make shoes

In 2017, Adidas announced a collaboration with Silicon Valley-based company Carbon.

molds for the manufacture of shoes

Shoes are one of the few items of clothing that can be made entirely of rubber or a similar material. In protective, work or hiking clothing, shoes are often an important part to provide protection against moisture, insulation against electricity, fire, etc. An important feature of these shoes is their manufacturing process - they are not sewn like other accessories, but cast as individual parts in a special mold.

In order to mass-produce shoes by casting, it is necessary to prepare a shoe mold in advance. This service can be ordered on our website - we can develop a mold for you, even from a sketch and description of the shoes to be made with it. All our products are durable and the shoes cast in them will surprise you with their excellent quality.

Characteristics of our shoe molds

The key feature of our rubber shoe shapes is their highly unconventional shape - they follow both the outer contours of the product and the foot inside the shoe. This design allows the finished product to be cast once, requiring minimal additional machining before it is ready for use. The procedure itself is very simple:

• A drawing of the future product is made. A separate mold is designed for the outside of the shoe and an insole for the inside;
• The material for the shoe is selected. These are mainly metals that can withstand tens of thousands of cycles, or aluminum alloys, which are cheaper and not as durable;
• The individual components of the mold are manufactured. Precise CNC machines are usually used for production;
• The assembly and testing is carried out. Manufacturing of the shoe molds is complete once a trial run of shoes has been printed and the assembled product has been certified.

Summary of the concept

The first step an entrepreneur has to take to get his business on the official track is to register a sole proprietorship. The model business plan described here for the organization of shoe production assumes such an organizational and legal form of activity from the outset. As far as the tax regime is concerned, the best choice is the standard 'simplified' regime with a tax rate of 15 % the difference between income and expenses for the reporting period.

In order to ensure that the control authorities do not later ask 'unnecessary' questions, the operator must be as careful as possible when choosing the OKVED codes. The following codes are suitable for registering shoe stores:

• 15.20.1 'Manufacture of footwear (except athletic, protective and orthopedic footwear)'.
• 15.20.5 'Bespoke tailoring of shoes and various shoe accessories for the public'.

The manufacture of shoes consists of several consecutive steps that are technologically relatively simple, but require the attention and skills of the production workers:

• Production of semi-finished parts from pigskin or calfskin. The number of parts in a pair of shoes can be quite large.
• Ironing the blanks and adjusting them to the desired shape.
• Cutting out insoles and making additional parts of a pair of shoes from other materials.
• Marking the pieces, including drawing the seam lines by hand.
• Sewing the finished model and baking it in a special oven so that later the shoes do not lose their original shape.

Important note: the choice of models in a private shoe factory largely depends on the professionalism of the craftsmen who process the blanks. The more experience a master shoemaker has, the more complex models he can create.

How much do you have to invest to open?

The start-up costs of opening a shoe factory in a Russian provincial town are shown in the table below:

The table shows that the main items of expenditure at the initial stage of the enterprise will be the purchase of equipment and the purchase of the first batch of materials for production. In addition, you should not buy a large amount of materials at once, since the demand for shoes is initially volatile, and old leather can lose its properties. You can buy used equipment for the production line from domestic manufacturers. The cost is much lower and the quality is acceptable for many years of trouble-free operation.

casting of the foot

• Everything should be done slowly so as not to damage the hardened mass.
• It is best to water two feet at a time - no extra time should be wasted.
• The benefit of this step is that you can use these molds for any pair of shoes you want to make in the future. Keep them in a safe place where they won't break.

Pour the molding material into the box. Now that you have a cast of your foot, you can pour in the casting material. Curing can take anywhere from an hour to 8-10 hours - it depends on the material you choose. Be patient. During this time you can work on other tasks if you have a plan.

• Draw the pattern on the shoe lasts. You need to draw the shoe on the base before assembling all the pieces. The proportions do not have to be exact. The most important thing is to visualize the shoe in actual size so you can see where the stitching will go.

merging the parts

• When cutting a piece, leave at least an inch of material on the bottom of the shoe and one inch where the pieces will be joined. This is called a seam allowance.

• As a rule, sewing fabric is easy, which is not the case with leather. Leather is a tough material and does not sew easily. It is best to make the holes first and then thread the thread through.

Make holes for the laces. You will then insert the laces into these holes. You probably have them in your pair of shoes. Mark the holes evenly spaced (usually a little less than an inch). There should be about four or five so that the shoe can be easily laced. If you like doing everything by hand, try punching those holes with a scalpel. If you want cleaner holes, buy a special punch tool. [4] X

• If you have already sewn the upper of the shoe you can use it as a template for the cuts, it is best to follow the template.
• This is where a shoelace comes in very handy. Cut out the cork sole leaving some space around the insole to allow your feet to breathe.
• If you want your shoes to be higher and more resistant, use 2-3 layers of cork. Cut out the same soles and glue the layers together with superglue.
• Let the glue harden in the soles.
• You can make a heel by putting another layer of cork under the heel.

Determine the assortment

In your business plan, you should determine what range of shoes you will be working with. And above all, you should determine which price category you want to cover. Practice shows that it is most profitable to produce for middle-income people. Include shoes for all ages and genders in your production plan.

As for the range, there are many types of shoes. These are divided into women's and men's shoes according to gender. There is also a division according to the seasons: mid-season, spring, autumn, winter and summer.

In addition, there are many different models of each type of shoe. What exactly to build the business on depends on the preferences of the entrepreneur and the demands of the market.

The production process

The technology of manufacturing shoes is a complex and multi-stage process. In the factory, different specialists with special equipment work on every single step. So, be prepared that your gear-buying plan will consist of a long list of required items. There are a number of device manufacturers on the market. You can find everything you need no matter what budget your business plan requires.

In Russia there are representative offices of such world-renowned manufacturers of shoe machines as Volonte, Silpar, Sicomec, Selmac, Rachioni, Pfaff, Meccanica, Officina, Obe, Neve, Mec-Val, Mav, Matic Verdi, Knaoz, Iron Fox, Elettrotecnica, Ecom, Durcopp Adler, Comelz, Cerim, Camoga, Banf, Atom.

It is difficult to list even the approximate cost of such devices, since they are manufactured and supplied strictly to order from the specific factory. So, we need to determine the manufacturer, and the manufacturer himself sets the cost of the order.

Cut

The first step in making shoes is to cut out the required pieces from the trimmed leather. For example, to make a shoe you need about 30 parts. At this stage you will need punches or special stencils, as well as a punch press. The latter equipment can be adapted to different types of leather. Please note that you need two such presses. One is for cutting out parts of the upper and the other for the bottom part of the shoe.

Production of the insole

This step can be skipped if you do not make the insoles yourself but buy ready-made insoles. If you decide to start your own production, you need to include the acquisition of such equipment in your business plan:

• a machine for flattening the edges of shoe soles;
• a hydraulic press for molding the warm insole;
• a unit for lubricating the insole with glue;
• a device for grinding the sole edges;
• a press for molding the insole.

OILED NUBUCK

In the first phase of production, the leather undergoes the same treatment as in the manufacture of ordinary nubuck. However, the material is then passed through a heated cylinder, which is used to apply a mixture of oils and waxes to the leather. The raw material is then dried for 24 hours to prevent fat from settling on the surface of the leather.

The result: With all the external advantages of nubuck, oiled nubuck leather is more durable, easier to clean and dirt-repellent. So, shoes made of this material have a longer service life.

WASHED LEATHER/SUEDE

Washed Leather: Fully treated leather or suede is dampened and then 'pressed' (ie placed under a hot press) while still wet. After this treatment the leather/suede acquires a slightly worn appearance and sometimes a particularly 'cracked' appearance.

Effect: leather is used for decorative inserts in shoes, giving them an original look. This leather is cared for in the same way as smooth leather or suede.

artificial

An industrial material that imitates natural leather. Modern technology has brought it as close as possible to the original.

Due to the popularity of the Greenpeace movement and other eco-conscious trends, synthetic equivalents have gained popularity in the fashion world. Well-known brands are increasingly creating masterpieces from them. Distinguishing them from natural leather can be difficult, but not impossible.

Differences between synthetic and natural leather

• Odor. Faux leather has a pungent, synthetic odor.
• Warmth. Hold the product in your hands; if you feel warm feeling, it is natural leather.
• Cut. Natural leather has a cut with a fibrous structure, while synthetic leather has a smooth surface.
• Flexibility. If you bend the shoe, the creases that form on the surface of the natural material will quickly disappear. With synthetics, on the other hand, the wrinkles remain.

Real aesthetes and fashionistas will hardly trade a pair of genuine leather for an imitation. But an artificial material can certainly compete with a natural material. Organic leather is particularly well known. The term can be found in every shoe store. What is behind it?

Eco-leather is a synthetic material obtained by applying a polyurethane film to cotton fabric. The result is a hygroscopic, flexible and functional material that easily rivals natural leather. Unlike other synthetic leathers, it is resistant to temperature changes.

There are other artificial leathers:

These strains have both positive and negative properties. Quality leather shoes are generally strong and durable. The choice depends on preference and cost.

DIY

Some simple shoe models can already be printed by anyone with a normal FDM 3D printer. Even the simplest Prusa will do, as you can see in this video:

Homemade slippers, shoe soles, shoe tips for costumes (for cosplay or carnival). Thingivers and other resources that offer 3D models are full of such projects.

Of course, the durability and usefulness of such homemade models is highly questionable, but at least it's a start.

Conclusion

As we can see, despite all the hype, there are still models being made that work and are often better than traditionally made shoes, not only in terms of consumer attributes, but also in terms of manufacturability.

3D printing in shoe production offers lighter weight, more possibilities to change flexibility and rigidity due to the complex internal structure of the print and, moreover, the greatest freedom for design and invention of new shapes that would be impossible to realize with traditional methods .

Since the big players in the athletic footwear market have been developing in this direction for many years, we can hope that 3D printed footwear will be widely used soon.

You can commission 3D printing from Top 3D - our extensive experience, wide range of materials and large machine park allow us to fulfill any order.

Would you like to know more interesting news from the world of 3D printing?

Minion slippers and waders

In addition to casual shoes, the factory also produces EVA sandals, clogs (a type of simple summer shoes), and shoes. This material is very malleable, can be molded into any shape, and is also a good thermal insulator. Therefore, it is used for both frivolous summer shoes and the heavy insulated boots that anglers and hunters buy.

For serious winter shoes, the company has its own Pioner brand (not everyone knows that this is a quintessentially Russian brand), but for this year's summer collection, in addition to its own brand All.Go, shoes under license from the US company were also used Produced by Universal Pictures. The license cost a lot of money and the new shoes will only differ from the private label shoes by their bright yellow color and cute minions (from the popular cartoon characters 'Ugly Ya'), but they will definitely stand out on the shelf.

EVA shoes in general offer many opportunities for such collaborations. The factory makes slippers with a variety of logos - from the ice hockey team 'Siberia' to the brand of a rubber boat manufacturer who simply includes these shoes as an unobtrusive but useful presentation in the purchase package.

What the shoemakers lack

When Russian Footwear bought Berd, it announced it would increase the factory's production capacity from 500,000 pairs a year at the time to one million. Today the factory produces just over 200,000 pairs. And judging by the workload in the stores I've been able to visit, it's clear that at least twice as many employees could work here.

– We were so successful in substituting imports in Russia that our footwear production did not increase compared to 2014, but on the contrary decreased', admits Sergey Jung, CEO of Obuvia Rossii, not without regret.

At the same time, the situation seems to be on the side of Russian manufacturers. In the past decade, labor costs in China have increased significantly. Now it's unrealistic to find a skilled worker in the shoe industry for less than $1,000 a month, says Jung. At the Berd factory, employees now receive 25-40 thousand rubles a month, depending on their qualifications. With such a ratio, one would think that new companies are already thriving in Siberia and old ones are expanding.

But it's not that easy. Chinese factories' services may have become more expensive, but they still work more efficiently. Today's production there developed almost exclusively under market conditions, when they did not try to support enterprises doing everything at once with tens of thousands of workers (this was the case in the USSR). Manufacturing facilities were set up in specialized clusters, gathering in one place many independent companies producing all kinds of components: fittings, leatherworking, yarn, and machinery and equipment.

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