Abstract: Making a tire mold by spraying molten atomized metal on a model to form a metal shell and then reinforcing the shell with a resin backing to form a mold segment for the tire mold. Modular shoe container assemblies have replaceable backing members for making different size molds and flat plate spacers for providing different thicknesses of the mold segment. In one embodiment a slide block is used for one side of the cavity whereby a sole plate is eliminated.

Abstract: An apparatus and method wherein strip material is clamped to a shuttle finger slidably mounted in a shuttle casing which in turn is slidably mounted on a strip applier frame. The shuttle casing and shuttle finger are movable simultaneously from a retracted first position to a second position with the end of the shuttle casing adjacent an applicator roll. The shuttle finger is then movable by itself from the second position to a third position for transferring a tongue portion of the strip onto the applicator roll. The tongue portion may then be elevated into clamping engagement with the drum and the strip released from the shuttle finger. The shuttle casing and shuttle finger may then be returned to the first position, the drum rotated a predetermined amount to partially wrap the strip around the drum and the strip cut at a predetermined location whereupon the drum is rotated to fully wrap the strip of flexible material around the drum.