Abstract: A method for building tyres for vehicle wheels is described. Second stage forming drums are moved in a crown structure building line for building respective crown structures. Movement occurs along a first path for building a first part of components of the crown structure and a second path for building a second part of components of the crown structure. Additionally, first stage forming drums are moved in a carcass structure building line for building respective carcass structures. The flow of the second stage forming drums is managed through a first manipulator, while the flow of the first stage forming drums is managed through a second manipulator.

Abstract: A method of curing spokes is provided in which first molds of a first and second series of molds are placed into a platen press, and force and heat applied. The platen press is opened and the first mold of the first series is moved relative to the platen press while the position of the first mold of the second series is kept the same relative to the platen press. Force and heat are applied to the molds. The platen press is opened, and the first mold of the first series is removed while the second mold of the first series is kept within the platen press. A cured spoke is removed from the first mold of the first series.

Abstract: A tire vulcanization system is configured to deliver a vulcanized tire carried out from a vulcanizer by a tire conveyance device to a PCI device at a first position, and attaches an upper lid. The PCI device mounted with the upper lid is moved from the first position to a second position by a PCI moving portion. The tire conveyance device is configured to receive the raw tire disposed above the PCI device moved to the second position and carry the raw tire into the vulcanizer.

Abstract: A power source control device (401) supplies electrical power for performing vulcanizing processing of a green tire in at least one vulcanizing unit provided in the vulcanizing machine (300), from a first power source (100) capable of supplying continuous power and a second power source (200) capable of supplying charged power that is charged in advance. The power source control device (401) includes an information acquisition unit (412) and a power supply control unit (413). The information acquisition unit (412) acquires process information showing the kind of processes included in the vulcanizing processing in the vulcanizing unit (301). The power supply control unit (413) makes the charged power supplied from the second power source (200) to the vulcanizing unit (300) during a predetermined process, on the basis of the process information acquired by the information acquisition unit (412).

Abstract: This invention relates generally to an apparatus for rotationally casting a portion of a tire, and, more specifically, to an apparatus that has a floating alignment mechanism that allows a portion of a mold to move in the radial direction of the tire, which is at least partially formed by the mold, allowing the molding apparatus to omit the use of tie bars. The mechanism may comprise two set of needle roller bearings that are orthogonally arranged to allow radial movement of a portion of a mold.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing tires includes making a plurality of structural components for tires, assembling the components following a pre-established sequence at respective work stations disposed along a manufacturing line, transferring the tires to a curing line, and curing the tires in respective vulcanization molds. The tires are sequentially transferred along the manufacturing line from a first work station to successive work stations. At least one series of tires is simultaneously processed on the manufacturing line and the curing line, and the at least one series of tires includes at least one first tire model and at least one second tire model different from the at least one first tire model. The tires are transferred from the manufacturing line to the curing line at a same rate as the tires are sequentially transferred along the manufacturing line from the first work station to the successive work stations.

Abstract: A rim 58, 83 of a post cure inflator 60 can be changed in an easy and safety manner, while the amount of energy consumption is reduced. A inflator body 61 having the lower rim 58 can be located at a lower position, and the upper rim 83 can be moved downward to a lower position. Thus, the lower rim 58 and the upper rim 83 can be changed at the lower position in response to the change of the type of the tire to be manufactured, whereby the changing operation is made easy and safety. Further, the upper rim 83 moves upward. With this configuration, a vulcanized tire T having a heavy weight only moves in a front and rear direction while being supported by the inflator 61(lower rim 58), whereby the amount of energy consumption can be reduced easily.

Abstract: The hydraulic curing system contains a first hydraulic curing device, a second hydraulic curing device, and a number of fastener sets fixedly coupling the first and second hydraulic curing devices side by side together. The first hydraulic curing device has a number of first joint hole sets; whereas the second hydraulic curing device has a number of second joint hole sets. The fastener sets fixedly couple the first and second hydraulic curing devices side by side together by fastening corresponding first and second joint hole sets. Through the present invention, the transportation and assembly of the hydraulic curing system can be conducted by handling the first and second hydraulic curing devices separately. The convenience of the transportation and assembly is as such significantly enhanced.

Abstract: A tire having aggressive tread features with improvements in uniformity that can also improve endurance is provided along with a method and apparatus for manufacturing such a tire. The tire and its manner of manufacture can achieve a reduction or elimination of certain non-uniformities that can occur during the molding of large tread blocks. The reduction or removal of these non-uniformities can improve temperature performance to provide increased tire endurance.

Abstract: Provided is a tire vulcanizer capable of adjusting the height of an upper mold attaching member or a lower mold attaching member while fixing the position of the upper mold attaching member or the lower mold attaching member, with a simple structure. A tire vulcanizer (2) includes: a guide frame (5) that supports an upper mold attaching member (21) and a base frame (26); a fixed rack (6) that is provided to the guide frame (5) along the height direction of a mold (23) and includes a plurality of teeth, the mold (23) including an upper mold (4) placed in the upper mold attaching member (21) and a lower mold (35) placed in the base frame (26); a movable rack (7) that is provided to the upper mold attaching member (21), meshes with the fixed rack (6), and includes a plurality of teeth; and an air cylinder that moves the movable rack (7) in the height direction of the mold (23) with respect to the upper mold attaching member (21) while keeping the height of the upper mold attaching member (21) constant.

Abstract: A vulcanisation apparatus and method for tires for vehicle wheels includes the steps of: placing a green tire, arranged on a toroidal support, inside a vulcanisation mold; connecting a supply device of at least one pressurised primary working fluid and a supply device of at least one pressurised secondary working fluid to the vulcanisation mold in a prevulcanisation and molding station; at least partially vulcanising a radially internal portion of the green tire on the toroidal support; transferring the mold to a vulcanisation station and completing the vulcanisation of the prevulcanised tire by supplying the at least one pressurised primary working fluid inside the toroidal support.

Abstract: In a vulcanizing system of the present invention, a temperature booster and a pressure booster are provided on a steam supply path connecting vulcanizers that belong to groups and a boiler allocated to the groups. The temperature booster and the pressure booster are sequentially arranged from an upstream side, a second branch supply path for supplying the steam to a mold between the temperature booster and the pressure booster is branched from the steam supply path. The second branch supply path is preferably in a form of allowing the steam temperature-boosted by the temperature booster to be supplied to the mold by bypassing the pressure booster.

Abstract: In a tire vulcanizer having two sets of portions, each of which includes a lower mold, an upper mold, and a center mechanism provided with a bladder, a nitrogen gas heated in a first heating device is supplied to an interior of the bladder of the center mechanism which is placed on the upstream side in the circulating direction of the nitrogen gas. The nitrogen gas discharged from the interior of the bladder of the center mechanism is used for vulcanization and patterning and a temperature thereof is lowered. However, this nitrogen gas is heated again in a second heating device, so that the temperature is increased. Therefore, the nitrogen gas heated in the second heating device is supplied to an interior of the bladder of the center mechanism which is placed on the downstream side in the circulating direction of the nitrogen gas.

Abstract: Provided are a apparatus and a method for vulcanizing a pneumatic tire, where are capable of: smoothly releasing a vulcanized pneumatic tire from multiple sectors separated from one another in a circumferential direction in each of an upper mold and a lower mold; and thereby lightening load on each mold. In addition to springs for biasing the sectors to always move into a smaller diameter, respectively, pushpins for moving the sectors into larger and smaller diameters are actuated by the respective cylinder rods of drive cylinders, and thereby the movements of the individual sectors into the larger and smaller diameters are controlled. Accordingly, even though the sectors would otherwise move abruptly into the smaller diameter due to biasing forces of the springs after the vulcanized tire is released from the sectors at the larger diameter, a radius-reducing movement speed of the sectors is control led by the cylinder rods in contact with rear ends of the push pins.

Abstract: A tire mold having a substantially elliptical base surface and a method for making a tire mold are provided. In one embodiment, a user selects a major axis length for the tire mold, then selects a ratio of the major axis length to a minor axis length. The tire mold is then formed with a substantially elliptical base surface defined by the first major axis and the selected ratio.

Abstract: A vulcanization apparatus and method for vehicle wheel tires, includes at least one prevulcanization work station to conduct a prevulcanization of a radially internal portion of the tire and at least two vulcanization work stations wherein the remaining part of the vulcanization of the whole tire is carried out.

Abstract: A laterally independently operated column-equipped vulcanizer comprises two (right and left) die opening and closing devices (12A, 12B) disposed to be operable independently of each other, the die opening and closing devices having upper die mounting members (17a, 17b) corresponding to lower die mounting members (13a, 13b) installed on a base plate (11), the upper die mounting members being supported in an ascendable and descendable manner on right and left paired columns (18a, 18b) erected on the base plate. The right and left paired columns throughout the two die opening and closing devices are arranged in V-configuration as viewed in plan. Loaders (22a, 22b) capable of carrying green tires GT into the die opening and closing devices are disposed on the side of the columns narrowly spaced from each other in the lateral direction among the columns arranged in V-configuration.

Abstract: A tire mold having a substantially elliptical base surface and a method for making a tire mold are provided. In one embodiment, a user selects a major axis length for the tire mold, then selects a ratio of the major axis length to a minor axis length. The tire mold is then formed with a substantially elliptical base surface defined by the first major axis and the selected ratio.

Abstract: A laterally independently operated column-equipped vulcanizer comprises two (right and left) die opening and closing devices (12A, 12B) disposed to be operable independently of each other, the die opening and closing devices having upper die mounting members (17a, 17b) corresponding to lower die mounting members (13a, 13b) installed on a base plate (11), the upper die mounting members being supported in an ascendable and descendable manner on right and left paired columns (18a, 18b) erected on the base plate. The right and left paired columns throughout the two die opening and closing devices are arranged in V-configuration as viewed in plan. Loaders (22a, 22b) capable of carrying green tires GT into the die opening and closing devices are disposed on the side of the columns narrowly spaced from each other in the lateral direction among the columns arranged in V-configuration.

Abstract: An improvement is achieved in productivity of a tire by preventing an unacceptably molded green tire, which is produced in a molding process, from flowing to a vulcanizing process. Measures therefor comprise putting an unvulcanized green tire on a mount surface of a mount stage, sticking an information label to a side wall of the green tire with a label sticking device arranged below a through-hole formed in a position, which corresponds to an inside of a bead body of the green tire, on the mount surface, and measuring a weight of the green tire with a gravimeter, which supports the mount stage.

Abstract: A vulcanisation apparatus and method for vehicle wheel tyres, includes at least one prevulcanisation work station to conduct a prevulcanisation of a radially internal portion of the tyre and at least two vulcanisation work stations wherein the remaining part of the vulcanisation of the whole tyre is carried out.

Abstract: A tire press has an upper mold fixedly attached to a top plate. A bottom mold is fixedly attached to a bottom plate. The tire press has a plurality of guide posts adapted to maintain proper alignment of the upper mold and the lower mold as the tire press opens and closes. A plurality of lock rods, which are independent of the guide posts, are positioned about the tire press. Each of the lock rods has a first end and a second end. The lock rods may have an adjustment mechanism positioned on the first end of the lock rods to adjust the various mold heights. Locking means are a part of the tire press, which are adapted to selectively engage the second end of the lock rods. Further, each of the lock rods has cylinder mechanism operatively connected to the locking means. The cylinder mechanism is adapted to force the locking means to the surface of the lock rods. The cylinder mechanism is a hydraulic cylinder having the piston disposed within the chamber.

Abstract: A pneumatic tire production system comprises production lines each including a green tire building station for assembling unvulcanized members of pneumatic tires into green tires. The green tires are vulcanized at a vulcanizing station which includes at least one vulcanizing unit equipped with a plurality of vulcanizing molds. The number of the vulcanizing mold is determined so as to satisfy the vulcanizing capacity which is substantially equivalent to the number of green tires formed at the building station within a predetermined unit time. The system serves to minimize the intermediate stock amount of green tires due to minimized changeover between different types of tires to be alternately produced.

Abstract: A vulcanizing system including a tire transferring apparatus or a mold opening/closing station arranged equidistantly to a plurality of vulcanizing stations, thereby achieving a reduced equipment cost and a reduced installation space with a higher manufacturing efficiency.

Abstract: A tire press has an upper mold fixedly attached to a top plate. A bottom mold is fixedly attached to a bottom plate. The tire press has a plurality of guide posts adapted to maintain proper alignment of the upper mold and the lower mold as the tire press opens and closes. A plurality of lock rods, which are independent of the guide posts, are positioned about the tire press. Each of the lock rods has a first end and a second end. The lock rods may have an adjustment mechanism positioned on the first end of the lock rods to adjust the various mold heights. Locking means are a part of the tire press, which are adapted to selectively engage the second end of the lock rods. Further, each of the lock rods has cylinder mechanism operatively connected to the locking means. The cylinder mechanism is adapted to force the locking means to the surface of the lock rods. The cylinder mechanism is a hydraulic cylinder having the piston disposed within the chamber.

Abstract: A vulcanizing system including a tire transferring apparatus or a mold opening/closing station arranged equidistantly to a plurality of vulcanizing stations, thereby achieving a reduced equipment cost and a reduced installation space with a higher manufacturing efficiency.

Abstract: A pneumatic tire production system comprises production lines each including a green tire building station for assembling unvulcanized members of pneumatic tires into green tires. The green tires are vulcanized at a vulcanizing station which includes at least one vulcanizing unit equipped with a plurality of vulcanizing molds. The number of the vulcanizing mold is determined so as to satisfy the vulcanizing capacity which is substantially equivalent to the number of green tires formed at the building station within a predetermined unit time. The system serves to minimize the intermediate stock amount of green tires due to minimized changeover between different types of tires to be alternately produced.

Abstract: A tire vulcanizing machine has a tire receiving position, tire supplying position, tire vulcanizing position, and tire removing position. A receiving table receives a green tire and provides the tire to a tire supplying device. The tire supplying device positions the tire on a lower die and an upper die closes. The dies vulcanize and mold the green tire therebetween. A removing device transfers the vulcanized tire to a cooling device and ejects the cooled tire to a transfer conveyor. The receiving table, lower die and removing device are joined to each other and make a reciprocating movement at the same time at their set positions along with a transfer unit.

Abstract: This vulcanizing equipment comprises a vulcanizing station, an opening and closing station and a transfer station. The vulcanizing station has a housing shelf vertically having plural stages of placing parts for placing tire mold assemblies movable in closed state, which have pipings for supplying and discharging a vulcanizing/heating medium to the tire mold assemblies placed thereon. The opening and closing station has a placing part for placing the tire mold assembly, an opening and closing device for opening and closing the tire mold assembly placed on this placing part, a carrying-out device for carrying vulcanized tires from the tire mold assembly, and a carrying-in device for carrying unvulcanized tires to the tire mold assembly. The transfer station performs the transfer of the tire mold assembly between an optional stage of the placing parts of the housing shelf and the placing part of the opening and closing station by the rising and falling action along the housing shelf of the vulcanizing station.

Abstract: A printing form for rotary screen printing is provided and includes a thin-walled hollow cylinder made from fiber-reinforced plastics material, the cylinder wall of which is provided with continuous printing openings which define an image which is to be printed. The cylinder includes at least one layer having fibers with at least one oriented direction of the fibers. Multi-layer laminates made from carbon/epoxy having at least one layer with an oriented direction of the fibers which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of printing form are preferred.

Abstract: A pneumatic tire production system comprises production lines each including a green tire building station for assembling unvulcanized members of pneumatic tires into green tires. The green tires are vulcanized at a vulcanizing station which includes at least one vulcanizing unit equipped with a plurality of vulcanizing molds. The number of the vulcanizing mold is determined so as to satisfy the vulcanizing capacity which is substantially equivalent to the number of green tires formed at the building station within a predetermined unit time. The system serves to minimize the intermediate stock amount of green tires due to minimized changeover between different types of tires to be alternately produced.

Abstract: This invention relates to a tire curing system (10) having a plurality of molds disposed in side by side relation, transporting means (91) for transporting green tires (20) to the tire curing system, loading means (71) for loading a green tire (20) into a bottom mold half (14) of one of the molds, mold closing means (34) for closing a top mold half (13) over the bottom mold half (14), self-locking means (15) for locking the top mold half to the bottom mold half, curing means (18) for curing the green tires, mold opening means (35) for opening the top mold half from the bottom mold half, unloading means (72) for unloading the cured tire (22) from the bottom mold half (14) and take-away means (17) for carrying the cured tires (22) away from the curing system (10). The loading means (71) and the unloading means (72) include a movable robot (40) and the mold closing means (34) and the mold opening means (35) include a movable manipulator (30). The robot and the manipulator move in straight lines.

Abstract: A tire vulcanizer comprising a vulcanizing/molding unit which is provided with a mold removably and which vulcanizes and molds a green tire within the mold into a vulcanized tire, a feed system for feeding the green tire to the vulcanizing/molding unit, and a discharge system for discharging the vulcanized tire from the vulcanizing/molding unit, the feed system and the discharge system being located on a front side of the tire vulcanizer. A vulcanizing line is formed by arranging a plurality of such tire vulcanizers side by side so that the respective one sides lie on the same side. It is possible to complete the mold replacing work in a short and thereby improve the productivity.

Abstract: A tire vulcanizing system has a mold assembly M for vulcanizing a tire, which has a bladder assembly M300 which is supplied with a heating/pressurizing medium, a heating chamber C1a at the outer peripheral portion of a tire mold C, and upper and lower heating plates M100A and M200A of the tire mold, and is configured movably and so as to be capable of overcoming a force to open the mold by means of the pressure in a bladder BL; a plurality of mold opening/closing and vulcanizing stations 300 each of which receives the mold assembly M and opens and closes the same, and has a vulcanized tire unloader 302, a green tire loader 301, and a bladder operating/driving device 314; a changing/preheating station 200 which performs the change and preheating of the tire mold C incorporated in the mold assembly M and a bladder assembly 300; and mold transportation apparatus 100 which reciprocates between these two stations 300 and 200 to transport the mold assembly M.

Abstract: There is provided a tire vulcanizing system which can easily be arranged in an existing tire factory. The present invention provides a tire vulcanizing system having a vulcanizing station 100 for mounting a plurality of sets of tire mold assemblies M on a flat surface of a predetermined height and a tire mold opening/closing station 200 formed along the vulcanizing station 100, in which a tire mold opening/closing device 210, which takes out the tire mold assembly M from the vulcanizing station 100, and opens and closes the tire mold assembly M, is provided at the tire mold opening/closing station 200, and the tire mold opening/closing device 210 is provided with an upper movable plate 206 capable of elevating an upper mold Ma of the tire mold assembly M by connecting with the upper mold Ma, a horizontal transfer device 215 for transferring the tire mold assembly M on the same level as the height of the flat surface, and a lower fixed plate 211 capable of fixing a lower mold Mb of the tire mold assembly M.

Abstract: A tire vulcanizing system of the present invention comprises a plurality of rows of tire vulcanizing stations which contain a plurality of sets of movable tire mold assemblies to vulcanize a tire; a mold opening/closing station which is disposed at the tire vulcanizing stations to receive the tire mold assembly to open and close a tire mold, by which a vulcanized tire is removed and a green tire is inserted; and a first mold transporting device and a second mold transporting device which are disposed between the mold opening/closing station and the tire vulcanizing stations to transport the tire mold assembly.

Abstract: An automated conveyance system moves green tires (24) with monorail carriers (18) to tire molding presses (40). Each monorail carrier (18) deposits a green tire (24) into an elevator system (31) which, in turn, transfers the green tire to within reach of a press loader (38) for tire press (40). The elevator system (31) also provides a buffer storage for the tires in process. In one embodiment, the green tire in the basket (28) is rotated about a vertical path through which the basket moves to within reach of the press loader. In another embodiment, the elevator system (31) can move the green tire by linear translation from the vertical path through which the basket moves to within reach of the loader (38).

Abstract: A mold exchanger system includes a transfer device for transferring a mold into, and from a vulcanizing machine. The transfer device has a height adjusting mechanism for adjusting the transferring height of the mold, and a positioning mechanism for positioning the mold relative to the vulcanizing machine. The mold exchanger system has a simplified structure and yet allows the mold to be precisely centered and positioned relative to the vulcanizing machine, and to be smoothly transferred into, and removed from the vulcanizing machine, and significantly reducing the transfer time and the removing time to thereby improve the mold exchanging efficiency.

Abstract: There is provided a tire vulcanizing system which can easily be arranged in an existing tire factory. The present invention provides a tire vulcanizing system having a vulcanizing station 100 for mounting a plurality of sets of tire mold assemblies M on a flat surface of a predetermined height and a tire mold opening/closing station 200 formed along the vulcanizing station 100, in which a tire mold opening/closing device 210, which takes out the tire mold assembly M from the vulcanizing station 100, and opens and closes the tire mold assembly M, is provided at the tire mold opening/closing station 200, and the tire mold opening/closing device 210 is provided with an upper movable plate 206 capable of elevating an upper mold Ma of the tire mold assembly M by connecting with the upper mold Ma, a horizontal transfer device 215 for transferring the tire mold assembly M on the same level as the height of the flat surface, and a lower fixed plate 211 capable of fixing a lower mold Mb of the tire mold assembly M.

Abstract: A tire-vulcanizing machine in accordance with the present invention comprises a base frame, a guide column erected on the base frame, an upper movable beam guided by the column so as to move up and down, and two connection/disconnection units for connecting or disconnecting the upper movable beam to or from tire mold assemblies disposed on both sides of the column, wherein both the tire mold assemblies are opened or closed simultaneously or individually.

Abstract: The present invention provides a tire vulcanizing equipment capable of improving the production cycle by miniaturization of idle time of each device and shortening of carrying time, reducing the cost by simplification of the device and space saving, and smoothing the physical distribution line. This vulcanizing equipment comprises vulcanizing stations C consisting of the arrangement of a plurality of mold bases 2 having pipings for supplying and discharging a vulcanization medium to tire mold assemblies 1 placed thereon; an opening and closing station A having an opening and closing device 6 for opening and closing the moving mold 1, a loader 7, and an unloader 8; and a transfer station D having a transfer device for transferring the tire mold assembly 1. The vulcanizing stations C and the opening and closing station A are arranged circularly around the transfer station D.