Profession hand lasting operator

Hand lasting operators shape and secure linings and uppers over the last by hand. Hand lasting operators pull the forepart, the waist and the seat of the upper over the last using handtools with the aim of obtaining the final shape of the footwear model. They start by pulling the front part edges of the upper over the last, and pressing the waist and the seat. They then flatten the wiped edges and cut excess box toe and lining, and use stitching or cementing to fix the shape.

Personality Type

• Realistic / Conventional

Knowledge

• Footwear manufacturing technology

  Footwear processes technology and machinery involved. The footwear manufacturing starts in the cutting/clicking room , cutting the uppers and bottom components. The upper components are joined together in the closing room by following a precise order of specific operations: skiving, folding, sewing etc. The closed upper, the insole and other bottom components are brought together in the assembling room, where the main operations are lasting and soling. The process ends with finishing operations in the finishing and packing room.

• Assembling processes and techniques for cemented footwear construction

  Technology, equipment, machines and tools for lasting and soling in case of cemented footwear constructions.

• Footwear bottoms pre-assembly

  The equipment and techniques used for the preparation of bottom components in the footwear industry, including soles, heels, insoles, etc.

• Footwear materials

  The characteristics, components, advantages and limitations of a wide range of materials used in footwear production: leather, leather substitutes (synthetics or artificial materials), textile, plastic, rubber etc. 

• Footwear quality

  Quality specifications of materials, processes and final products, the most common defects in footwear, quick tests procedures, laboratory tests procedures and standards, adequate equipment for quality checks. Quality assurance of footwear production processes and fundamental concepts on quality including footwear quality framework and standards.

• Footwear components

  Footwear components both for uppers (vamps, quarters, linings, stiffeners, toe puffs etc.) and bottoms (soles, heels, insoles etc.). Ecological concerns and the importance of recycling. Selection of suitable materials and components based on their influence on the footwear style and characteristics, properties and manufacturability. Procedures and methods in chemical and mechanical processing of leather and non-leather materials.

Skills

• Apply assembling techniques for cemented footwear construction

  Be able to pull the uppers over the last and fix the lasting allowance on insole, manually or by special machines for forepart lasting, waist lasting, and seat lasting. Apart from the main group of lasting operations, the responsibilities of those assembling footwear cemented types may include the following: bottom cementing and sole cementing, heat setting, sole attaching and pressing, chilling, brushing and polishing, last slipping (before or after finishing operations) and heel attaching etc.

• Apply basic rules of maintenance to leather goods and footwear machinery

  Apply basic rules of maintenance and cleanliness on footwear and leather goods production equipment and machines that you operate.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB