TTE Preview - Tire machinery

ERJ previews machinery technologies lined up for the Tire Technology Expo 2019 trade fair and conference, taking place 5-7 March at the Deutsche Messe, Hanover, Germany

Among the machinery innovations on display in Hanover, will be the HF Curemaster TBR for the manufacture of truck tires – of which the first machines are already in operation.

HF’s new curing press is designed to offer a flexible and compact footprint: enabling tire makers to replace older, smaller presses, and ultimately save space or fit more presses per existing trench.

“Therefore customers are able to increase production without expanding their footprint,” according to a press statement from the German machinery major.

The curing press accommodates moulds from 62-67”, HF adding that its “modular design concept responds to the latest market requirements while allowing for customisation to individual customer specifications.”

The design is also said to ensure an optimum tire uniformity and long mould-life due to an even distribution of pressure.

HF added that the machine is designed to provide the “lowest energy consumption” and meet the “highest requirements for availability, performance and quality.”

At TTE, Troester will present its range of standard and custom-designed systems for extrusion and calendering of tire components.

Features will include innovative extrusion lines for tread, sidewall, innerliner, apex and other profiles, which can also be offered as turn-key systems including downstream equipment and line control.

An automated, first-stage tire-building machinery that Marangoni has been developing will be the focus of the company’s stand at Tire Technology Expo.

The design is said to deliver quality, repeatability and productivity via different levels of automation, which can be implemented to deal with demanding cycle-time and process specifications.

According to Marangoni, end users can achieve “fine-grained control of the process, without compromising on the complexity of the tire designs that can be manufactured.

An automatic finger ply-down and bead setting with pneumatic or mechatronic controls, means “even the most complex designs can be realised,” the company added.

Using simulation software, Marangoni added that it can carry out accurate and customised bladder designs to benefit the quality of the turn-up process.

Italian tire-machinery maker Matteuzzi will present a new ‘smart’ machine concept, which includes grinding, trimming and white sidewall buffing machines. These all feature laser profilometers and cameras for continuous acquisition of tire data.

According to Matteuzzi, the equipment enables automatic definition of processing parameters and fully automated recipe-controlled tire processing cycles.

The result, it said, is that tire-specific features and critical aspects are taken into account, cycle time is optimised, and the machine is fully integrated into the plant production set-up.

The Italian company is currently expanding its facility and offices near Bologna for greater production capacity and more advanced R&D.

Festo will, meanwhile, showcase how its latest flexible pneumatic automation platform, the Festo Motion Terminal VTEM allows switching between different pneumatic functions via apps, without changing hardware.

For example, it said, a selectable pressure level app ensures that the green tire is loaded in curing presses gently, reducing loading time and energy consumption.

The new technology is designed to offer “perfect lamination and penetration of rubber into the cords thanks to a friction-free calender roll that supports shifting.”

In addition, Rodolfo Comerio said the technology improves the quality of the rubberised materials, increases production stability and reduces scrap, thus lowering production costs.

Fulda, Germany-based Uth GmbH will introduce a solution for reworking material generated in rubber processing: the TRP Reworker System – based on a two-roll-plasticiser with integrated gear pump.

The reworker incorporates a new technology that combines gentle rubber processing, based on an open roll system, with proven methods such as cracking, homogenising and discharging.

“In just one single step, the TRP Reworker automatically and continuously homogenises and fine- mesh strains treads, sidewalls, profiles or sheets at a low temperature,” said Uth.

“With possible throughputs of up to 2,500 kg/h per system, this technology represents a breakthrough,” a company statement further claimed.

/ more to follow …