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Rubber is considered one of the best soling materials, and Polyurethane is known for its lightness, comfort, flexibility and shock absorption.
The Idea was to combine the two materials: Rubber bottom and PUR mid sole in a single machine, that's to say an integrated process. The project was thus launched by MAIN GROUP in 1999 with this objective of producing soles.
The process has been perfected in co-operation with one of Main Group's major clients, and conforms to very severe certification protocol covering both the machine and the final product.
The Results Are:
1. Highly reliable process, in continuous production cycles.
2. High level productivity which, combined with the automatic work cycle, ensures low running costs.
The Process:
Normally Rubber and PUR did not bond well together without the use of expensive and environmentally non-friendly halogenations process. The halogenations process is highly expensive and imposes considerable constraints on logistics and planning due to the short shelf life and danger of contamination.
The new MAIN GROUP integrated process (applied to their PRAGMA Combi machine) has solved the problem.
It means that just one machine can produce the complete sole in an integrated process, by first injecting the outsole and then immediately after, injecting the mid-sole without the need to halogenating the outsole.
The direct coupling of a Rubber bottom to the PUR mid-sole, without using other binding fabrics or materials, gives greater production efficiency and less waste, and is thus generally more environmentally friendly. Higher quality and product reliability is also achieved with this process.
An application example:
Traditionally Safety and Work Shoes were made in rubber and recently in two-density rubber. After rubber, two-density PUR is probably the most commonly used material. Recently the combination has been formed of bottom in TPU and midsole in PUR. As rubber is considered the best material to be used for bottoms, the solution of combining Rubber and PUR without any sort of treatment opens up new horizons for safety and work shoes.
The Machine:
PRAGMA Combi. This is the most flexible and essential direct injection machine available in the market. It can produce any item that involves PUR - TPU - RUBBER integrated technology.
Available versions: 18 - 24 - 30 stations
All fitted with INCOM PROCESS(R) systems for combining:
- TWO DENSITY PUR
- PUR + TPU
- PUR + RUBBER
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