The machine includes a tire-building zone for producing, on a drum, a carcass entity that includes a carcass ply with carcass reinforcers. The machine also includes a finishing zone for producing a crown entity that includes a tread, a shaping system for causing the carcass entity to expand radially in order to give it a toroidal shape. In an assembling zone, the crown entity is assembled on the carcass entity. A biasing system interacts, during the shaping, with the carcass reinforcers so as to modify the angular orientation of the carcass reinforcers with respect to the circumferential direction of the drum. An automatic control unit allows a biased-crown tire to be manufactured in this way.

In the building of a carcass structure for tyres of vehicle wheels, the step of reinforcing with a loop at least one annular anchoring structure (10) associated at the axially opposite end edges of a carcass ply is carried out. Said reinforcement step is carried out on at least one radially expandable/contractable service drum (107a, 107b) and comprises the steps of: setting the service drum (107a, 107b) to a predetermined radial dimension selected according to the fitting diameter of the tyre to be manufactured, depositing the loop (5) on the service drum (107a, 107b), loading the annular anchoring structure (10) onto the service drum (107a, 107b) in a radially outer position with respect to the loop (5), radially expanding the service drum (107a, 107b) up to lock in position the annular anchoring structure (10), rotating the service drum (107a, 107b) about a longitudinal axis (X-X) thereof and, during such a rotation, turning the loop (5) up about the annular anchoring structure (10).

Particular embodiments of the invention include a closed-loop tread strip forming unit (100) and methods for forming tread strips using a closed-loop unit. Embodiments of such forming units include a tread strip extruder (110) located at a pre-cure end of the closed-loop tread strip forming unit. Such units include an uncured tread strip handling assembly (120) configured to transport the first uncured tread strip from the first tread strip extruder and to a first tread strip mold member (130). The unit further includes a curing press (150) having an inlet and an outlet, a pre-cure mold handling assembly (140) configured to insert the loaded tread strip mold member into the curing press, a post-cure mold handling assembly (160) configured to receive the loaded tread strip mold member from the outlet of the curing press, a return assembly (170) configured to transfer the first tread strip mold member to the pre-cure end to complete a closed-loop.

The embodiments described herein generally relate to an electronic communication module suitable for incorporating into a tire or tire retread, where the electronic communication module comprises a radio device having at least a portion of its outer surface surrounded by a rubber composition. Certain embodiments also relate to tires or tire retreads containing the electronic communication module. In addition, certain embodiments relate to methods for improving the readability of a radio device incorporated into a tire or tire retread.

A method for verifying the correct formation of the beads in a process and a plant for building tyres for vehicle wheels, includes: loading a plurality of annular anchoring structures in a storage, disposing them in two groups separated by an opening; positioning a building drum provided with a carcass sleeve in a tyre bead-forming machine; picking up two of the annular anchoring structures from the storage and loading them on the tyre bead-forming machine. In a work area of the tyre bead-forming machine, on each of two axially opposite zones of the carcass sleeve, a respective annular anchoring structure is fit and each of the abovementioned zones is turned up around the respective annular anchoring structure to form the beads. The aforesaid opening allows an operator to conduct a visual inspection of the work area and/or access the work area during the entire work cycle of the machine.

A method for verifying the correct formation of the beads in a process and a plant for building tyres for vehicle wheels, includes: loading a plurality of annular anchoring structures in a storage, disposing them in two groups separated by an opening; positioning a building drum provided with a carcass sleeve in a tyre bead-forming machine; picking up two of the annular anchoring structures from the storage and loading them on the tyre bead-forming machine. In a work area of the tyre bead-forming machine, on each of two axially opposite zones of the carcass sleeve, a respective annular anchoring structure is fit and each of the abovementioned zones is turned up around the respective annular anchoring structure to form the beads. The aforesaid opening allows an operator to conduct a visual inspection of the work area and/or access the work area during the entire work cycle of the machine.

A tire comprises an interior surface and an exterior surface, an accommodating region arranged on one of said interior and exterior surfaces, an adhesive layer arranged on the accommodating region and a member attached to the accommodating region by the adhesive layer, in which the adhesive layer is based on a silanized polyether.

Disclosed is a spacer gripper, a bead-apex storage system and a method for lifting one or more of the spacers from a stack of bead-apexes, wherein each spacer has a central aperture, wherein the central apertures of the spacers in the stack of bead-apexes are aligned in a stacking direction to form a central space, wherein the spacer gripper has a gripper head and a plurality of spacer engagement members protruding from said gripper head for reaching into the central space of the respective stack at least up to a second spacer of the respective stack from the top of the respective stack, wherein the plurality of spacer engagement members are movable into an engagement position for engaging said second spacer to lift said second spacer from the respective stack simultaneously with a first spacer at the top of the respective stack.

A pneumatic tire that rotates about a center axis includes a tread rubber that comprises a contact patch; a groove provided in the tread rubber, the groove having an inner surface that includes a bottom surface and side surfaces that connect the bottom surface to the contact patch; and a coating film disposed covering at least a portion of the inner surface, the coating film reducing exposure of ultraviolet light to the inner surface.

A tire fitted with a transponder comprises: a crown comprising a crown reinforcement having an axial end at each of its edges, connected at each of its axial ends by a sidewall to a bead having an interior end; a carcass reinforcement layer formed of parallel reinforcers, which is anchored in each bead around a bead wire to form a main part and a turn-up; the transponder comprising a core defining a first axis, a first cover filament helically twisted around the core and an electrical insulation device; and the first cover filament comprising at least two conductive filamentary elements galvanically connected to an electronic chip comprising a radiofrequency transmission-reception component. The thickness of elastomeric compound separating the outer cover filament, located radially outermost with respect to the first axis, and the reinforcements is greater than 0.5 millimeters.