Application of TPU in Shoe Materials

TPU has excellent processing properties such as injection molding, extrusion, calendering, blow molding, and compression molding. Its application is widely used in the three major shoe-making projects of sole, upper, and bonding, and is favored by a large number of shoe-making manufacturers,

From the figure below, it can be seen that TPU covers almost the entire range of shoe manufacturing processes.

As a shoe outsole, TPU can provide good wear resistance, folding resistance, and fatigue resistance; The midsole can serve as an air cushion, providing good resilience and shock absorption.

On the upper of the shoe, waterproof and breathable TPU can be used as a film to bond with the shoe material fabric; It can also be used as a special decorative effect by first screen printing and coloring TPU film, and then shaping it with high-frequency waves and bonding it to the shoe upper for decoration; In addition, TPU melt spun spandex fly woven fabric or TPU synthetic leather fabric can be used as shoe uppers.

The material of TPU shoelaces is usually UV resistant TPU material, which is stronger and more elastic compared to traditional polyester and nylon materials; Simultaneously possessing the characteristics of lightweight, waterproof, dirt resistant, and easy to clean; And it can provide a larger contact surface, effectively preventing knots from loosening.

TPU adhesive belongs to a type of polyurethane adhesive, and its use is quite common in Europe and America, especially in the use of shoe adhesives where polyurethane adhesive is almost used. The use of TPU adhesive in China is to obtain polyurethane adhesive by dissolving TPU and processing it.

With the development of lightweight footwear products, the advantages of TPU materials are very obvious. However, the high cost of TPU limits its large-scale application in the field of shoemaking. At present, there is still a certain gap in the demand for TPU compared to rubber, EVA and other materials in shoe material production enterprises. The following chart shows the current proportion and share statistics of various materials in the domestic shoe material field.

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