Systems and methods for manufacturing a portion of an article of footwear from a mold

1. A method for manufacturing a midsole of an article of footwear, the method comprising:

generating a positive model of a midsole, wherein the positive model includes a lattice structure defining a region of empty volume;

creating a negative model based on the region of empty volume of the positive model;

printing, layer by layer, a negative mold to form a physical representation of the negative model, wherein the negative mold includes a region of solid volume that corresponds with the region of empty volume in the positive model;

supplying a midsole material to the negative mold to form the midsole, wherein the midsole includes a midsole lattice structure formed therein by the region of solid volume in the negative mold; and

removing the negative mold from the midsole.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the region of solid volume in the negative mold defines a mold repeating pattern that is based on the lattice structure in the positive model.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the midsole includes the midsole lattice structure with a midsole unit cell that is formed by the mold repeating pattern and that includes the midsole aperture or channel.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

arranging the negative mold within a mold base; and

enclosing the negative mold within the mold base using a cover plate.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the region of empty volume in the positive model is defined by an inner surface, and wherein the inner surface is a minimal surface in a gyroid pattern.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the negative mold defines a scaled down size relative to a final size of the midsole, and wherein the scaled down size is between about 70% and about 30% smaller than the final size.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:

expanding the midsole from the scaled down size to the final size.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the negative mold is at least one of mechanically, chemically, and thermally released from the formed midsole.

9. A method for manufacturing a midsole of an article of footwear, the method comprising:

generating a positive model of a midsole, wherein the positive model includes a lattice structure with a surface defining an aperture or channel;

creating a negative model based on the positive model;

printing, layer by layer, a negative mold to form a physical representation of the negative model, wherein the negative mold includes a region of solid volume that corresponds with the aperture or channel in the positive model;

arranging the negative mold within a mold base;

supplying a midsole material to the negative mold and the mold base, so that the midsole material expands throughout and fills the negative mold;

forming a midsole from the midsole material expanded throughout the negative mold, wherein the midsole material expanding around the negative mold forms a midsole with the lattice structure in the midsole; and

removing the negative mold from the midsole.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the positive model includes the lattice structure with a unit cell that defines a repeating pattern, and wherein the repeating pattern includes the aperture or channel.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the region of solid volume in the negative mold defines a mold repeating pattern that is based on the lattice structure in the positive model.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the midsole includes a midsole lattice structure with a midsole unit cell that is formed by the mold repeating pattern and that includes a midsole aperture or channel.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

enclosing the negative mold within the mold base using a cover plate.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the negative mold defines a scaled down size relative to a final size of the midsole, and wherein the scaled down size is between about 70% and about 30% smaller than the final size.

15. A method for manufacturing a midsole of an article of footwear, the method comprising:

generating a positive model of a midsole, wherein the positive model includes a lattice structure;

creating a negative model based on the positive model;

printing, layer by layer, a scaled negative mold to form a physical representation of the negative model, wherein the scaled negative mold includes a region of solid volume that corresponds with a region of empty volume of the lattice structure in the positive model, and wherein the scaled negative mold defines a scaled down size relative to a final size of the midsole;

arranging the negative mold within a mold base;

supplying a midsole material to the scaled negative mold, so that the midsole material expands throughout and fills the scaled negative mold;

forming the midsole from the midsole material expanded and filled throughout the scaled negative mold, wherein the midsole material expanding around the scaled negative mold forms a midsole lattice structure in the midsole;

removing the scaled negative mold from the midsole; and

expanding the midsole from the scaled down size to a final size.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the scaled down size is between about 70% and about 30% smaller than the final size.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the positive model includes the lattice structure with a unit cell that defines a repeating pattern, and wherein the repeating pattern includes an aperture or channel.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the region of solid volume in the scaled negative mold defines a mold repeating pattern that is based on the lattice structure in the positive model.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the midsole includes a midsole lattice structure with a midsole unit cell that is formed by the mold repeating pattern and that includes a midsole aperture or channel.

20. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

arranging the scaled negative mold within a mold base by printing, layer by layer, the negative mold and the mold as a unitary component.

21. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

enclosing the negative mold within the mold base using a cover plate.