US3147500A

US3147500A - Processing of shoe soles

Info

Publication number: US3147500A
Application number: US175553A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ralphs George Trevor
Original assignee: RALPHS ENGINEERING Co Ltd
Current assignee: RALPHS ENGINEERING Co Ltd
Priority date: 1961-02-27
Filing date: 1962-02-26
Publication date: 1964-09-08
Anticipated expiration: 1981-09-08

Description

Sept. 8, 1964 Filed Feb. 26, 1962 G. T. RALPHS PROCESSING OF SHOE SOLES 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 8, 1964 G. T. RALPHS 3,147,500

PROCESSING OF SHOE SOLES Filed Feb. 26, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 p 8, 1964 G. T. RALPHS 3,147,500

PROCESSING OF SHOE SOLES Filed Feb. 26, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Sept. 8, 1964 G. T. RALPHS PROCESSING OF SHOE SOLES 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 26, 1962 Sept. 8, 1964 Filed Feb. 26, 1962 G. T. RALPHS PROCESSING OF SHOE SOLES 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent 3,147,500 PRQCESSEJG 0F SHGE SOLES George Trevor Ralphs, Oadhy, England, assignor to The Ralphs Engineering Company Limited, Leicester, England Filed Feb. 26, 1962, Ser. No. 175,553 Claims priority, application Great Britain Feb. 27, 1961 6 Claims. (Cl. 12-142) the same direction in relation to their direction of advancement, firstly past a reducing station at which substance is reduced from each sole in a required manner and afterwards past an adhesive applying device by which adhesive is applied to the reduced sole faces. The soles may or may not be passed through bending apparatus prior to being moved past the adhesive applying device, such bending device, if provided, being such as to facilitate application of adhesive evenly to a partly reduced surface. Conveniently, the soles on leaving the adhesive applying device are advanced to a stacking station whereat they are transferred individually on to a holder in the form of a drying rack.

By employing the method provided by the invention shoe soles which are required to be pre-finished, i.e. have their shaping and surface finishing performed before the soles are applied to the bottom of the shoes, can be prepared economically and in a uniform manner without requiring any substantial exercise of operator skill.

It is preferred in carrying out the invention to advance the soles at least as far as the adhesive applying device while they are positioned with their lengths extending along the direction of advancement and with the toe ends of the soles foremost. This is especially advantageous in the case of soles for ladies Louis heeled or similar shoes, which soles terminate in heel flaps for attachment to breast faces of heels.

In a preferred manner of carrying out the method according to the invention soles are dispensed singly in succession from a supply of soles and each sole is fed to the reducing station and on discharge therefrom is guided and conducted automatically to the adhesive applying device beyond which the soles are mechanically transferred to the holder or drying rack. Preferably in practice of the invention the soles on leaving the reducing station are turned over during their advancement so as to cause each of them to present upwardly to the adhesive applying device a sole face which was presented downwardly at the reducing station.

Conveniently in practising the invention each cycle of actuation of the sole reducing means at the reducing station is caused to commence as a sole commences to move from a predetermined position for engagement by the sole reducing means. By this procedure correct registry of each sole with the reducing means to ensure correct profile reduction of the soles is secured.

The invention includes apparatus for processing shoe soles comprising reducing apparatus by which required reducing operations can be performed on each sole in turn, means whereby soles may be presented successively to the reducing apparatus, means for advancing the soles in turn from the reducing apparatus to an adhesive applying station, adhesive applying means at said station, and means for delivering the soles in turn from the ad hesive applying means at said adhesive applying station. There may be provided a holder for a supply of soles and means for abstracting soles singly in turn from such holders and advancing them for presentation to the reducing apparatus. The apparatus thus provided enables prefinished soles to be processed expeditiously and economically in readiness for attachment to heels to form complete bottom units or for attachment without heels to the bottoms of shoe upper assemblies. It is merely necessary to replenish the holder from time to time with supplies of soles and remove processed soles from the delivery end of the apparatus, the processing from the supply to the delivery stage being carried out fully automatically. The processed soles may be delivered on to drying racks which are arranged to be removable so that empty racks may be substituted in place of full ones from time to time.

The apparatus conveniently comprises stacking apparatus for the soles after treatment with the adhesive comprising means for feeding the soles from the adhesive applying station to a delivery station and means at the delivery station for transferring the soles individually in turn on to a holder, for example a drying rack. With such apparatus the soles can be supplied in succession to the transfer station by the conveyor and as each sole reaches the transfer position it is automatically transferred to the holder without contact being made with its coated face.

A preferred way of carrying the invention into effect will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a convenient form of apparatus used in practising the invention. In the drawmgs,

FIGURES 1 and 1A together provide a side elevation view of apparatus in accordance with the invention for performing a succession of operations on shoe soles,

FIGURE 2 is a detail view, as seen in end elevation from the right of FIG. 1A, of part of the mechanism appearing on the right of that figure,

FIGURES 3 and 3A together provide a plan view of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 4 is an end elevation view of stacking means for shoe soles as seen from the left of FIGURE 1.

In the drawings there is shown a combination of several apparatuses for successively acting automatically on shoe soles presented in succession thereto. Thus as seen on the right of FIG. 1A there is shown generally at 10 a magazine for a supply of soles S which are fed in succession to reducing apparatus indicated at 11 from which they pass automatically in turn to conveying apparatus at 12 so constructed as to invert each sole in turn as it passes forward, the soles being then delivered in turn to an adhesive applying device indicated at 13 and equipped in the example shown with sole bending apparatus 14 acting on the soles immediately before they have adhesive applied to them. From the adhesive applying apparatus 13 the soles automatically pass to stacking apparatus comprising a conveyor 15 and a transfer station 16 at which the soles with adhesive applied are automatically transferred on to holders such as that indicated at 17 on which they can remain while the adhesive is allowed to dry. The successive operations of reducing the soles, applying adhesive to them and stacking them on to holders 17 are all performed mechanically in succession without any handling of the soles by an operative.

The magazine 10 and sole reducing apparatus 11 are conveniently constructed as a single unit having a table 18 on which the soles are placed in a stack one above another being positioned in registry with one another and orientated to extend longitudinally in the direction of feed by means of adjustable side plates 19 upstanding from the table 18 and positioned by having fixed to them bosses or sleeves 20 which are adjustably clamped to a cross bar 21 fixed to side Walls, short portions of which are shown broken away at 22 in FIGURE 1A. In addition wires 23 extend from the upper part of the reducing apparatus towards the right of FIGURE 1A and have down turned arms 24. The plates 19 and down turned arms 24 together provide lateral locating devices to position the soles. Further from an upper part 25 of the frame of the reducing apparatus there extends a positioning plate 26 having a down turned portion 27 which reaches downwardly towards the table 18 stopping short thereof by rather more than the thickness of one sole S. This positioning plate determines the starting point from which the movement of each sole commences.

The reducing apparatus comprises a matrix roller 28 having a spindle 29 which is mounted in. a carrier 30 yieldably urged downwardly to press the matrix roller 28 towards a co-operating roller 31 mounting on a spindle 32 having a stationary bearing mounting. The rollers 28 and 31 are driven to rotate in opposite directions to engage and press a sole S between them and advance it against a reducing knife 33 whereby certain of the substance of the sole is removed from its under face depending on the shape of the matrix roller 28. As can be seen from FIG. 3A the matrix roller 28 normally has a sole shaped recess 34 formed in it having slanting sides and having its depth varied according to the extent and positions of required reduction of the thickness of the soles. The portions of a sole which are pressed into the full depth of the recess 34 in the roller 28 miss the reducing knife 33 but those which are depressed to less extent meet the knife and have substance removed to a greater or less extent according to requirements of the type of soles being treated. The rollers 28 and 31 are shown in FIG. 1A as being driven from an electric motor 35 through a chain or belt 36 which drives a spindle 37 on which is a gear 38 meshing with a gear 39 secured to the main spindle 32 of roller 31. The rollers 28 and 31 are coupled to rotate in opposite directions by intermeshing gears 40 and 41 secured to their respective spindles.

It is necessary to coordinate the presentation of each sole in turn with the shape of the depression 34 in the matrix roller 28. To this end the bottom one of the soles S in the magazine is arranged to be advanced by a pusher block the movement of which is timed accurately in relation to the rotation of the matrix roller 28 so that as the sole enters between the rollers 28 and 31 it is correctly positioned in relation to the recess 34 in the roller 28. In the example shown the soles being treated are for ladies fashion shoes and their heelward ends are formed as heel flaps F which are shaped to a tapering form so as to fit against the heel breast face of the shoe heel. With such soles it is preferred to advance them toe end first to the several apparatuses and the pusher block is formed as a plate 42 having a notched part 43 to engage around the tapered partof the heel flap F of each sole S. The plate 42 is slidable in a guide slot in the table 18 in line with the direction of advancement of the soles and it is moved to and fro by a lever 44 and link 45, the latter being anchored to the plate 42 at 46 and to the lever 44 at 47. The lever 44 is secured to a spindle 50 to which is also secured a cam follower arm 51 carrying a roller 52 which engages with an eccentric cam 53 secured to the gear wheel 39. Thus at the correct time in relation to the rotation of the matrix roller 28 the follower arm 51 is operated to rock the lever 44 and cause the slide 42 to advance the lowermost sole S in the magazine beneath the plate 27 into engagement with the rollers 28 and 31. The follower roller 52 is maintained in engagement with the cam 53 by a spring 54 acting on the lever 44.

The motor 35 drives the rollers 28 and 31 continuously and the cam 53 is also operated continuously from the motor so that in normal operation soles S are abstracted one at a time from the magazine and fed automatically in succession between the rollers 28 and 31. To enable the operator to disconnect the drive to the slide for the purpose of charging the machine while the motor 35 is in operation, the spindle 50 is divided into parts 50a carrying the follower arm 51, anl 50b carrying the lever 44, see FIG. 2. The two parts of spindle 58 may be coupled and uncoupled by means of a

dog clutch

55, 56 whereof the member 56' is keyed to slide on its shaft portion 50b and is spring urged to its disengaged position. Co-operating with member 56 is a wedge block 57 on an upstanding rod 58 the lower end of which is anchored at 59 to a treadle lever 60 pivoted at 61 to a fixed part. A spring 62 acts on treadle lever 60 to raise it and has suflicient strength to move the rod 58 upwardly so as to cause the wedge member 57 to move upwardly in fixed guides 57a and slide the member 56 against its spring to engage the dog clutch. It will be seen that the wedge 57 is bifurcated to enable it to straddle the rod 50. Whenever it is desired to discontinue the operation of slide plate 42, the operator depresses the treadle lever 60 by pressing his foot on the end 63 thereof thus causing the

dog clutch

55, 66 to become disengaged and thereby interrupt the rocking movements of the lever 44.

As the soles are delivered from the reducing apparatus 11 they pass into engagement with the conveying and reversing device 12. This comprises two pairs of

opposed rollers

64, 65 and 66, 67 around which there is Wrapped in figure of eight formation a single endless belt 68. At each of the center stretches at which parts of the belt pass from roller 65 on to roller 66 and from roller 64 on to roller 67 the belt is given a half twist in the same direction. Thus with the two stretches urged together in surface contact, the face which is uppermost on leaving roller 65 is directed downwardly as it passes on to roller 66, and the face which is directed downwardly on leaving roller 64 is directed upwardly on reaching roller 67. The effect of this is that the sole S on passing out of the reducing apparatus is taken up between the central stretches of the belt 68 between the rollers 64 and 65 and carried forward by the belt in the direction of the arrow 69 at the same time being turned about the longitudinal axis of the sole through 180 to cause the sole surface which was presented downwardly to become presented upwardly as the sole leaves the conveying and reversing apparatus between the rollers 66 and 67. The belt 68 is driven from the roller 65 through chains or belts 70 and 71 and intervening pulleys or

sprockets

72, 73 on a counter shaft 74. The belt or chain 70 is driven from the motor 35.

The adhesive applying apparatus 13, FIG. 1, comprises an adhesive applying roller 75 and opposed feed and presser means comprising a feed wheel 76 and a row of independently yieldable presser fingers 77. The surface of the wheel 75 is supplied with liquid from a tank 78. The presser wheel 76 is mounted on a bracket pivoted at 79 to enable the wheel to rock towards and away from the applying roller 75, the bracket having an arm 80 provided with an adjustable stop screw 81 and being acted on by a spring 82 which rocks the bracket to urge the feed wheel 76 towards the applying roller 75. The individually yieldable presser fingers 77 are pivoted about a common axis 83 and each provided with an adjustable stop screw 84 and acted on by an individual spring 85. The adhesive applying roller 75 is driven through a belt or chain 86 from a counter shaft 87 driven by a belt or chain 88 and pulley or sprocket 89 from the spindle of an electric motor 90.

Associated with the adhesive applying device there is a sole bending device indicated at 14 for acting on the soles immediately before they reach the adhesive applying roller. The sole bending device comprises an upper central wheel 91 interposed between lateral lower wheels 92 secured to a spindle 93 having outwardly rounded peripheries as seen in cross-section. The

wheels

91 and 92 are driven by means of a belt or chain 94 from the spindle 87 and are urged towards one another so as to bend the soles along a central longitudinal line into a V like trough formation and at the same time feed them on to the adhesive applying roller 75. Between the

Wheels

91, 92 and the adhesive applying station there is a trough like guide 95 carried on a frame part 96 for holding the soles in the trough like shape so that their lateral marginal edges first engage with the applying roller '75 thereby ensuring that all parts of the upper surface of each sole are engaged with the applying roller and become evenly coated with adhesive. With a different form of adhesive applying device having presser means effective for pressing the sole face evenly against the applying roller despite variations in thickness across the width of the soles, a sole bending device such as 14 is unnecessary, in which case the soles will pass directly from between the rollers 66 and 67 to the adhesive applying roller 75.

After leaving the adhesive applying device with tacky adhesive coated on their upper surfaces the soles S are discharged in succession on to the conveyor belt 15. As seen in FIG. 1 this passes over

guide rollers

97, 98 and 99 which define a more or less triangular path in side view, the roller 98 acting also as a driving roller'being mounted on a spindle 100 which is driven by a belt or chain 101 from a spindle 102 which in turn is driven by a belt or chain 103 from a driving motor 104. The drive is so arranged that the upper stretch of the belt 15 moves to the left as seen in FIG. 1. Between the

rollers

97 and 99 the upper stretch of belt 15 has two diversions downwardly to provide spaced recesses in the fiat upper surface over which the soles will pass. These diversions are provided by guiding the belt into

downward loops

105 and 106 by passing it firstly between closely spaced

guide rollers

107 and 108 and under a lower roller 109, and secondly over a further roller 110 closely spaced to the roller 99 and down under a roller 111. In the recesses formed by so diverting the belt 15 downwardly, there are movable transversely of the belt two parallel spaced rods 112 of a carrier 113 forming a transfer device, the carrier having also behind the rods 112 lateral upstanding plates 114. The rods 112 are adapted to be moved under a sole on the left hand end of the conveyor 15 and the edges of the upstanding plates 114 are arranged to engage against the sole edge. Thus by moving the carrier 113 across the conveyor at an appropriate time a sole can be moved laterally off the conveyor 15 and carried on to one side resting on the rods 112. Lateral movement of the carrier 113 is provided for by fitting it with bearing rods 115 which slide in fixed bearing sleeves 116 on a mounting 117 which carries a pneumatically operated cylinder 118 the piston rod of which is connected to the carrier Opposite the transfer device 113 is a mounting for receiving a holder or rack 17 for the soles on to which they are transferred by the carrier 113. As seen most clearly in FIG. 4, the holder 17 which is of inverted U form is adapted to be suspended on a chain 119 by means of a hook plate 120 and to have its lower part resting against a fixed guiding abutment 121. The chain 119 passes around upper and lower sprockets 122 and 123, the upper sprocket 122 .being supported on a spindle 124 carried in fixed bearing blocks 125 and the lower sprockets 123 being secured to a spindle 126 mounted in fixed bearings. The sprocket 123 carries a rack wheel 127 with which there co-operates a pawl 128 urged by a spring 129 into engagement with the teeth of the rack wheel 127. The pawl 128 is carried on one arm 130 of a bell crank lever pivoted on spindle 126 the other arm 131 of such lever being coupled at 132 to a piston rod 133 of a pneumatically operated cylinder 134 anchored at 135 to a fixed mounting 136. The piston of the cylinder 134 is adapted to rock the pawl 128 at appropriate times to raise the holder 17 step by step so that pairs of parallel rods 137 projecting from its two arms and forming sole rests or shelves are moved upwardly by the amount of their vertical spacing. Thus by appropriate co-ordination of the energizing of the

cylinders

118 and 134 it can be arranged that the carrier 113 will move across the conveyor belt 15 to transfer a sole laterally therefrom to a position between adjacent pairs of rods 137 on the holder 17 and while the carrier dwells in that position the cylinder 134 is energized to raise the holder 17 so that the sole is lifted from the carrier and supported on two of the rods 137.

It is desirable so to arrange matters that the energizing of the

pneumatic cylinders

118 and 134 in sequence is initiated by the movement of a sole along the conveyor 15 into position for transfer therefrom. To this end as shown most clearly in FIG. 1 there is provided sensing means comprising a depending flap 138 of rigid material which is slung by an anchorage 139 at its upper end on a flexible supporting piece 140 from an upper fixed part 141. The flap 138 has acting on it a light spring 142 causing it to be urged towards the right as seen in FIG. 1 against a depending fixed abutment 143 and with its lower part disposed across the delivery end of the conveyor 15. The flap 138 is so delicately controlled that the engagement with it of a sole S moving along the conveyor 15 will rock the flap 138 to the left as seen in FIG. 1, up to an adjustable fixed abutment 144. When the flap is so rocked an abutment screw 145 on its upper part is caused to engage a trigger 145 of an air valve indicated at 147 to cause energization of pneumatic cylinder 118 to take place.

Thus it is arranged that as each sole is carried to the far end of conveyor 15 it will trip the flap 138 so as to energize the pneumatic cylinder 118 and cause the transfer device or carrier 113 to move from the position shown in FIG. 4 across the conveyor and transfer the sole over to the holder 17 between pairs of rods 137 thereof. The pneumatic cylinder 134 is then operated at a suitable timed interval to cause the holder to be lifted by one step to take the sole from the carrier. Thereupon the carrier is returned to the setting shown in FIG. 4 in readiness to transfer the next sole. It will be seen that the engagement of each sole with the flap 138 and the engagement of the flap with abutment 144 will ensure that the sole S is correctly positioned in the direction of its travel for transfer to the holder 17 and that regularity of positioning of all of the soles is thereby secured.

The method employed in the use of the apparatus is a method of preparing pre-finished soles to bring them in a condition for attachment to shoes. It comprises broadly speaking the steps of reducing the soles at their edge portions and along the waist portions and heel flaps and subsequently coating the faces on which the reduction has been performed with adhesive for the purpose of their attachment to shoes. In performing the method the soles S are advanced singly in succession from the supply magazine shown on the right of FIG. 1 while orientated approximately in the same direction in relation to their direction of advancement firstly past the reducing station 11 and afterwards past the adhesive applying station 13 to perform the steps aforementioned continuously on a succession of the soles. On delivery from the adhesive applying station 13 the soles are passed in turn to the transfer or stacking station 16 at which they are transferred individually laterally on to a drying rack in the form of the holder 1'7 which is detachably mounted on the chain 119. The soles are placed individually on successive shelves of the holder 17 until the holder is filled or until treatment of a required batch of soles is completed. The holder 17 is then detached and moved bodily with the soles coated with tacky adhesive still in position on the shelves to a drying rack support to be left for the adhesive to dry out. When each charged holder 17 is removed it is replaced by a fresh holder positioned at low level on the chain 19.

The various apparatuses are driven at appropriate related speeds by the motors 35, 90 and 104 and the sequence of operations all performed automatically in succession on each sole without any manhandling of the soles is as follows. The slide plate 42 is moved to and fro continuously while the treadle lever 60 is released, and advances the bottom sole from the magazine into engagement between the matrix roller 28 and presser roller 31 to bring the sole into proper registry with the recess 34 in the matrix roller. The sole is gripped between these rollers and fed over the reducing knife 33, such parts of the sole which are caused by the shape of the matrix roller 28 to be projected below the level of the knife being removed by the latter. The feed movement imparted by the rollers 28 and 31 advances the forward end of the sole into engagement betwen the rollers 64 and 65 and the sole is picked up between the twisted stretches of belt 68 and turned over side Ways while being advanced by the belt. On delivery from the belt 68 the sole is passed via the bending station 14, if provided, to the adhesive applying device at 13, with the reduced face now uppermost in readiness for application of adhesive thereto. The sole is then fed through the adhesive applicator and has adhesive applied to its upper face all over by the applying roller 75 and is delivered on to the belt 15. The latter advances the sole to the stacking or transfer station 16 and causes it to move against and trip the flap 133. The sole then remains against the flap and extends over the rods 112 of the carrier 113 until the carrier is moved transversely of the belt 15 whereupon the plates 114 slide the sole laterally off the belt on to the rods 112 which then carry the sole into the holder 17 between pairs of the rods 137 thereon. This transfer is initiated by the tripping of the flap 138 by the sole. At this point the carrier dwells in laterally displaced position while the pneumatic cylinder 134 is energized to rock the chain 119 through one step of movement so as to raise the holder 17 and cause the appropriate pair of rods 137 to lift the sole off the rods 112. The carrier 113 is then returned by its pneumatic cylinder 118 to its initial position ready to act on the next sole.

While each sole is passing through the later stages of the sequence of movements other soles follow on in succession through the same sequence until the holder 17 becomes fully charged with soles S which have been reduced and coated with adhesive or until a complete batch of soles has been treated. Usually the holders 17 will be adapted to receive a batch of soles corresponding to a batch quantity of shoes and the magazine for feeding the reducing apparatus will be adapted to accommodate the same or a larger quantity. When the magazine has been exhausted the treadle 63 is depressed to arrest movement of the slide plate 42 during re-charging of the machine with a further batch of soles.

In practice a matrix roller 2j8-will be provided for each style and size of shoe sole to be treated and its mounting is such as to permit replacement by a different matrix roller as and when required, correct rotational positioning of the rollers being provided for by an interengaging key and key-way provided one on the roller mounting and the other on each of the rollers in the correct position.

What I claim is:

1. A method of processing shoe soles according to which a plurality of soles are advanced singly in succession endwise in the same orientation firstly past a reducing station at which substance is reduced from each sole while it is deformed by a matrix in required manner, afterwards past an adhesive applying station at which adhesive is applied to the reduced sole faces and subsequently the soles are transferred individually to a holder.

2. A method according to claim 1 'wherein the soles are passed through bending apparatus prior to having adhesive applied to them at the adhesive applying station.

3. A method of processing shoe soles according to which a plurality of soles are advanced singly in succession endwise firstly past a reducing station at which substance is reduced from each sole while it is deformed by a matrix in required manner and, while remaining orientated approximately in the same direction in relation to their direction of advancement are then turned over during further advancing movement, subsequently passed through an adhesive applying station at which adhesive is applied to the reduced sole faces and subsequently the soles are transferred individually onto a holder.

4. A method of processing shoe soles according to which a plurality of soles are advanced singly in succession endwise through a plurality of stations in turn while orientated in the same direction in relation to their direction of advancement, one of said stations being a reducing station at which substance is reduced from each sole while'it is deformed by a matrix in required manner, a subsequent station being an adhesive applying station at which adhesive is applied to the reduced sole faces, thereafter feeding the soles in turn from the adhesive applying station to a stacking station and transferring the soles individually at the stacking station on to a holder.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the soles are advanced at least as far as the adhesive applying station while positioned with their lengths extending along the direction of their advancement.

6. A method according to claim 4 including dispensing the soles singly in succession from a supply of soles for feeding to the reducing station.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,936,919 Smith Nov. 28, 1933 2,097,799 Perry et al Nov. 2, 1937 2,254,350 Brostrom Sept. 2, 1941 2,480,786 Steinhilber Aug. 30, 1949 2,616,106 Phillips Nov. 4, 1952 2,727,261 Ruhr Dec. 20, 1955 2,730,735 Hannable et al Jan. 17, 1956 2,943,337 Sweeney July 5, 1960 2,989,762 Midgley June 27, 1961

Claims

4. A METHOD OF PROCESSING SHOE SOLES ACCORDING TO WHICH A PLURALITY OF SOLES ARE ADVANCED SINGLY IN SUCCESSION ENDWISE THROUGH A PLURALITY OF STATIONS IN TURN WHILE ORIENTATED IN THE SAME DIRECTION IN RELATION TO THEIR DIRECTION OF ADVANCEMENT, ONE OF SAID STATIONS BEING A REDUCING STATION AT WHICH SUBSTANCE IS REDUCED FROM EACH SOLE WHILE IT IS DEFORMED BY A MATRIX IN REQUIRED MANNER, A SUBSEQUENT STATION BEING AN ADHESIVE APPLYING STATION AT WHICH ADHESIVE IS APPLIED TO THE REDUCED SOLE FACES, THEREAFTER FEEDING THE SOLES IN TURN FROM THE ADHESIVE APPLYING STATION TO A STACKING STATION AND TRANSFERRING THE SOLES INDIVIDUALLY AT THE STACKING STATION ON TO A HOLDER.