Abstract: The thickness of a cut length of a continuously extruded elastomer is controlled by sampling the weight of a section of the continuous extrusion at a running-weigh-scale each second; computing one-minute averages of the running-weigh-scale samples and storing "A" to "n" of the averages where "A" is the newest and "n" is the oldest stored average; sampling the extruder motor power draw each second; computing one-minute averages of the power draw and storing "B" to "m" of the averages where "B" is the newest and "m" is the oldest stored average; comparing the newest to the oldest power draw average to obtain a difference between the two and multiplying the difference by a constant indicative of the type of elastomeric material being processed through the extruder to obtain a power-draw deviation signal; sampling the weight of a cut length of material extrusion at a check-weigh-scale; comparing the check-weigh-scale value to the oldest "n" stored running-weigh-scale one-minute average and to the power draw devia

Abstract: The thickness of a cut length of a continuously extruded elastomer is controlled by sampling the weight of a section of the continuous extrusion at a running-weigh-scale each second; computing and storing one-minute averages of the running-weigh-scale samples; sampling the weight of a cut length of the extrusion at a check-weigh-scale; comparing the check-weigh-scale value to the oldest stored running-weigh-scale one-minute average to obtain a targeted average; comparing the targeted running-weigh-scale average to the newest stored running-weigh-scale one-minute average to obtain a deviation from the targeted value if one exists; and converting the deviation from the targeted running-weigh-scale value to a control signal for increasing or decreasing the speed of a take-away belt positioned at the extruder exit orifice to vary the thickness of the extrusion in accordance with the deviation control signal and the speed of the belt.

Abstract: Magnetically encodable tags in tape format are written sequentially with tire identifying data and applied to the sidewall material of a green tire. The encoded data may be read from the tire at any point in the tire manufacturing process and the signals indicative of the tire identification number converted to an alphanumeric display and/or fed to a process control computer for on-line quality assurance and control or stored as a recorded history of the tire manufacturing process for inventory control.