Provided is a tire building drum and a method for shaping tire components on the tire building drum, wherein the tire building drum has an annular sleeve that extends over turn-up arms in the longitudinal direction of the turn-up arms. The sleeve is elastic in the circumferential direction and fits elastically around the turn-up arms. The sleeve is provided with inelastic reinforcement elements extending in at least a part of the sleeve in a reinforcement direction transverse to the circumferential direction of the tire building drum, and has a fixed end that is retained in the axial direction and a movable end that is movable over the turn-up arms in their respective longitudinal directions.

A turn-up device, comprising a building machine main shaft, an outer sleeve device, a ply down finger assy, a bladder device, a bead setting device, and a bead locking device. The outer sleeve device, the ply down finger assy and the bladder device are all sleeved on the building machine main shaft. The outer sleeve device is located on the outer sides of the ply down finger assy and the bladder device along the radial direction of the building machine main shaft. The bead setting device is located on the outer sleeve device. A tire building method using the turn-up device can improve the building quality of tire beads, improve the service life of capsule and provide promising precision of carcass.

A turn-up device, comprising a building machine main shaft, an outer sleeve device, a ply down finger assy, a bladder device, a bead setting device, and a bead locking device. The outer sleeve device, the ply down finger assy and the bladder device are all sleeved on the building machine main shaft. The outer sleeve device is located on the outer sides of the ply down finger assy and the bladder device along the radial direction of the building machine main shaft. The bead setting device is located on the outer sleeve device. A tire building method using the turn-up device can improve the building quality of tire beads, improve the service life of capsule and provide promising precision of carcass.

Disclosed is a tire building drum with a first bladder or sleeve, wherein the tire building drum has a first release member and a first actuator for generating a relative movement between the first release member and the drum body to move the first release member in a first release direction with respect to the drum body from a first fixation position in which the first release member fixates the first circumferential edge of the first bladder or sleeve to the drum body into a first release position in which the first release member releases the first circumferential edge from the drum body. Also disclosed is a method for operating the aforementioned tire building drum.

Disclosed is a tire building drum with a first bladder or sleeve, wherein the tire building drum has a first release member and a first actuator for generating a relative movement between the first release member and the drum body to move the first release member in a first release direction with respect to the drum body from a first fixation position in which the first release member fixates the first circumferential edge of the first bladder or sleeve to the drum body into a first release position in which the first release member releases the first circumferential edge from the drum body. Also disclosed is a method for operating the aforementioned tire building drum.

A process and a drum for looping annular anchoring structures in a process for building tyres for vehicle wheels includes: depositing a loop on a drum including a radially expandable/contractible intermediate annular portion and, in a position axially adjacent to the opposite axial ends of the intermediate annular portion, a pair of radially expandable/contractible lateral annular portions; associating an annular anchoring structure with a radially outer annular surface portion of the loop defined at the intermediate annular portion; and turning up each of opposite end edges of the loop on the annular anchoring structure through the lateral annular portions as a result of a thrusting stress imparted by a respective lateral annular portion of the pair of lateral annular portions because of a synchronous radial movement and a synchronous axial displacement of a respective plurality of circumferentially adjacent first angular sectors.

A process and a drum for looping annular anchoring structures in a process for building tyres for vehicle wheels includes: depositing a loop on a drum including a radially expandable/contractible intermediate annular portion and, in a position axially adjacent to the opposite axial ends of the intermediate annular portion, a pair of radially expandable/contractible lateral annular portions; associating an annular anchoring structure with a radially outer annular surface portion of the loop defined at the intermediate annular portion; and turning up each of opposite end edges of the loop on the annular anchoring structure through the lateral annular portions as a result of a thrusting stress imparted by a respective lateral annular portion of the pair of lateral annular portions because of a synchronous radial movement and a synchronous axial displacement of a respective plurality of circumferentially adjacent first angular sectors.

A station for checking the formation of beads of tyres, including: a forming drum for arranging a carcass sleeve with formed beads with the carcass sleeve in rotation, an image acquisition system for acquiring at least an image of a circumferential portion of external surface including the respective edges of the end flaps turned up; a processing unit for processing the image in order to determine a circumferential trend of the axial distance of each edge from an axial reference plane and for detecting possible defects of the beads as a function of such trend.

A station for checking the formation of beads of tyres, including: a forming drum for arranging a carcass sleeve with formed beads with the carcass sleeve in rotation, an image acquisition system for acquiring at least an image of a circumferential portion of external surface including the respective edges of the end flaps turned up; a processing unit for processing the image in order to determine a circumferential trend of the axial distance of each edge from an axial reference plane and for detecting possible defects of the beads as a function of such trend.

A turn-up section for a tire building drum, includes a plurality of turn-up arms distributed circumferentially about a central axis and an arm support for supporting the turn-up arms with respect to a base, wherein the turn-up arms are rotatable with respect to the arm support from an arms-down position towards an arms-up position in response to the movement of the arm support in an arm drive direction. Each turn-up arm comprises a hinge pin for rotatably coupling the respective turn-up arm to the arm support. The arm support includes a hinge seat for removably receiving the hinge pin of the respective turn-up arm. The hinge pin is retained in the hinge seat by one or more biasing members. The hinge pin of the turn-up arm is removable from the hinge seat in a radial direction with respect to the central axis by counteracting the bias of the one or more biasing members.