Abstract: Apparatus and method for manufacturing an air maintenance tire includes an air pumping tube assembly station constructing an air pumping tube sub-assembly, a tire preparation station for forming passageways in the tire to accept an outlet device of the air pumping tube sub-assembly, an air pumping tube sub-assembly installation station and a pressure regulator installation station. The air pumping tube sub-assembly inserts into an elongate tire groove opening, facilitated by groove-spreading apparatus.

Abstract: The present invention provides an imprint apparatus which forms a pattern in an imprint material on a substrate using a mold, the apparatus comprising a deformation unit configured to deform at least one of the mold and the substrate, and a control unit configured to control a process of starting contact between the mold and the imprint material in a state in which the at least one is deformed, and then gradually increasing a contact area between the mold and the imprint material by gradually decreasing a deformation amount of the at least one, wherein the control unit controls relative positions of the mold and the substrate based on the deformation amount, so as to maintain a relative positional relationship between the mold and the substrate at a region where the mold and the imprint material are contact with each other.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a pneumatic tire including forming a green case by cylindrically winding a tire component member which includes at least one layer of a carcass ply. The green tire is shaped by expanding the green case into a toroidal shape with the supply of a fluid into the green case so that the green case adheres to a tread ring arranged radially outside the green case. The green tire is subjected to vulcanization molding within a mold die. During the shaping of the green tire, the fluid is supplied in accordance with a pressure profile which changes in a stepwise manner. The pressure profile is set such that a former stage pressure which allows the green case to expand to 35% to 40% of a full expansion amount is set lower than a final stage pressure in a final stage.

Abstract: A plant for building tyres includes a plurality of working locations, at least one first working location being associated with at least two loading/unloading locations, a proximal one and a distal one, each of said working locations and loading/unloading locations being associable with a forming drum. The production cycle is controlled by the method of: (i) loading a first forming drum into the at least one first working location; (ii) loading a second forming drum into the loading/unloading location; (iii) at the end of the working provided in the at least one first working location, unloading the first forming drum into the proximal loading/unloading location.

Abstract: A rubber strip is transported to a molding drum. At this stage, a cutter cuts the rubber strip into a predetermined length. If a sensor detects the finishing end of the rubber strip when the rubber strip is transported, a sucker, which transports the rubber strip while drawing the rubber strip, is temporarily stopped or the movement speed of the sucker is decreased. As a result, a top portion of the rubber strip is extended in the longitudinal direction of the rubber strip. This compensates for the amount of shrinkage of the rubber strip after extrusion, thus restraining shrinkage of the rubber strip.

Abstract: A forming drum has circumferentially consecutive sectors that are radially movable between a contracted condition and an expanded condition in which the sectors are radially moved away from a geometric axis in order to define a radially external abutment surface. Each sector has circumferentially opposite coupling portions, each having circumferential projections alternated with circumferential cavities. The projections of each sector are slidably engaged in the respective cavities of circumferentially adjacent sectors. From at least one of the projections, at least one support wing is extended having a first side and a second side that are respectively opposite. The first side coincides with a portion of the abutment surface and the second side at least partially overlaps one of the projections belonging to an adjacent sector. A process for building tyres employing the drum is also described.

Abstract: A tire building drum (10) is used to build a large green tire. The tire building drum (10) comprises: a cylindrical drum main body (12) having an outer peripheral surface (14) a diameter of which is capable of being increased and reduced; and a coating (16) formed on the outer peripheral surface of the drum main body. The coating (16) includes a silicon layer (26) defining a surface of the coating (16), and the silicon layer has a surface roughness Ra of 10 ?m or greater. The tire building drum (10) requires no application of stearic acid onto the surface thereof in release of the green tire.

Abstract: A drum for building a green tire casing having: sectors that form a circumferential face of the drum, and at least one cam for controlling a radial movement of the sectors with respect to a rotation axis of the drum. The cam has two main faces and is designed such that a monotonous movement of the cam first of all causes the radial movement of some of the sectors by virtue of ramps situated on its first face without modifying a radial position of the other sectors, and then causes the radial movement of the other sectors by virtue of ramps situated on its second face, the movement of all of the sectors then being simultaneous.

Abstract: A method for ablating a workpiece by a pulsed laser beam includes pretreating a workpiece surface of the workpiece by moving the pulsed laser beam over the workpiece surface along a surface path, first consecutive laser pulses of the pulsed laser beam having a first pulse overlap on the workpiece surface in a path direction, and ablating the pretreated workpiece surface by moving the pulsed laser beam over the workpiece surface along the surface path multiple times. The second consecutive laser pulses of the pulsed laser beam have a second pulse overlap on the workpiece surface in the path direction, and the second pulse overlap is less than the first pulse overlap.

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: 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 tire building drum is rotatably mounted on a central drive shaft and includes a center portion. A center mechanism for the drum is disposed in the center portion and includes a hub that seats on and is secured to the central drive shaft. An axially-extending piston seats on and extends circumferentially about the hub. A cylinder cooperates with the hub and the piston to form a pneumatic chamber. A plurality of links are connected to the piston and a plurality of segment bars are disposed about the circumference of the center mechanism. Each one of the segment bars is connected to selected links and seats between a lip of the cylinder and a distal end plate. When compressed air is introduced into the pneumatic chamber, the piston moves in an axial direction, actuating movement of the links and in turn actuating radial movement of the segment bars.

Abstract: A plant for building tyres includes a plurality of working locations, at least one first working location being associated with at least two loading/unloading locations, a proximal one and a distal one, each of said working locations and loading/unloading locations being associable with a forming drum. The production cycle is controlled by the method of: (i) loading a first forming drum into the at least one first working location; (ii) loading a second forming drum into the loading/unloading location; (iii) at the end of the working provided in the at least one first working location, unloading the first forming drum into the proximal loading/unloading location.

Abstract: A process and a drum for looping annular anchoring structures in a process for building tyres for vehicle wheels includes: depositing a loop on a drum including a radially expandable/contractible intermediate annular portion and, in a position axially adjacent to the opposite axial ends of the intermediate annular portion, a pair of radially expandable/contractible lateral annular portions; associating an annular anchoring structure with a radially outer annular surface portion of the loop defined at the intermediate annular portion; and turning up each of opposite end edges of the loop on the annular anchoring structure through the lateral annular portions as a result of a thrusting stress imparted by a respective lateral annular portion of the pair of lateral annular portions because of a synchronous radial movement and a synchronous axial displacement of a respective plurality of circumferentially adjacent first angular sectors.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing a lot of tires including: selecting a first operating radial position; setting a positioning device to the first operating radial position; setting a turning up device to the first operating radial position; positioning a first annular anchoring structure on an edge of a first carcass ply; turning up the edge of the first carcass ply around the first annular anchoring structure; pulling down the edge of the first carcass ply toward the longitudinal axis of a first forming support; replacing the first forming support with a second forming support; selecting a second operating radial position; setting the positioning device to the second operating radial position; setting the turning up device to the second operating radial position; positioning a second annular anchoring structure on an edge of the second carcass ply; and turning up the edge of the second carcass ply around the second annular anchoring structure.

Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes a tread, a carcass and a belt. The belt includes inner and outer layers including steel cords and topping rubbers such that the cords in each layer are parallel-aligned and inclined with respect to equatorial plane and inclination directions of the cords in the layers are opposite to each other with respect to the plane, inclination angle ?s of the cords in the inner layer at edge is larger than inclination angle ?c at the plane, the edge of the inner layer is at position of 0.9 times axial direction width, inclination angle ?s of the cords in the outer layer at edge is larger than inclination angle ?c o at the plane, the edge of the outer layer is at position of 0.9 times axial direction width, and difference between the angles ?s and ?c is larger than difference between the angles ?s and ?c.

Abstract: A lithography apparatus is provided. The lithography apparatus includes a control unit that obtains information of an expected processing count to be processed in a lot by a transfer unit, obtains information of an accumulated processing count, in the transfer unit, of each of originals in a original storage unit, and preferentially selects, from the originals, an original whose process enable count before the accumulated processing count reaches a predetermined count is not smaller than the expected processing count.

Abstract: The present disclosure generally relates to methods for additive manufacturing (AM) that utilize rail support structures in the process of building objects, as well as novel rail support structures to be used within these AM processes. The rail support structures include a plurality of substantially parallel vertical walls, each wall extending substantially parallel to a direction from the first side to the second side. Adjacent walls of the plurality of substantially parallel vertical walls are separated by a portion of unfused powder. An object is formed above the plurality of substantially parallel vertical walls.

Abstract: A bead ring bonding cord winding apparatus includes a feed roller that feeds a bead ring, which is formed by winding a wire a multiple number of times, in a circumferential direction of the bead ring, a gripping member that grips an initiating end of a bonding cord, and a rotation member that rotates past an inner side and an outer side of the bead ring while holding the bonding cord. In the bead ring bonding cord winding apparatus, while the bead ring is fed in the circumferential direction, the rotation member is rotated past the inner side and the outer side of the bead ring to spirally wind the bonding cord around the bead ring. The gripping member is located at an upstream side of the rotation member in the feeding direction of the bead ring.

Abstract: A clamping device includes a first clamp for clamping the distal end of a steel wire at a position corresponding to a first winding groove and a second clamp for clamping the distal end of a steel wire at a position corresponding to a second winding groove.