Lasts in shoemaking

A last, used in shoemaking, is a wooden or high-molecular weight, high-density polyethelene shape which approximates the finished shoe. It is carefully designed to fit the foot, add the toe style and is used in production to add the sole and heel after stretching the leather around the top. It is much more than a rounded oblong block used to approximate the form of the human foot used by a cordwainer or cobbler to help make or mend shoes.

Lasts were traditionally made of wood but now are normally made from blocks of special, expensive plastic, and lathe-cut using CNC machines. The design of lasts is often completed on a computer system like Lectra and includes the top pattern. In modern CNC systems, end-to-end component design is highly automated using CAD/CAM programs. The programs produce a computer file that is interpreted to extract the commands needed to operate a particular machine, and then loaded into the CNC machines for production. Since any particular component might require the use of a number of different tools – drills, saws, etc. – modern machines often combine multiple tools into a single "cell". In other cases, a number of different machines are used with an external controller and human or robotic operators that move the component from machine to machine. In either case, the complex series of steps needed to produce any part is highly automated and produces a part that closely matches the original CAD design.

Lasts are made from soft materials which do not change size when wet because water is used in shoemaking. And also, small nails (called lasting tacks) are used to hold parts of the shoe in place during manufacture and then removed.

Lasts can have many different characteristics, most of which will affect the way the shoe will look and fit. Many custom footwear makers make lasts for their customers, designed specifically for the individual's needs.

The fit of a shoe depends on the design, shape and volume of the shoe last. The shoe last must represent the anatomical information of the foot, at the same time giving the finished shoe a pleasing and fashionable appearance.

Each shoe last is designed for a particular heel height, toe shape, and type of footwear. Many styles of shoes can be made on the same shoe last, but the toe shape and heel height will be the same for each pair made on that shoe last. To have shoes with different toe shapes (round, pointed or square) it is necessary to create more than one pair of shoe lasts.

Created from a data set and functional requirements specific to a sport (ie. soccer, running, etc.) or desired look (rounded, narrow, pointy), or athlete (in custom made footwear), a master last is created from which production copies can be made.

Production lasts are made from either turned (on a machine lathe) plastic, or sandcast aluminum. The last is the starting point for any footwear development and is very important in determining the look, fit, comfort and performance of a shoe.

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