Lasting Process

UNIT 3 LASTING PROCESS CONTROL Control Systems

SYSTEMS
Structure
3.1 Introduction
Objectives

3.2 Quality Specifications and Standards

3.2.1 Quality Specifications
3.2.2 Quality Standards

3.3 Three Basic Concepts of Quality Control

3.4 Inspection Versus Quality Control
3.5 Benefits of Inspection and Quality Control
3.6 Inspection in Lasting and Making Room
3.7 Safety Rules and Procedures
3.8 Summary
3.9 Key Words

3.1 INTRODUCTION
Manufacturing process control is also referred to as the Quality Control.
According to Bethel, Altwater and Stackman, “The Quality Control refers to the
systematic control of these variables encountered in a manufacturing process which
affects the excellence of the end product. Such variables result from the application of
materials, machines and the manufacturing conditions. Only when these variables are
regulated to the extent that they do not detract unnecessarily from the excellence of the
manufacturing process as reflected in quality of the finished product, can control of
quality said to exist.”
Objectives
After studying this unit, you should be able to
• understand the different quality control systems used in the lasting
department of the footwear industry, and
• understand the safety rules, which everyone should follow in the department.

3.2 QUALITY SPECIFICATIONS AND STANDARDS

The pre-determined quality is built into the footwear during process of production itself.
This calls for system approach. Since quality depends on all the elements of production:
raw materials, equipment and workmen, hence all these must be tied up, and the first and
the foremost step in enunciating quality is to lay down quality specifications.
3.2.1 Quality Specifications
Specifications are the definitions of the measurable as well as the non-measurable
characteristics of the product. Specifications are mainly of four types as discussed below.
Material Specifications
These pertain to the raw material aspects of the footwear. Materials specifications
are based on the experience, tests, experiments and applied research.
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Other Construction Dimensional Specifications
Materials
They refer to the size aspects of the footwear and they are the ones that are
incorporated in the design component drawings. Exact sizes are not specified since
the assembly will function satisfactorily even if there are some variations in the
part sizes. Also exact sizes are too expensive to produce. Tolerances on the
dimensions are, therefore, specified to indicate the maximum permissible
variability in their sizes.
Performance Specifications
Refer to the actual performance of the footwear.
Environmental Specifications
Pertain to the climatic conditions which the component/product/material should
withstand (e.g. temperature, moisture etc.).
3.2.2 Quality Standards
• Quality standards must be definite and understandable. They must not leave
even a single doubt for any department, be it manufacturing, inspection or
any other. The reliance on judgement and the problem of interpretation
during inspection must be remote.
• Quality standards should be reasonable and achievable, i.e. they must be
economically viable. Absolute uniformity (i.e. to produce each item to the
exact dimension) is not impossible to obtain in production but also costly to
approach. The quality standards, therefore, must be taken into account
permissible amount of variation from the ideal.

3.3 THREE BASIC CONCEPTS OF QUALITY CONTROL

Quality control function must be looked upon as an integrated function because the
quality of raw materials and components purchased from the vendors; the quality of
production aids (tools, jigs and fixtures, measuring instruments); quality of
manufacturing process and the manufacturing facilities employed; quality of
workmanship; and the quality of systems set to regulate and control work on the shop
floor.
To ensure quality of the products, scientific quality control recognises three distinct
functions :
Acceptance Function
Refers to the inspection of goods to ensure that they are up to the specifications,
thereby segregate and reject those, which are defectives. Acceptance function of
quality is called as “Inspection” and it includes elements like receiving inspection,
process inspection, finished goods inspection, gauge maintenance, disposition of
non-conforming materials, day-to-day trouble shooting etc.
Preventive Function
Refers to the identification of defects to the materials, components, machining
processes, or men to fix responsibilities of defectives, thereby avoiding or
minimising the occurrence of defectives. Preventive function of quality is called as
“Quality Control” and it includes elements like process capability studies, failure
statistics analysis, training of the inspectors, method studies to reduce defectives
etc.
Assurance Function
Refers to verification that every quality characteristics or a product is assured to
meet the pre-determined performance standards at each stage in the manufacturing
cycle. The assurance function includes elements like customer’s complaints,
quality audit, quality determination, accuracy of inspection, executive reports on
26 quality, etc.
 Lasting Process
3.4 INSPECTION VERSUS QUALITY CONTROL Control Systems

Quality control and inspection are though closely related yet they differ in respect of the
following :
(i) Quality Control aims to produce better quality products at the least cost to
the company and inspection is one of the tools used by it to achieve its
objective;
(ii) Quality Control determines the causes of variations in the characteristics of
the products and suggests methods to minimise these variations while
inspection is the application of tests and measuring devices to compare the
products and their performance with specified standards. Inspection, thus,
determines the acceptability or otherwise of an item by comparing it with the
specified limits of variability;
(iii) Quality Control determines what, when and how much to inspect while
inspection actually conducts examination of goods for the quality
characteristics called for by the Quality Control at the place and stages
suggested by them; and
(iv) The two functions were formerly combined, inspection being a part of
quality control or vice-versa but with the evolution of SQC concepts the
trend is towards the separation of the functions.

3.5 BENEFITS OF INSPECTION AND QUALITY CONTROL

Inspection and Quality Control
(i) Ensures adequate maintenance of quality necessary to satisfy customers and
to meet competition of rival producers;
(ii) Ensures that the parts are within the specified limits of accuracy and they fit
properly during assembly;
(iii) Gives economy in production through reduction of defective work and
consequent increase in utilisation of facilities and labour;
(iv) Prevents labour and machine time from being spent on work already
identified as defective; and
(v) Provides required control on work produced by the incentive workers since
they need to be paid only for the acceptable quantities.
SAQ 1
Explain the pros and cons of Quality control and Inspection.

3.6 INSPECTION IN LASTING AND MAKING ROOM

Inspection is an important function though it does not add value to the product but adds
to its cost. Inspection function must be planned. Too much as well as too little are
undesirable. Too much inspection is a needless expense and too little inspection may
not provide requisite quality assurance.
Inspection planning, therefore, must serve as an essential element in a quality assurance
programme. Inspection planning consists of six basic elements : 27
Other Construction What to Inspect (Specifications)?
Materials
Specifications are the tools of inspection. In absence of specifications, neither
buying nor selling of footwear can be thought of. The drawing sheets, sequence of
operations, bill of materials, commercial standard pertaining to the country’s law,
packaging instructions, assembly and test instructions are all examples of
specifications.
Each and every quality characteristic of the footwear may not be checked. Only the
important quality characteristics affecting the performance of the footwear may be
checked to reduce the cost of inspection.
When to Inspect (Stages of Inspection)?
Stages of inspection identify, within the conversion process, the points at which the
inspection tests need to be carried out to identify the defects and initiative
corrections, thereby ensuring production of goods of the right quality at minimum
cost to the organization.
It is worthwhile to divide the inspection in this department into the following groups :
• Inspection, cent per cent should be conducted on all the incoming
components of the footwear coming from the various departments, like the
closing, component (sole, insole, toe-puff, counter etc.) prior to their loading
on to the lasting operative machines.
• Inspection should be conducted prior to a long run so as to reduce the
possibility of defectives due to errors in setting of a machine. This kind of
inspection is generally referred to as the “First off inspection” or “The Pilot
Piece Inspection”.
The First off inspection is followed for a process layout and the pilot piece
inspection is undertaken for a product layout.
In the first off inspection, the first piece produced after a machine is set up
is checked thoroughly against the prescribed quality standards. The operator
is allowed to proceed for regular production if the first piece is approved by
the inspection.
In the pilot piece, a series of operations are performed on a single piece and
on completion is offered for inspection. The production is undertaken up
only if the pilot piece satisfies the prescribed standards.
• Inspection should be conducted as the production is coming off the line so
that correction (if any) is made at the earliest. This kind of inspection is
known as “Patrolling” or “Roving” Inspection and it is done at the place of
actual production.
There is a definite need of roving inspectors and the number of these will be
determined by the size of the manufacturing unit. They should make frequent
spot check on all aspects of manufacturing in the department to which they
belong.
Additionally, it should be the responsibility of the roving inspector to
regularly check machine settings, e.g. temperature, dwell times, pressure etc.
This is of particular importance in the lasting and making department.
The roving inspectors should keep notes and records of their work, which
should be analysed to give indication to any particular problem areas. It is
important to remember, that the foreman of each individual section should be
constantly examining the work in progress in their section. Quality control is
an integral part of their working duties.
• Inspection should be carried out on the components before they are
transferred to other section, department or division. This kind of
inspection is known as “Stage Inspection”. Stage Inspection identifies the
28 sources of defects, thereby fixing the responsibility on individuals.
 Inspection should be conducted prior to an operation after whose Lasting Process
completion no rework what so ever is possible. This type of inspection is Control Systems
called “Critical Operation Inspection”.
While performing inspection, care must also be taken to inspect goods
• prior to a costlier operation,
• prior to an operation which conceals the defects of the previous
operations, and
• prior to an operation which is likely to endanger costly tooling.
All shoes should be subjected to inspection after lasting to ensure that they
have been lasted properly and that all proportions are accurate. After
roughing operation, correction to inaccurate lasting is very difficult as
roughed areas invariably become visible in the finished shoe. Inspection
immediately after lasting is, therefore, essential. The inspector, who must be
able to make small corrections to the lasting, should have the following
equipment in his workplace :
• Good Lighting
• Work ticket holder
• Hammer
• Lasting pincer
• Creep rubber pad for upper correcting
The lasting inspector should use the following sequences for carrying out his
inspection :
(i) He should begin by reading the work ticket so that he can
determine the correct dimensions and specifications for the
shoes. He should also ensure that the work lot is complete and
that the pairs per size correspond to the order;
(ii) The vamp length and the back height should be checked;
(iii) The back seams and the side seams and or fore seams should be
straight and uniform;
(iv) Trim, aprons, eyelet facing etc. should not be distorted and
should be uniformed from the pair to pair;
(v) The uppers should be checked to ensure that they have been
sewn according to the specification, and that no stitches or
details are missing; and
(vi) The shoes should be examined for general damage (e.g. lasting
crack, open seams, etc.).
• Inspection must be conducted on the completed assemblies under conditions
similar to field conditions. This kind of inspection is commonly known as the
“Functional Inspection”.
This inspection should take place after the last has been removed from the
shoe and the tacks on the insole have been filled.
The inspector should carry out a general examination of the shoes and, most
important, should look inside the shoe to check that there are no standing
tacks, which could cause an immediate and serious injury when the shoes are
tried on.
Any necessary repairs should be carried out before the shoes are sent for
finishing in the shoe room.

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Other Construction As with lasting inspection, no special equipment is required, but the
Materials inspector should have the following equipment at his work place :
- Good lighting
- Work ticket holder
- Long reach pincer
- Small hand iron
- Hot air blower
- Pair of scissors
- Piece of crepe rubber for upper cleaning
- Gas flame or spirit lamp
The pre inspector should follow the sequence used by lasting inspector,
checking the same points again, additionally the following points must be
examined.
- There must be no tacks left standing on the insole.
- The insole must be smooth and should not have become creased
during lasting.
- The lining must be smooth and free from creases.
- The soles and heels should be checked to ensure that they
correspond to the specifications (height and length of heel,
cleanliness of soles and heel etc.).
• Inspection should be conducted prior to the shipment of the goods to the
customer. This kind of inspection is referred to as the “Final Inspection”.
The shoes are subjected to final inspection before they are allowed to leave
the factory. The final inspection must, as the name suggests, be the last
operation before the shoes are packed.
The shoes, therefore, be inspected when the last operation in the shoe room
has been completed. Remember that the returns from the stores or from the
customers are very costly. It is better to identify any faults before the shoes
leave the factory.
The final inspector carries the responsibility of ensuring that all quality
standards have been met. In order to ensure that this judgement is unbiased,
he should be answerable only to the factory manager and not to the lasting
and making room manager. It is not normally the responsibility of the final
inspector to carry out repairs; they should return faulty or damaged shoe for
rectification to the department concerned.
For this, equipment he requires at this workplace is limited to
- Good lighting
- A pair of scissors
- A gas flame or spirit lamp for thread burning
- A polishing duster
The final inspector should begin the inspection by carefully reading the work
ticket to familiarize himself with all the details of the shoe style and of the
particular order. The final inspector should always inspect a pair of shoes
together. This is vital if he is to ensure that the two shoes really are a pair.
All aspects of the shoes must be checked including those already checked
during previous inspections. Additionally, the final inspector should check
the following points :
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 - The sock should be accurately positioned, firmly bonded in place, and Lasting Process
the lining and sock should be free from adhesive. The stamping should Control Systems
be accurate.
- The upper Leather finishing has been carried out according to the
specification.
- All necessary labels and tickets have been attached.
- The pair wise and size ratios correspond to the order requirements.
Where to Inspect (Places of Inspection)?
It is the area where the inspection is carried out so as to bring out the desired
quality with the minimum inspection and minimum cost, e.g. inspection of the
finished products should be performed as near as possible to the packing
operations. This avoids the need to transport and the likely risk of damage and
deterioration to quality. Such an inspection does not disturb production schedules
and is generally faster.
How to Inspect (Inspection Devices)?
The accuracy of measurement, a prime factor in inspection, is achieved by use of
various types of measuring devices.
Common measuring devices in the lasting department are :
• measuring Instruments – like steel rulers,
• laboratory testing equipment, which may be destructive tests, and
• non-destructive testing – This may be done visually for testing of flaws and
defects in materials without their physical destruction or without impairing
their usefulness or serviceability.
In the sole adhesion test, equipment are available which can be used to carry out
sole adhesion tests simply in the factory and without the need to destroy the sole.
The test should be carried out when the sole bond has had sufficient time to fully
develop (as defined by the adhesive manufacturer). It is not necessary to test every
pair, in fact testing 3 or 4 pairs per day is sufficient but it is, however, important to
repeat the test for different constructions and/or different types of shoes and sole
materials. Carrying out this simple test will give a good indication that operations
such as roughing, adhesive application and sole pressing are correctly carried out
and that the adhesive, upper and sole materials are in order.
Remember that when one link in the chain of sole attaching operation is not
perfect, the sole will almost certainly become detached from the upper during
wear. Until the problem has been discovered, thousands of pairs could have been
made, all of which are potential returns.
How Much to Inspect (Sampling or Cent Percent Inspection)?
Inspection may be done either on each piece (called as cent per cent inspection) or
on samples (called as sampling inspection).
The choice between the cent per cent and the sampling inspection depends on the
following factors :
• Cost of inspection versus cost of failure;
• Nature of inspection;
• Lot size;
• Manufacturing process;
• Stage of inspection;
• Functional importance of the item;
• Stage of development; 31
Other Construction • Results of sampling inspection;
Materials
• Re-inspection of segregated lots;
• Vendor’s quality rating; and
• Inspection performed as a moral check on stage inspectors or line
inspectors.
Who Should Inspect?
The qualifications, experience, type of training and the essential traits for the
inspectors should be specified.
How to Inspect?
Trained inspectors, using the right equipment and tools, should conduct the
inspection.
SAQ 2
Explain in detail the six basic elements of inspection planning.

3.7 SAFETY RULES AND PROCEDURES

• Keep hands away from heated parts of all the machines;
• Keep hands away from the moving parts of all the machines;
• In case of problems with the functioning of the machine or in case of
accident, press the red emergency buttons present on all the machines;
• Turn the machine off when not in use;
• Know your fire drill. In case of fire in some machines, use only dry powder
extinguisher;
• Wear appropriate footwear;
• Wear appropriate clothing, no loose and hanging clothes are allowed;
• If your hair is longer than the shoulder length a hair band or hair net must be
worn;
• One person should work at a time on the machine;
• Always keep the work area neat and tidy;
• While performing operations like roughing and scouring, one should wear
safety goggles;
• If an accident occurs, no matter how minor, inform your supervisor. If
necessary seek medical advice;
• To avoid accidental pressing of any part of the machine lying on the floor, it
should be covered with the safety cover;
• Do not try to do any electrical repairs. See your supervisor/instructor;
• No smoking, as the fumes of the primers and adhesives can easily catch a
light;
• Set screen to avoid direct light to your eyes in case of flash reactivator
32 machines;
 • In the refrigeration system of the back part moulding machine, do not turn Lasting Process
Control Systems
the water cooling system tap switch on until the compressor has been on for
a minimum of 20 minutes;
• Do not put your hands in between the thermal units of the machines when it
is on;
• The safety guard must always be in place when operating the machine; and
• When using the priming agents in case of soling material, always put on
facemasks in order to avoid inhalation of the fumes, which might be harmful.
SAQ 3
Write down the safety rules as followed in the Lasting department.

3.8 SUMMARY
This unit emphasises on the safety procedures, which all the operators and the
supervisors should follow in the lasting and the making room.
You are also made aware of the inspection and the quality control standards and
procedures followed in the lasting and the making room.

3.9 KEY WORDS

Quality
Acceptance Function
Preventive Function
Assurance Function
Inspection
Sampling Inspection
: It is conformance to requirements and it is the
value perceived by the customer.
: Accepting good ones by rejecting and segregating
defectives.
: It is the identification of defects to the materials,
components, machining processes, or men to fix
responsibilities of defectives, thereby avoiding or
minimizing the occurrence of defectives.
: It is the verification that every quality
characteristics or a product is assured to meet the
pre-determined performance standards at each
stage in the manufacturing cycle.
: It is one of the tools used by the Quality control
systems to achieve its objective.
: The quality of the lot of the product is decided
based on the inspection results of a few pieces
drawn from each consignment lot. If the sample
conforms to the specifications, the whole lot is
accepted or rejected. This technique is known as
sampling inspection.

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Other Construction
Materials FURTHER READINGS
FDDI Handouts. Volume 1, 2 and 3.
Shoe Process and Technology by Lasra.
Shoe Making Manual by Clarkes.
Swayam Siddha Manual by FDDI.

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 Lasting Process
MATERIALS Control Systems

This block focuses on the history of adhesives, basic principles, different types,
properties and the wear characteristics of adhesives.
This block consists of two units.
In Unit 2, attention is drawn to the different types of adhesives used in the footwear
industry on the upper and the soling materials. Moreover, light is thrown on the factors
that help us to choose the types of adhesives and uses for new developments.
In Unit 3, quality specifications, standards and quality control are discussed in detail.
Lastly it covers the safety rules and procedures followed in lasting and making room.
This area can affect the saleability of the shoe to a greater extent.
Self assessment questions are included in these units wherever necessary.

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