Abstract: Manufacturing of a shoe or a portion of a shoe is enhanced by executing various shoe-manufacturing processes in an automated manner. For example, shoe parts may be retrieved and temporarily assembled according to preset relative positions to form part stacks. The part stacks may be retrieved with the relative positioning of the shoe parts being maintained and placed at a stitching machine for more permanent attachment via stitching of the parts to form a shoe assembly. Movement during stitching of a conveyance mechanism that transfers the part stack from the stacking surface to the stitching machine and movement of a needle associated with the stitching machine may be controlled by a shared control mechanism such that the movements are synchronized with respect to one another. Vision systems may be leveraged to achieve movement and position information between and at machines and locations.

Abstract: An overhand sewing machine for the sewing of innersoles to the shanks of shoes comprises two driven conveying disks, an inner conveying disk in contact with the shank material, and an outer conveying disk in contact with the innersole material, the outer disk being displaceable with respect to the inner disk in order to be pressured by spring-loading against the inner disk, and to be capable of moving away against the spring-loading from the inner disk, as required for the insertion of the material to be sewn into the overhand sewing machine.