TPU has good processing properties such as injection, extrusion, calendering, blow molding, molding, etc. Its application covers the three major shoe-making projects of sole, upper and lamination, and is favored by the majority of shoe manufacturers. From the figure below It can be seen that TPU covers almost the entire scope of the shoe manufacturing process.

As a shoe outsole, TPU can provide good wear resistance, folding resistance and fatigue resistance; the midsole part can be used as an air cushion to provide good resilience and shock absorption.

On the upper, the waterproof and moisture-permeable TPU can be used as a film to fit the shoe cloth; it can also be used as a special decorative effect. The method is to screen-print and color the TPU film first, and then shape and bond it with a high frequency wave. Decorate on the upper; in addition, TPU melt-spun spandex fly woven fabric or TPU synthetic leather fabric can be used as the upper.

The material of TPU shoelaces is usually UV-resistant TPU material, which is stronger and more elastic than traditional polyester and nylon materials; at the same time, it has the characteristics of light weight, waterproof, dirt resistance, and easy cleaning; and can provide larger The contact surface can effectively prevent knots from loosening.

TPU adhesives are a kind of polyurethane adhesives. The use of polyurethane adhesives in Europe and the United States has been quite common, especially in the use of shoe adhesives. The use of TPU adhesives in my country is to obtain polyurethane adhesives after TPU is dissolved and processed.

With the development requirements of lightweight footwear products, the advantages of TPU materials are very obvious, but the high cost of TPU limits its large-scale application in the field of footwear. At present, there is still a certain gap between the choice of TPU by shoe material manufacturers and the demand for materials such as rubber and EVA. The figure below is the current statistics of the proportion of various materials in the domestic shoe material field.

In the future, benefiting from the drive of the overall sports industry and the increase in the use and consumption of TPU in single shoes, it is expected that TPU will still have a 5-10% growth in the field of shoes.

Source: Internet