A wheel and tire assembly positioning system for automatically identifying characteristics of a wheel is presented, the wheel and tire assembly positioning system comprising a mechanical mechanism for transporting a wheel and tire assembly, and a control module connected to a mechanical mechanism actuator managing the transport of the wheel and tire assembly, a profile sensor adapted to sense a profile of an interior portion of the wheel to identify the characteristics of the wheel and tire assembly, and a sensor adapted to identify a wheel reference location.

A liner-removing tool for peeling a protective liner secured to a wheel-balancing weights strip is presented, the liner-removing tool comprising a liner peeler comprising a liner-contacting portion for engaging the protective liner secured to the wheel-balancing weights strip, the liner peeler being movable between a liner-contacting position, for engaging an end of the protective liner secured to the wheel-balancing weights strip; and a liner-removing position for routing the protective liner once the end of the protective liner is unsecured from the wheel-balancing weights strip and engaged with the liner peeler.

In a method for cleaning a fastening surface (2) for a balancing element on an inner face (3) of a rim (4) of a vehicle wheel (5), the vehicle wheel (5) is positioned in a holding apparatus (13) such that a cleaning apparatus (9) can be moved, by means of a handling apparatus (6), to the fastening surface (2) on the inner face of the rim (4) of the positioned vehicle wheel (5). The cleaning apparatus (9) is arranged at a free end of the handling apparatus (6). The cleaning apparatus (9) is then moved by the handling apparatus (6) to a wetting device (15) filled with a cleaning agent (11) and is wetted with cleaning agent (11) in the wetting device (15). The cleaning apparatus (9) wetted with cleaning agent (11) is then moved by the handling apparatus (6) into the wheel rim (4), where it is moved such that the cleaning apparatus (9) cleans at least one fastening surface (2) on the inner face (3) of the wheel rim (4).

A wheel balancing device for balancing spoked wheels, includes a rotatable holding device that is configured to receive and rotatably support a spoked wheel to be balanced, as well as at least one spoke sensor that is configured to detect the spokes of the wheel.

A wheel-balancing weights application tool for applying wheel-balancing weights to a central portion of a wheel is hereby presented, the wheel-balancing weights application tool comprising a pair of opposed semi-circular weights holder capable of simultaneously carrying two sets of wheel-balancing weights to a wheel for sequentially securing the two sets of wheel-balancing weights to the central portion of the wheel.

A spool-supplying apparatus for managing a plurality of spools is presented and is comprising a spool support frame, a spool-supporting axle secured in cantilever, at a first end thereof, to the spool support frame, the spool-supporting axle being configured to support a plurality of axially-supported spools thereon, the plurality of spools axially engaging the spool-supporting axle through a second end thereof, and a spool unwinder operatively associated with the spool-supplying apparatus for unwinding a spool, the spool unwinder being configured to rotatably engage a first spool from the second end of the spool-supporting axle. A method of using the spool-supplying apparatus is also presented.

An apparatus for applying weight material onto a wheel may include a conveyor assembly, upper and lower severing-head assemblies, and upper and lower control arms. The severing-head assemblies may be mounted above and below the conveyor assembly and may include a housing, a severing device and a dispensing mechanism. The dispensing mechanism may position the weight material from a source relative to the severing device. The severing device may separate a predetermined amount of weight material from a source. The control arms may be movably mounted above and below the conveyor assembly and have weight-application tools configured to transfer the predetermined amounts of weight material from the severing-head assemblies to locations on the wheel.

A wheel-balancing weight application apparatus comprising a supplying module including a first strip of wheel-balancing weights and a second strip of wheel-balancing weights, the first and the second strips of wheel-balancing weights including a different characteristic, and an application module for securing a portion of one of the first strip of wheel-balancing weights and the second strip of wheel-balancing weights to a wheel, wherein a selection of wheel-balancing weights from the first strip of wheel-balancing weights and the second strip of wheel-balancing weights is selected on a basis of a characteristic of the wheel to match the wheel-balancing weights characteristic with an identified characteristic of the wheel. A method of using the balancing weight application apparatus is also provided.

A weight applicator system includes a shaft, an applicator assembly, and a weight feed assembly. The shaft defines a length between a proximal end and a distal end configured to support a wheel-tire assembly for common rotation about a longitudinal axis of the shaft. The applicator assembly is supported by the shaft and includes a base portion disposed upon the shaft and operable to translate axially along the length of the shaft, a radial portion connected to the base portion and operable to radially move relative to the base portion between a retracted position and an extended position; and a pressure roller rotatably supported by the radial portion about an axis of rotation. The weight feed assembly is operable to feed a prescribed length of weighted material to the pressure roller.

A single-body balance correction range in which a weight has been removed by single-body balance correction performed on a turbine wheel (a rotor) as a single body is calculated, an assembly balance correction range is calculated in an assembled state of the turbine wheel, and assembly balance correction is performed in a case where the single-body balance correction range and the assembly balance correction range overlap each other, such that an outermost diameter of an arc-shaped assembly-balance correction groove provided by removal of an inner part of a turbine wheel head is smaller than a remaining height a of the single-body balance correction range.