein the infrared absorbing dye is added to the binding material at from about 0.001 weight percent to about 0.08 weight percent based on the total weight of the binding material.

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• CONSTANTINOU Jay
• Doremus Harleigh
• Folgar Luis
• Kvamme Brandon
• Muth Joseph Thomas
• Schiller Denis

Classifications

• A43B13/12

  Soles with several layers of different materials · CPC title

• C08J2387/00

  Characterised by the use of unspecified macromolecular compounds, obtained otherwise than by polymerisation reactions only involving unsaturated carbon-to-carbon bonds · CPC title

• C08J2371/02

  Polyalkylene oxides · CPC title

• B32B7/12

  using interposed adhesives or interposed materials with bonding properties · CPC title

• A43B13/00

  Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units · CPC title