Covestro helps Atom Lab solve adhesive challenge
19/02/2018
At the company’s booth, visitors will be able to select 3D-printed outsoles and uppers, and have customised shoes made for them.
Atom Lab turned to polymer manufacturer Covestro to complete one of the most challenging steps of this manufacturing process – how to bond the outsole to the shoe upper.
To solve this issue, Covestro developed a polyurethane-based adhesive that can be applied to the outsole or upper via digital printing.
Atom Lab has used a variation of the melt layer method (Fused Filament Fabrication, FFF, or Fused Deposition Modeling, FDM) to join the two components. This method sees it use strands of melt processable adhesives known as filaments. These are melted before the molten adhesive is applied according to a digital print layout. Pressure is then used to join the sole and upper, creating a solid, permanent adhesive bond.
Covestro has described the use of adhesive filaments as “quick and efficient” and said the method is very precise and reproducible. It also allows for the drying process to be eliminated. Furthermore, as the application takes place from the melt, the adhesive is already activated, potentially eliminating the need for prior heat activation. This means two process steps can be eliminated.
Image shows Covestro's digital print experts examining a shoe sole with an adhesive printed on it (credit: Covestro).
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