Smart Automation in Luxury Leather Shoe Polishing: A Human Centric Robotic Approach

Abstract

The polishing of luxury leather shoes is a delicate, labor intensive process traditionally performed by skilled craftsmen. Footwear companies aim to automate parts of this process to enhance quality, productivity, and operator well-being, but the unique nature of luxury shoe production presents challenges. This paper introduces a solution involving a collaborative robotic cell to assist in shoe polishing. A collaborative robotic manipulator, equipped with a specialized tool and governed by force control, executes the polishing tasks. Key factors such as trajectory design, applied force, polishing speed, and polish amount were analyzed. Polishing trajectories are designed using CAM software and transferred to the robot control system. Human operators design the process, supervise the robot, and perform final finishing, ensuring their expertise is integral to achieving quality. Extensive testing on various shoe models showed significant improvements in quality and reliability, leading to successful implementation on an industrial production line.

Figures (13)

• Figure 1: Research problem and applied methods.
• Figure 2: Manual operation.
• Figure 3: Design of the robotic cell.
• Figure 4: The real robotic cell.
• Figure 5: 3D prospective view of the polishing dispenser with all its components. The step motor drives the linear actuator, which pushes the bottom of the polish stick inserted into the stick holder. In that way the polish is dispensed in a precise amount in the polish pickup bowl.