A machine for retreading tires includes a rotatable hub that includes a moveable conical element, and an expandable rim disposed around the rotatable hub. The expandable rim includes a plurality of shoes. Each shoe of the plurality of shoes may have a base portion and a rim portion. The base portion may have a two-piece construction that allows for replacement of a worn interface that may include a channel and a ramp. A method for assembling an expandable rim for use in a tire retreading machine, and a method for servicing a machine having an expandable rim are also disclosed.

Even when a radial length of a swing arm is increased, no gap is generated between adjacent segments, and tires of various sizes can be handled while roundness of a drum is maintained. An expandable molding drum has a plurality of segments constituting a circumferential surface, the molding drum having a plurality of swing arms having one end portion swingably connected to an outer circumferential surface of a cylindrical slider externally fitted with a drum shaft and having the other end portion swingably connected to the segment and expanding/contracting the segment along with movement of the slider in a drum shaft direction, and adjacent end portions of one end portions of the swing arms being swingably connected to the outer circumferential surface of the slider at intervals from each other in the drum shaft direction.

Various embodiments relate to a pivoted dual roller tire sidewall and body ply stitching apparatus for stitching tire components, the apparatus including a first roller having a toroidal shape and connected to a first supporting arm, a second roller having a toroidal shape and connected to a second supporting arm and a supporting member connected to the first roller, the second roller and a third supporting arm wherein the second supporting arm is longer than the first supporting arm and the first roller and the second roller are configured to pivot on the supporting member.

A tire building drum and a method of building a tire carcass is disclosed. The tire building drum has a center section comprised of a plurality of segments that are radially and axially movable. The sleeve of the tire building drum over the center section has been eliminated, and instead has two seals located on the outer ends or shoulders of the center section of the tire building drum. The building drum further comprises shoulder sections that are axially movable. The shoulder sections include radially expandable bead locks. The method employs the steps of applying one or more carcass layers, locking the bead locks and moving the center section radially outwardly while moving the bead locks axially inwardly.

In an apparatus for building tires for vehicle wheels, a forming drum is loaded on a shuttle movable on a guide along a deposition line. The shuttle is moved on the guide in the two running directions to bring it to dispensing stations of semifinished products disposed in at least some deposition locations positioned in space succession along the deposition line. At each of the dispensing stations, at least one semifinished product is laid on a radially external surface to the forming drum carried by the shuttle for forming at least one component of a tire. The shuttle is moved on the guide in a different sequence from the space succession of the deposition locations along the deposition line.

The invention is directed to a center deck assembly for a tire building drum. The tire building drum is rotatably mounted on a central drive shaft and includes a center section. The center deck assembly is disposed in the center section of the drum and includes a hub that seats on and is secured to the central drive shaft. At least one piston extends circumferentially in the tire building drum about the hub and a plurality of segment bars are disposed about the circumference of the center deck assembly. The at least one piston is operably connected to the segment bars by a plurality of linkages, in which each of the linkages includes a scissor-lever mechanism.

The invention is directed to a center deck assembly for a tire building drum. The tire building drum is rotatably mounted on a central drive shaft and includes a center section. The center deck assembly is disposed in the center section of the drum and includes a hub that seats on and is secured to the central drive shaft. At least one piston extends circumferentially in the tire building drum about the hub and a plurality of segment bars are disposed about the circumference of the center deck assembly. The at least one piston is operably connected to the segment bars by a plurality of linkages, in which each of the linkages includes a scissor-lever mechanism.

The invention relates to an applicator unit, a tire building device and a method for applying a strip to a drum, wherein the applicator unit comprises an applicator roller and a cutter, wherein the applicator roller comprises a roller body that is rotatable about a roller axis for applying the strip to the drum in an application direction perpendicular to said roller axis, wherein the applicator roller and the cutter are configured to cooperate for cutting the strip on the applicator roller along a helical cutting path about the roller axis.

A tire manufacturing device includes: a molding drum; a first moving portion in which the molding drum moves in order to mold an inner liner layer on the molding drum; a second moving portion in which the molding drum moves in order to mold a ply layer on the inner liner layer; a stitcher position where a carcass band is formed by performing pressing from above the ply layer laminated on the inner liner layer; and a transfer position where the carcass band is transferred from the molding drum to a transport device that transports the carcass band to a subsequent process, and the stitcher position and the transfer position are adjacent to each other.

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.