VMI launches 2-drum car tyre TBM

ERJ staff report (DS)

Epe, Netherlands -- VMI has designed and built a new tyre building machine called the Maxx. It is a 2-drum machine for radial car tyres that works according to the single stage building process. It combines a high level of flexibility with a substantially higher output and a better green tyre quality. that looks and operates quite different from its previous TBM machines - the VMI 248 and 348. The new unit is capable of making tyres from 13-inch up to 20-inch rim diameters. An optional variant permits tyres up to 24-inch rims to be built.

Both building drums move on a transfer track, while the transfer device is fixed. Also the designs of the belt and tread servicers are completely new, providing superior component application, said VMI. The company said the tyre building process of the Maxx is fully automatic and a robot unloads the green tyres from the machine.

To improve up-time and flexibility, the servicers have been equipped with dual let-offs for quick material change. Laser measuring devices and digital cameras automatically control the quality of the green tyres.