Integrating Companies in a

Sustainable Apprenticeship System

Project 2017-1-DE02-KA202-004174

Intellectual Output 3

Train-the-Trainer Manual
Cutting

Authers: ISC Germany and ICSAS-Team

Version: Final draft

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which
may be made of the information contained therein.
 Integrating Companies in a Sustainable Apprenticeship System
Train-the-Trainer Manual Cutting

Contents

1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... 3
1.1. Aims of the ICSAS Project ......................................................................................................................................................3

1.2. Eleven Manuals to Guide In-Company Tutors .............................................................................................................3

1.3. Take Your Apprentices on a Guided Tour......................................................................................................................3

1.4. Cutting: Start in the Leather Warehouse ........................................................................................................................4

2. CUTTING OF SHOE MATERIALS........................................................................................................ 5

2.1. Cutting Rules for Leather ......................................................................................................................................................5

2.2. Cutting of Textile Materials ............................................................................................................................................... 10

2.3. Cutting of Synthetic Leather ............................................................................................................................................. 11

2.4. Cutting of Leather Bottom Materials (Soles, Insoles, Heel Lifts, Counters etc) .......................................... 11

3. CUTTING MACHINES AND TOOLS ................................................................................................ 12

3.1. Cutting Knifes .......................................................................................................................................................................... 12

3.2. Cutting Machines with Clicking Dies ............................................................................................................................. 12

3.3. Dieless Cutting Tables – CAM ................................................................................................................................................... 15

4. EXAMPLE: CUTTING DEPARTMENT AT GABOR / ROSENHEIM ....................................... 17

5. ASSESSMENT/FEEDBACK TEMPLATE........................................................................................ 20
5.1. Introduction to feedback sheet........................................................................................................................................ 20

6. LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................................... 23

 Integrating Companies in a Sustainable Apprenticeship System
Train-the-Trainer Manual Cutting

1. Introduction

1.1. Aims of the ICSAS Project

The aims of the Erasmus+ project «Integrating Companies in a Sustainable Apprenticeship
System» are to
 induce the existing Vocational Education and Training (VET) systems to train skilled
workers for footwear manufacturing in Romania and Portugal to develop towards
work-based learning (WBL) and improve the sector-specific tutor training in Spain and
Germany
 develop a sector qualification framework and the referencing of national qualifications
of Germany, Portugal, Romania, and Spain.

1.2. Eleven Manuals to Guide In-Company Tutors

Within this project, the project consortium has committed to editing eleven manuals which
are intended to prepare in-company tutors and provide support for the work-based learning
phases of the apprenticeship.
The work-place specific know-how (for example in the cutting department) will be imparted
by skilled workers from this department. They will take on the role of in-house workplace
instructors/trainers.
 demonstrating the operations which the apprentices are supposed to learn to perform
 guiding und supervising the apprentices during their first approaches as their skills are
becoming more and more advanced
 leading them towards an independent performance of the task

Furthermore, each company enrolled in work-based learning will appoint a Head of Training
who is responsible for
 planning of the order of the overall training of each apprentice (how long each
apprentice will be trained at each learning station and in which order)
 assessing and documenting the learning progress of each student at each learning
station

The chapters of this document are not meant to replace a textbook. They are meant to provide
support to the trainers to plan the work-based learning activities with the trainees. The
workplace trainers are invited to gather more information from other sources.

1.3. Take Your Apprentices on a Guided Tour

Before you start the hands-on training in a specific department, please make sure that the
apprentice has been given a tour of the entire company including all departments.
For example, you could start with presenting the types of products your company
manufactures and their intended use, the different customer segments, the distribution

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channels etc. Allow the apprentices insight into the product creation and manufacturing
processes, i.e. product design, pattern making, purchasing department, production planning,
and all production departments to warehouse and logistics.
Present some shoe models your company produces (as in Fig 1). Your trainees will better
understand the complexity of the product “shoe.

Fig. 1: Views of shoe parts like on this photo can be very helpful for
the trainee to understand the complexity of a shoe

1.4. Cutting: Start in the Leather Warehouse

In the leather/materials warehouse the apprentices can be made familiar with the various
types of leather as well as with all other upper materials that can be processed in the cutting
department. Focus on the characteristics of each material.
Explain the different leathers, synthetics, and textile materials which your company uses to
make uppers, soles or other shoe components, explaining their specific properties, origins,
production process (tanning and leather finishing methods), quality management procedures
to detect leather defects etc.
This document does not focus on leather production as VET school will extensively cover this
very important learning field. If you would like revise the basics of leather production again,
please feel free to familiarise with the textbooks the VET school which your apprentices are
attending is using.

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2. Cutting of Shoe Materials

First thing when introducing an apprentice to the cutting department: Please remember to
(re-)explain the safety rules and the dangers that the different cutting methods, machines and
tools represent.
Cutting shoe parts from a leather hide isn’t simply cutting parts of the correct geometry from
any part of the hide. Cutting leather requires specialised and experienced workforce. Leather
cannot be cut in multi-layers by machines. There are many factors to be respected in order to
deliver quality work. Know-how and expertise of the workers in the cutting department are
decisive for the quality of the shoes produced. Firstly, because their skills and knowledge have
an impact on the number of reworks and rejects, and secondly, because leather is expensive.
An experienced cutter can save his/her company lots of money: If the cutting waste can be
reduced to a minimum by choosing the ideal cutting layout of the shoe parts on the hide or
skin, this results in considerable savings for the company.
Leather is a natural product. We speak about hides and skins. The term “hides” designates
leather from rather big, grown-up animals. “Skin” designates leather from young or rather
small animals. Therefore, we talk about bovine (cow or buffalo) hides but calf, goat, sheep,
pig or even fish skins.
Each hide or skin is different in terms of size, homogeneity of thickness or dye, quality zones,
and in terms of defects. Certain leather types are considered to be somewhat easier to cut
than others (such as patent leather or black bovine leather), and there are leather types which
require a higher degree of expertise (such as coloured glaze kid or reptile leathers).

2.1. Cutting Rules for Leather

Although there are basic cutting rules to be respected, there is no strict cutting scheme which
can be applied and repeated for each hide. It is the key task of a cutter to understand the
individual characteristics of each hide and utilise the material in the best possible way by
finding the ideal placement and interlocking, the so-called “nesting” of the shoe parts to be
cut. It is quite an art to arrange the cutting layout in a way to minimise waste and to “hide”
small defects in areas of shoe parts where they are less or not at all visible.

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Quality Zones

1= = Butt
a = Bend
b = Back
2 bis 5 = Nichtkern
2 = Shoulder
3 = Neck / Head
4 = Belly
5 = Legs
6 = Leg pits
Fig. 2: Parts of a hide or skin

Fig. 2 visualises the quality zones of a calf hide. The butt represents the best quality. In this
zone the leather is firm and has a very dense fibre structure. The next best zone is the
shoulder, followed by the neck. Belly, legs and leg pits are of rather inferior quality. Other
important quality factors apart from the zone of the hide /skin are the homogeneity of grain
and dye as well as the absence of defects such as holes, scars, cuts, loose grain etc.

Pict. 1

Pict. 1 relates to Fig. 2 and explains which parts of the shoe upper should be cut from the butt.
The vamp represents the part of the shoe which is exposed to high mechanical stress (during
production: elongation at lasting; during wear: mechanical impacts, walking creases). At the
same time, the vamp is the “face” of the shoe. Therefore it should be cut from the butt. The
rear parts of the upper (such as quarters) are less exposed to stress. In addition, the quarters
will be reinforced by the heel counter. Therefore, they can be cut from hide zones of inferior
quality. When cutting quarters from a leather hide or skin, the front upper part of each quarter
should always point towards the butt and the lasting allowance should point towards the edge
of the hide / skin.
Fat creases of the neck should always be placed in the longitudinal direction of a quarter in
order to be able to pull them out during lasting.
Pict. 2 shoes how to place slight leather defects on upper and lining parts to reduce leather
waste.

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 Train-the-Trainer Manual Cutting

Pict. 2
Dotted areas: zones on the quarters which are less exposed to mechanical stress

Stretch Direction
One of the characteristics of leather is that it has a stretch direction. In order to ensure that
shoe parts will “work” correctly on the final product, it is important to respect the stretch
direction of the material to be cut.

Pict. 4

Pict. 3

Pict. 3 shows a calf hide. The arrows indicate the direction of least stretch. The arrows on the
shoe uppers (Pict. 4) indicate how to place the direction of least stretch upper parts.
 An upper must not stretch in longitudinal direction
 Stretch is necessary in the transverse (=cross) direction of the vamp and in the waist
area in order to be able to pull the upper tightly to the last
 Heel covers must not stretch in transversal direction
 Tongues and boot shafts must not stretch in longitudinal direction

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Nesting of Shoe Parts on Leather: Always Think in Pairs

Pict. 5

Pict. 5 shows how vamps and quarters are placed respecting stretch and quality rules.
The third important rule is that all parts of a pair must be of homogenous thickness, colour,
and structure (for nubuck an suede leather, the fibres should smoothen with the grain from
shoe tip to heel). In consequence, the two vamps of a shoe pair, for example, should be cut
from the same area. The cutter always needs to think in pairs, as picture 5 and figures 3 to 5
show. The images also visualise that a cutter always tries to place cutting waste in the less
valuable zones of a hide. Experienced cutters are able to place leather defects in lasting
allowances lap seam areas.
Fig. 3 to 5 show examples of cutting layouts of a basic men’s shoe model, Fig. 3 of a men’s
boot, and Fig. 5 of different ladies’ models

Fig. 3: Basic men’s shoe model

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Fig. 4: Men’s boot

Fig. 5: Half patent leather hide (left) with a mix of two different shoe models
and two goat skins (right) each with a different shoe model (the bottom one is
a suede skin)

Leather Lining
Cutting lining leather is different from cutting upper leather: The best leather must be placed
in the rear of the shoe because this is where it has to be the most wear resistant. When cutting
lining quarters, their rear should always point towards the butt. Vamp linings should not be
cut from the butt.

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2.2. Cutting of Textile Materials

In textile cutting, the stretch direction is equally important as in leather cutting: Just as for
upper leather, a textile shoe part must be cut in a way that there is the least possible
longitudinal stretch (Pict. 6), i.e. in the direction of the warp thread. If this rule is not
respected, the textile upper risks breakage during lasting.

Pict. 6

Pict. 7

Pict. 7 shows a very common way of placing lining parts on textile material: The four parts in
the bottom left corner are cut in a double layer. When unfolding the lining part after cutting
(see dotted line), you will see that the middle line of the lining part is not parallel to the weft
thread direction but in an obtuse angle which is important enough to ensure that the part will
not tear during lasting.

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2.3. Cutting of Synthetic Leather

When it comes to cutting synthetic leather with a textile base, it is important to place them
diagonally on the material (Pict. 8).

Pict. 8

2.4. Cutting of Leather Bottom Materials (Soles, Insoles, Heel Lifts, Counters etc)
Pict. 9 and 10 visualise how to place bottom parts are on a hide.

Pict. 9

Pict. 10

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3. Cutting Machines and Tools

3.1. Cutting Knifes

Specific knives are used for hand cutting of leather (Pict. 11).

Pict. 11

3.2. Cutting Machines with Clicking Dies

Several types of cutting / clicking machines require cutting dies. The first clicking presses were
mechanical versions which used the force of a flywheel. These machines are not in use
anymore because it is not possible to guaranty the safety of the operating personnel.
Modern cutting presses are powered by hydraulic pump systems. There are two basic builds:
Beam presses, which are mainly used for cutting non-leather sheet materials, and swing arm
types as they are commonly used for leathers. There are many variants of these two basic
types.

Fig. 6: Swing arm clicking press Fig. 7: Beam cutting press

Cutting Dies and Cutting Boards

Cutting Dies
Cutting dies must have an appropriate profile and correct dimensions, which both primarily
depend on the shoe model and the material to be cut. Also to be considered are: pattern size,
degree of complexity, number of cutting cycles, expected cutting pressure, and whether the
material will be cut in single or multiple layers. It is important to discuss the material to be cut
and the intended cutting process with the die maker.

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A large variety of different RDS profiles exists, from versatile types to very specific ones:
 BE = single layer cutting (leather)
 BD = single layer cutting, double edge for cutting left and right parts with one single
die
 AE = symmetric profile for splitting knives
 AD = symmetric double edge steel
 TE-g = multi-layer cutting (textile, fleece, lining, leatherette)
 SE-g = rigid material cutting (insole)
 ATE = cutting heavy textile materials in several layers
 BEN = back clearing dies (outsole)
 BEN = nach hinten entleerende Messer (Laufsohlen)

Fig. 8: Different blade shapes

Cutting dies must be thoroughly produced. Upper and bottom edge must be parallel even
without minimum load. They must be properly stored. The blades must not touch other blades
nor other metal or other hard material (see fig. 9).

Fig. 9: Correct storage of cutting dies is important

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Cutting dies can carry punchers, prickers, or markers.

Fig. 10: Cutting dies can be equipped with punchers, prickers, or markers, which can make subsequent work steps
redundant

Cutting Boards
The prevalent plastic material for cutting boards is polyamide (PA) blended with other
thermoplastics. The crucial properties of cutting boards are:
 hardness (expressed in Shore / °Sh)
 thickness
 size

The most important property of a cutting board is its hardness. Depending on the supplier,
there are different approaches to choose the appropriate cutting board for each specific
cutting press and each specific material to be cut.

Fig. 11: How to properly adjust a hydraulic cutting press (image:

Hydroma)

Cutting boards should be regularly flipped and turned. Correct storage is also key.

Fig. 12: How to flip and turn a cutting board

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Fig. 13: Correct (horizontal) and wrong storage (vertical) of cutting boards

Fig. 14: Some companies still use wooden cutting boards

3.3. Dieless Cutting Tables – CAM

Today, dieless cutting is state-of-the-art even in cheap-labour countries. The ratio between
investment cost, running cost, speed, and flexibility of a CAD/CAM system and the traditional
way of cutting with cutting dies must be carefully calculated. CAM machines are mainly used
for sample production because of their great flexibility and because there is no need to
produce cutting dies. They are also used in companies which are unable to find qualified skilled
workers for traditional cutting.
The important feature of CAD/CAM cutting tables is that the positioning of the parts to be cut
can be changed several times until the final cutting layout is approved. Cutting only starts
when the operator is satisfied with the complete cutting layout on the hide. This is not possible
with traditional cutting.
Most CAM systems allow for simultaneous marking, numbering, and punching of the parts.
When comparing the return on investment of a traditional cutting machine and a CAM
machine, the possibility of grouping the above mentioned operations and the optimised
utilisation of material to be cut should also be taken into regard.

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Fig. 15: : Dieless cutting table (oscillating knife)

The CAD system communicates the geometrical data of the parts to be cut to the CAM cutting
table. The material (leather hide) is placed on the working area of the cutting table and the
geometry of the parts to be cut are projected onto the material. The parts are placed using
desktop and mouse. The number of finished parts and the number of parts left to be cut is
automatically displayed.

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4. Example: Cutting Department at Gabor / Rosenheim

Fig. 16: The box arrives in the cutting department.

Fig. 17: It contains the work order, ...

Fig. 18: ... the material specification list ...

Fig. 19: ... and the pattern stencils.

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Fig. 20: The cutting layout is created.

Fig. 21: The upper parts are cut.

Fig. 22: All upper parts are cut now.

Fig. 23: To achieve a homogenous thickness, the parts are split.

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 Train-the-Trainer Manual Cutting

Fig. 24: Thickness gauge to control the splitting result.

Fig. 25: The parts are stamped (size, batch number etc.).

Fig. 26: The sockliners are cut with cutting dies on a swing-arm press.

Fig. 27: Finally the foam padding material for the sockliners are cut
(another cutting die; clicking press)

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5. Assessment/Feedback template

5.1. Introduction to feedback sheet

Differing from learning in formal environments as in classrooms or workshops, learning
outcomes (LO) from work-based learning (WBL) depend sometimes strongly on the actual
production line. If the shoe actually produced does not offer a certain stitching method, for
example, then it is not possible to acquire skills related to this method.
Thus, a systematic and transparent communication on concrete LOs acquired in WBL by a
learner/apprentice between the tutors, supporting the learner in the various departments,
and the trainer/teacher, being responsible for the entire training process of the
learner/apprentice, is of great importance in WBL.
We recommend the matrix that follows in the next chapter for this communication: Tracking
the achievements in each department is neither time-consuming nor related to any formal
assessment.
The matrix you will find in the following is an example; it is not a ready-to-use template. Please
do not understand this matrix as an unchangeable checklist or as something that must be
reached by each learner during WBL; it is just an example how to document what the learner
has acquired or not and which level of autonomy she/he has reached. Please bear in mind that
you will have to adapt this matrix according to the process and to the operations in your
department.

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 Train-the-Trainer Manual Cutting

Sphere of activity: Cutting

Assessment

Signature
Work step Completely

Place
Needs Needs Needs

Date
inde-
assistance instruction supervision
pendent

Cutting by hand, including:

Reading & understanding work

order
Providing & preparing the
material [...]
Performing the task and asking
for support if needed

Knowledge about materials

Co-operating with colleagues

Preparing and marking

products for next step

etc.

Clicking with cutting dies

[Same criteria as in Hand Cutting but

not repeated for the sake of brevity]

Cutting with CAD-CAM

machines

[Same criteria as in Hand Cutting but

not repeated for the sake of brevity]

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Splitting

[Same criteria as in Hand Cutting but

not repeated for the sake of brevity]

Stamping

[Same criteria as in Hand Cutting but

not repeated for the sake of brevity]

Can perform all

Signature
Final assessment (in this Needs further work steps

Place
department) training (almost)

Date
independently

Cutting; including all work

steps above

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 Train-the-Trainer Manual Cutting

6. List of tables

Fig. 1: Views of shoe parts like on this photo can be very helpful for the trainee to understand the
complexity of a shoe ............................................................................................................................... 4
Fig. 2: Parts of a hide or skin ................................................................................................................... 6
Fig. 3: Basic men’s shoe model................................................................................................................ 8

Fig. 4: Men’s boot .................................................................................................................................... 9

Fig. 5: Half patent leather hide (left) with a mix of two different shoe models and two goat skins (right)
each with a different shoe model (the bottom one is a suede skin) ...................................................... 9

Fig. 6: Swing arm clicking press ............................................................................................................. 12

Fig. 7: Beam cutting press ..................................................................................................................... 12
Fig. 8: Different blade shapes ................................................................................................................ 13

Fig. 9: Correct storage of cutting dies is important ............................................................................... 13

Fig. 10: Cutting dies can be equipped with punchers, prickers, or markers, which can make subsequent
work steps redundant ........................................................................................................................... 14

Fig. 11: How to properly adjust a hydraulic cutting press (image: Hydroma)....................................... 14
Fig. 13: How to flip and turn a cutting board ........................................................................................ 14
Fig. 14: Correct (horizontal) and wrong storage (vertical) of cutting boards........................................ 15

Fig. 15: Some companies still use wooden cutting boards ................................................................... 15
Fig. 16: : Dieless cutting table (oscillating knife) ................................................................................... 16
Fig. 16: The box arrives in the cutting department. .............................................................................. 17

Fig. 17: It contains the work order, ... ................................................................................................... 17

Fig. 18: ... the material specification list ... ............................................................................................ 17
Fig. 19: ... and the pattern stencils. ....................................................................................................... 17

Fig. 20: The cutting layout is created. ................................................................................................... 18

Fig. 21: The upper parts are cut. ........................................................................................................... 18
Fig. 22: All upper parts are cut now. ..................................................................................................... 18

Fig. 23: To achieve a homogenous thickness, the parts are split. ......................................................... 18
Fig. 24: Thickness gauge to control the splitting result. ........................................................................ 19
Fig. 25: The parts are stamped (size, batch number etc.). .................................................................... 19
Fig. 26: The sockliners are cut with cutting dies on a swing-arm press. ............................................... 19
Fig. 27: Finally the foam padding material for the sockliners are cut (another cutting die; clicking press)
............................................................................................................................................................... 19

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