A method and apparatus for determining the force variation on a green tire, the method comprising the steps of: forming a green tire having a tread and belt assembly, stitching the outer surface of the tread using a pressure roller and measuring the radial force by a sensor mounted in the pressure roller.

A method of forming a gum roll is provided. The method includes providing a strip stock having a first end, a first surface, and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The first end of the strip stock is coupled to a core fixture so the first surface interfaces with the core fixture. The strip stock is rotated to wind the strip stock onto the core fixture such that the first surface interfaces with the second surface to form the gum roll. The method further includes cutting the strip stock to form the second end when the gum roll is wound to an outer roll diameter, the outer roll diameter being greater than a diameter of the core fixture.

The invention relates to a method for marking a vehicle tyre (20) and a corresponding marking station. In one example, the vehicle tyre is supplied (100) to a marking station (10), the vehicle tyre (20) is aligned and centred (102, 103) in the marking station (10), marking is performed (108) in the marking station in accordance with characteristics of the vehicle tyre (20), and marking is performed (108) using one marking device (12) from a multiplicity of different marking devices (12). The method according to the invention is distinguished by the fact that the marking device (12) for marking the vehicle tyre (20) is positioned (107) at the vehicle tyre (20) by means of a robot arm (11).

A method and a plant for managing the production cycle of a plant for building tyres for vehicle wheels, wherein the plant provides for a storage region for anchoring annular structures and a plurality of processing stations at least one of which is associated with a forming drum, includes feeding a plurality of anchoring annular structures to the storage region, picking up the anchoring annular structures from the storage region at a predetermined picking-up position that does not change on changing of the types of the anchoring annular structures, and feeding the picked-up anchoring annular structures to the processing station associated with the forming drum.

A method for managing a carcass structure building line, a plant and a process for building tyre carcass structures, wherein the plant includes a carcass structure building line provided with a plurality of stations including an unloading station and n building stations. A group of forming drums being processed includes m forming drums being processed defining a first size of carcass structure being processed. Three groups of entering forming drums include respective entering forming drums, defining a second size of carcass structure being processed. A pair of support elements being processed includes a first and a second support element being processed and three pairs of entering support elements respectively include a first and a second entering support element. The invention also relates to a method for managing a carcass structure building line.

A device and a method for feeding a sheet material are provided. A conveying machine is disposed above a holding machine. A sensor detects a lateral position of a rubber sheet fed from the holding machine. At a position between a grip position below the conveying machine and a release position at an upstream side in a conveying direction above the conveying machine, a leading edge of the rubber sheet is gripped by a gripping machine. The gripping machine is revolved and moved to the release position using, as a revolution center, a position in a vertical direction midway between the grip position and the release position. The leading edge being released is pressed against a placement surface of the conveying machine by a pressing portion. The rubber sheet is placed on the placement surface and conveyed to a downstream side in the conveying direction by the conveying machine.

A green tyre (2) for bicycles is built, comprising at least one carcass ply (4) having axially opposite end flaps (4a) engaged with respective bead cores (5) and a tread band (6) applied in a radially outer position around said at least one carcass ply (4). The built tyre (2) removed from the building drum, is profiled so as to translate the tread band (6) in a radially outer direction with respect to the bead cores (5), so as to impart a cross-sectional convex profile to the tyre (2) in a radially outer direction. The profiled tire is engaged by means of a transfer member (31) comprising a gripping device (30) which holds it hanging and loads it into a vulcanisation mould (101) by axially positioning an axial centreline plane (M) of the green tyre at an axial reference (51) arranged at a predetermined height along a reference axis (K) of a central body (103) of the vulcanisation mould (101).

A tire comprises an inner surface defining and facing an inner hollow space, an outer surface pointing away from the inner hollow space. A method of processing the tire comprises identifying the position of a first feature on the outer surface and cleaning a surface portion of the inner surface of the tire, wherein the surface portion has a first predetermined position relative to the position of the first feature on the outer surface. A separate element is attached with its attachment surface to the surface portion, wherein a ratio of a size of the surface portion over a corresponding size of the attachment surface is smaller than 10.

A tread extension device (10) is provided that has first (12) and second (14) tread extensions for holding a tread during brushing operations. A first connecting device (28) connects the first tread extension (12) to a first longitudinal end (18) of the tread, and engages both the first tread extension (12) and the first longitudinal end (18) of the tread. A second connecting device (30) is included that connects the second tread extension (14) to the second longitudinal end of the tread. The second connecting device (30) engages both the second tread extension and the second longitudinal end of the tread. The tread is able to be brushed in both a first direction and a second direction along its underside.

A process for building tyres for vehicle wheels are disclosed, wherein said building process comprises the following steps carried out in a carcass structure building line: a) associating a pair of support rings with a forming drum in a work station for associating support rings; b) building at least one structural component of the tyre being processed on the forming drum provided with said pair of support rings in at least one work station of the carcass structure building line; c) removing the pair of support rings from the forming drum in a work station for removing support rings; d) transferring the pair of support rings dissociated from the forming drum in a temporary storage for support rings; e) building at least one further structural component of the tyre being processed on the forming drum without the pair of support rings in a work station of the carcass structure building line.