IT Excellence Story
INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR SAFETY FOOTWEAR
The experience and skills acquired on the advanced materials allowed to support, as a technical consultant, a local manufacturer of work shoes, Protection of Barletta Base, for the development more comfortable products . Under the project, the activities involved with the successful development of four lines of research. The first line led to the development of new materials for a safety shoe soles for the food industry . These materials provide an excellent solution to the rapid performance decay exhibited by the materials currently available commercially in the presence of fluids in the food industry typical aqueous base. The second line has focused on the development of bio-based materials for safety shoes soles . The use of such materials stems from economic needs, because their prices are subject to fewer fluctuations than those of the corresponding products from renewable sources and environmental strategies for sustainable development. The third line has been focused on the design and construction of new tips protection, with volumes and lighter than conventional steel. The ultimate goal was to increase the comfort of the operators at the same performance required by industry regulations. Finally, the fourth line has involved the the development of anti-perforation sheets which have a resistance to penetration properties into thin nails . The puncture-resistant plate is an element placed inside the safety shoe that guarantees protection to the sole of the foot from sharp items. For each of these lines, research and development have embraced different stages, from the development and characterization of materials on a laboratory scale, up to the realization and testing of integrated prototypes of safety shoes to 'inside of which are present the individual elements developed. Fully met the achievement of project objectives with regard to both materials and the technological processes used for the production of prototypes. In particular for the research development of "new materials for safety footwear soles line" in the near future the results achieved will be transferred into production.
