In an assembly station, a carcass sleeve and an outer sleeve manufactured along respective building lines are mutually coupled. Integrated into the assembly station are engagement devices that can be alternatively-coupled to an auxiliary drum carrying an outer sleeve and to a building drum carrying a carcass sleeve. The building drum is engaged on the assembly station before removal of the auxiliary drum. A grip unit picks up the outer sleeve from the auxiliary drum associated with the engagement devices in order to position it around the carcass sleeve carried by the building drum.

In building tyres, an intermediate portion of a carcass structure is built at a time on a respective forming drum within an intermediate forming line. The forming drum with the intermediate portion of the carcass structure is made available at a first transfer location. The intermediate portion of the carcass structure is completed through n completion locations with n1 and then transferred for the subsequent assembling with a crown structure to a second transfer location. At an operating moment in which the first transfer location is occupied by a forming drum coming from the intermediate forming line or intended for the intermediate forming line, from one to n locations selected from the n completion locations and the second transfer location are occupied by respective forming drums.

A green tire support device includes: a green tire support which supports a green tire; a lift which moves the green tire support up and down; and an actuator which moves the green tire support away from or closer to a drum along an axial direction of the drum, to remove the drum from the green tire.

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 and a device for vulcanizing tires. An expandable bellows is used for pressing the tire being vulcanized against segments of a mold. The bellows is arranged on a carrier which has an annular shape.

A plant and a process for producing tires wherein the process includes the steps of: a) building a green tire on a toroidal support in a building line of a tire production plant; b) transferring the green tire and the relevant toroidal support from the building line of the production plant to a first holding unit; c) transferring the green tire and the relevant toroidal support from the first holding unit to a vulcanization line of the production plant; d) molding and vulcanization the green tire in the vulcanization line of the production plant; e) separating the molded and vulcanized tire from the relevant toroidal support; f) transferring the toroidal support, separated from the relevant tire, from the vulcanization line to the first holding unit; and g) transferring the toroidal support, separated from the relevant tire, from the first holding unit to the building line of the production plant, wherein steps b) and g) are carried out through a first transfer device and steps c) and f) are carried out through a second transfer device different from the first transfer device.

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 method for building tyres for vehicle wheels is described. Second stage forming drums are moved in a crown structure building line for building respective crown structures. Movement occurs along a first path for building a first part of components of the crown structure and a second path for building a second part of components of the crown structure. Additionally, first stage forming drums are moved in a carcass structure building line for building respective carcass structures. The flow of the second stage forming drums is managed through a first manipulator, while the flow of the first stage forming drums is managed through a second manipulator.

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus of handling tyres. The method includes: generating a first relative motion between a detecting line (4) and a tyre (100) for acquiring the position of a first edge (106) of a tyre (100) with respect to a reference (5); generating a second relative motion between said detecting line (4) and said tyre (100) and acquiring the position of a second edge (107) of said tyre (100) with respect to said reference (5); positioning a gripping device and gripping said tyre (100) on the basis of the positions of said first and second edge (107) with respect to said reference (5).

A method for supplying green tire manufacturing machines (14) with elastomeric products (12) by means of a supply facility (10) comprising a loading member (30) and at least one transfer member (34) comprising an unwinder (36) is disclosed. The supply facility comprises a preparation station (32), said preparation station comprising a manipulator arm (70), and at least one motor (53), the preparation station and the unwinder being distinct from the green tire manufacturing machine. The method comprises the following successive operations: loading the reel onto the unwinder; positioning the end of the product wound on the r?el; arranging the end of the product in such a way that it is laid on a dispenser of the unwinder; and transferring the reel from the preparation station to the green tire manufacturing machine.