Abstract: A process and an apparatus for building tyres, wherein, in the process, a carcass sleeve including at least one carcass ply and a pair of annular anchoring structures is transferred to a shaping drum including flange elements that are each engageable with one of said annular anchoring structures. The carcass sleeve is shaped according to a toroidal configuration by means of mutual axial approaching of the flange elements. Before shaping, annular grip elements respectively carried by the flange elements are radially expanded, each inside one of the annular anchoring structures, in order to engage the carcass sleeve. The annular anchoring structures are moved axially apart from each other before engaging the carcass sleeve by means of the annular grip elements.

Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing tires for vehicle wheels wherein each tire includes a carcass structure formed starting from at least one carcass ply laid on a forming support extended along a longitudinal axis. The apparatus includes at least one device for positioning at least one annular anchoring structure on at least one end edge of the carcass ply, the positioning device being circumferentially extended around the longitudinal axis of the forming support and axially movable with respect to the forming support between an operating position distal from the forming support and at least one operating position close to the forming support. The apparatus further includes a device for turning up the end edge of the carcass ply around the annular anchoring structure, the turning up device being circumferentially extended about the longitudinal axis of the forming support and axially movable for approaching/moving away to/from the forming support.

Abstract: A method of controlling deposition of a continuous elongated element in building a tyre for vehicle wheels, includes: feeding an initial end of a continuous elongated element of elastomeric material through a slit bounded by a first roller and a second roller of a calender; retaining the continuous elongated element against a peripheral surface of the first roller; laying the initial end of the continuous elongated element against a deposition surface; rotating the calender around an oscillation axis that is substantially coincident with a contact generatrix between the first roller and the second roller; and dragging along the continuous elongated element together with the deposition surface.

Abstract: A method of controlling deposition of a continuous elongated element in building a tire for vehicle wheels, includes: feeding an initial end of a continuous elongated element of elastomeric material through a slit bounded by a first roller and a second roller of a calender; retaining the continuous elongated element against a peripheral surface of the first roller; laying the initial end of the continuous elongated element against a deposition surface; rotating the calender around an oscillation axis that is substantially coincident with a contact generatrix between the first roller and the second roller; and dragging along the continuous elongated element together with the deposition surface.

Abstract: A toroidal forming drum and a process for budding tyres. The toroidal forming drum is expanded within a shaped carcass sleeve for supporting the carcass sleeve against an abutment surface externally provided by the forming drum. An elementary semi--finished product is applied around the shaped carcass sleeve by pressing the elementary semi-finished product toward the abutment surface. The abutment surface has circumferential rows of solid portions alternated with hollow portions. The solid portions, arranged along axially opposite circumferential edges of the abutment surface, have a transverse size between 10% and 60% of a transverse size presented by the solid portions arranged in proximity to an axial centreline plane of the abutment surface.

Abstract: A process for building tyres for vehicle wheels are disclosed, wherein said building process comprises the following steps carried out in a carcass structure building line: a) associating a pair of support rings with a forming drum in a work station for associating support rings; b) building at least one structural component of the tyre being processed on the forming drum provided with said pair of support rings in at least one work station of the carcass structure building line; c) removing the pair of support rings from the forming drum in a work station for removing support rings; d) transferring the pair of support rings dissociated from the forming drum in a temporary storage for support rings; e) building at least one further structural component of the tyre being processed on the forming drum without the pair of support rings in a work station of the carcass structure building line.

Abstract: A process and an apparatus for building tires for vehicle wheels includes assembling at least one tire component through laying of strip-like elements disposed circumferentially close to each other on a deposition surface radially external to the forming drum, wherein laying of each strip-like element includes: radially moving the strip-like element close to the deposition surface; locking a central portion of the strip-like element against the deposition surface; and pulling the strip-like element in opposite directions starting from the central portion toward the opposite ends thereof, while the central portion is maintained in a locked condition against the deposition surface, so as to progressively lay down the strip-like element against the deposition surface.

Abstract: Two auxiliary support members are operatively engaged with a building drum, in axially approached relationship with respective halves of the drum itself, each auxiliary member having a circumferential rest surface extending in the continuation of an outer circumferential surface of the building drum itself. Applied around the outer circumferential surface of the building drum is at least one carcass ply having axially opposite end flaps each lying on the circumferential rest surface of the respective auxiliary support member. A pair of auxiliary shaping members engaged with the building drum in place of the auxiliary support members, each act against a circumferential abutment edge carried by the building drum, to enable the carcass ply to be shaped into a toroidal configuration concurrently with mutual approaching of the halves of the building drum.

Abstract: A process and an apparatus for building tires for vehicle wheels includes assembling at least one tire component through laying of strip-like elements disposed circumferentially close to each other on a deposition surface radially external to the forming drum, wherein laying of each strip-like element includes: radially moving the strip-like element close to the deposition surface; locking a central portion of the strip-like element against the deposition surface; and pulling the strip-like element in opposite directions starting from the central portion toward the opposite ends thereof, while the central portion is maintained in a locked condition against the deposition surface, so as to progressively lay down the strip-like element against the deposition surface.

Abstract: A method of controlling the management of annular anchoring structures in a process and a plant for building tyres for vehicle wheels includes a) feeding pairs of first annular anchoring structures from a first storage region to a bead-forming machine; b) loading a plurality of second annular anchoring structures into a second storage region; c) carrying the second annular anchoring structures from the second storage region to the first storage region; d) feeding pairs of second annular anchoring structures from the first storage region to the bead-forming machine; e) loading a plurality of first annular anchoring structures into said second storage region; and f) carrying the first annular anchoring structures from the second storage region to the first storage region.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing tyres for vehicle wheels, comprising the step of building on a forming support a carcass structure comprising at least one carcass ply and, at at least one end edge of the carcass ply, at least one annular anchoring structure comprising at least one substantially circumferential annular insert and at least one filling insert associated to said at least one substantially circumferential annular insert. The step of building the carcass structure comprises the steps of positioning the annular anchoring structure on the carcass ply by moving the annular substantially circumferential insert into contact with an end edge of the carcass ply by means of a special positioning member, pulling down the filling insert on the end edge of the carcass ply and turning up a free end portion of the end edge of the carcass ply so as to form a turned up end portion of the carcass ply including said annular anchoring structure.

Abstract: An apparatus for building a tire for a vehicle wheel includes at least one forming support and at least one assembly device for assembling components of elastomeric material on the forming support. The at least one assembly device includes at least one dispensing device for dispensing a continuous elongated element of elastomeric material and at least one application device for applying the continuous elongated element in a form of coils disposed in side by side relationship or at least partly superposed, wound on the forming support and forming the at least one component of elastomeric material of the tire. The apparatus also includes at least one pressure device operatively acting on an applied portion of the continuous elongated element, wherein the pressure device includes a central roller and two side rollers, each laterally offset relative to the central roller and on the opposite side relative to the other side roller.

Abstract: A carcass sleeve is situated in a radially external position with respect to a toroidal forming drum, arranged in a first radially contracted operative condition. The carcass sleeve is shaped according to a toroidal configuration while the forming drum is positioned inside the carcass sleeve. During shaping of the carcass sleeve, the forming drum is radially expanded up to a second radially expanded operative condition. Upon completed shaping, the carcass sleeve is coupled to the forming drum in the second operative condition. The forming drum, coupled to the shaped carcass sleeve, is arranged in proximity to at least one device for building at least one belt layer at a radially external position relative to the shaped carcass sleeve.

Abstract: Two auxiliary support members are operatively engaged with a building drum, in axially approached relationship with respective halves of the drum itself, each auxiliary member having a circumferential rest surface extending in the continuation of an outer circumferential surface of the building drum itself. Applied around the outer circumferential surface of the building drum is at least one carcass ply having axially opposite end flaps each lying on the circumferential rest surface of the respective auxiliary support member. A pair of auxiliary shaping members engaged with the building drum in place of the auxiliary support members, each act against a circumferential abutment edge carried by the building drum, to enable the carcass ply to be shaped into a toroidal configuration concurrently with mutual approaching of the halves of the building drum.

Abstract: A robot arm having seven axes of actuation imparts to a toroidal support a circumferential distribution motion about its own geometric axis simultaneously with controlled transverse distribution displacements in front of a dispensing organ of a strip of elastomeric material. The strip thus forms a plurality of turns, the orientation and mutual superposition whereof are controlled in such a way as to control the thickness variations to be conferred to a component of a tyre being manufactured, based on a pre-determined laying scheme pre-set on an electronic computer. The rotation of the toroidal support is controlled in such a way as to obtain a peripheral speed of application exceeding the theoretical feeding rate of the strip, able to be increased or decreased as needed to form turns with reduced or, respectively, enlarged cross section.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing a tyre by the steps of producing and assembling the tyre structural elements on a toroidal support to form a green tyre, and the step of precuring at least an inner surface of the green tyre by heating the toroidal support. The radially inner surface of the toroidal support is provided with a plurality of protruding elements to reduce the time required for the outer surface of the toroidal support to reach a temperature which is suitable for ensuring a uniform and homogeneous precuring of the inner surface of the green tyre, preferably of the inner surface and the bead regions of the green tyre.

Abstract: A carcass ply is built on a forming drum by application of a plurality of strip-like elements by the steps of: setting a width of these strip-like elements, setting a width of the overlapped part between two adjacent strip-like elements, setting a fitting diameter of the forming drum by calculating a corresponding extension of a radially external laying surface, and calculating a whole number of strip-like elements to be applied. The whole number of drip-like elements is applied by rotating the forming drum around a geometric rotation axis thereof, and applying pairs of strip-like elements by means of a first laying unit and a second laying unit located close to opposite portions of the forming drum relative to the geometric rotation axis.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing tires for vehicle wheels includes building on a forming support a carcass structure including at least one carcass ply, and, at at least one end edge of the carcass ply, at least one annular anchoring structure including at least one substantially circumferential annular insert and at least one filling insert associated with the at least one substantially circumferential annular insert. Building the carcass structure includes positioning the annular anchoring structure on the carcass ply by moving the substantially circumferential annular insert into contact with an end edge of the carcass ply by means of a special positioning member, pulling down the filling insert on the end edge of the carcass ply and turning up a free end portion of the end edge of the carcass ply so as to form a turned up end portion of the carcass ply including the annular anchoring structure.

Abstract: A plant, a method and a process for building tires for vehicle wheels in a carcass structure building line includes: a) associating a pair of support rings with a forming drum in a work station for associating support rings; b) building at least one structural component of the tire being processed on the forming drum provided with the pair of support rings in at least one work station of the carcass structure building line; c) removing the pair of support rings from the forming drum in a work station for removing support rings; d) transferring the pair of support rings dissociated from the forming drum to a temporary storage for support rings; and e) building at least one further structural component of the tire being processed on the forming drum without the pair of support rings in a work station of the carcass structure building line.

Abstract: A method of building a sequence of tires different from each other, includes generating a first deposition surface by a first series of consecutive circumferential sectors. The first deposition surface is selected as a function of the type of a first tire to be built. Each circumferential sector of the first series is removably coupled to a central body of a forming drum. The method further includes manufacturing at least one component of the at least one first tire by deposition of the at least one component at a radially external position to the first deposition surface of the forming drum, removing the at least one component from the forming drum and replacing each circumferential sector of the first series with a circumferential sector of a second series for generating a second deposition surface selected as a function of the type of a second tire to be built which is different from the first tire.