A sculptured drum for a retread process that has an inner radial section with a central axis that extends in an axial direction. The sculptured drum has a plurality of support members that extend outward from a drum outer surface in a radial direction and that are located outward from the inner radial section in the radial direction. A tread that has a plurality of grooves is supported by the sculptured drum during a brushing process and pass across the sculptured drum such that some but not all of the grooves have one of the support members disposed therein. The support members when disposed within the grooves do not completely fill the grooves, and when disposed within the grooves engage a lower surface of the tread.

A loader device includes a support pedestal movable over a range of longitudinal travel along a longitudinal axis, a support carriage movably mounted to the support pedestal, a loader actuator, and a dismount actuator. The support carriage is movable over a range of vertical travel along a normal axis, which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The support carriage has a support arm adapted to support a tire casing. The loader actuator and dismount actuator are respectively adapted to selectively move: (1) at least a portion of a tire casing supported upon the support carriage in a loading direction along the longitudinal axis off of the support arm onto the expandable rim hub and (2) at least a portion of a tire casing supported upon the expandable rim hub in an opposing unloading direction off of the expandable rim hub and onto the support arm of the loader device.

Particular embodiments include a retreaded tire and a method for retreading a tire. A method may include providing a tire tread having a thickness and a width with grooves extending into the thickness from a tread top side, and providing a tire carcass having an annular tread-receiving side. The method may include applying the tread to the tire carcass with a layer of bonding material arranged between the tread and the tire carcass, and evacuating a gas from between the tire carcass and the tread bottom side through an aperture extending through the tread thickness, the aperture being formed by piercing the tread thickness with a suctioning member arranged in operable communication with a vacuum source, and bonding the tread to the tire carcass. In particular embodiments, portions of the bottom side of the tread beneath the grooves are not bonded to the tire carcass or the bonding layer.

A method of manufacturing a tread for agricultural tires, the method comprising providing an agricultural tire casing, providing a cured rubber component having first and second planar surfaces, providing a plurality of cushion gums, wherein the plurality of cushion gums contains a cure system comprising a stable dinitrile oxide compound, providing a plurality of lugs, and forming an agricultural tread composite by mating the lugs to a planar surface of the cured rubber component using the cushion gum.

A tire rasp blade for a buffing machine including least three arc segments of buffing leading edges with coarse and fine pitches with variable segment angles are arranged in between the terminal ends, to form arcuate working end with a working end angle. The first arc segment is defined by a coarse pitch and is arranged at one terminal end followed by an arrangement of second and third arc segments that are defined by an incremental fine pitch.

In the method for retreading a vehicle tire casing, a fluid is injected into a casing between a tread and a tread backing in order to space them apart.

A method of manufacturing a tread band includes providing a mold having one or more protrusions extending outward in a first direction away from a bottom surface of the mold. At least a first one of the protrusions includes a tip feature extending outward in the first direction. Rubber material is introduced into the mold. A first surface of the rubber material opposite the bottom surface covers the tip feature. The rubber material is compressed into the mold. The compressed rubber material covers the tip feature. The mold is released from the rubber material to form a tread band. The tread band has one or more grooves in a second surface opposite the first surface. The one or more grooves correspond to the one or more protrusions in the mold. A first groove corresponding to the first protrusion includes a vent corresponding to the tip feature in the mold.

A method for producing a retreaded tire 2 includes a step of shaving a tread 104 from a tire 102, a step of attaching a tag member 30 to a formed surface BD made by shaving the tread 104, and a step of reconstructing a new tread 4. The formed surface BD is located radially outward of a maximum width position of the tire 2. The tag member 30 is located radially inward of an end of a belt 14. An initial vulcanization time t10 of a rubber composition for a protector 34 of the tag member 30 is shorter than an initial vulcanization time t10 of a rubber composition for the new tread 4.

A method for retreading a wheel tire casing: a wheel tire casing is induction heated so as to soften a thermally malleable layer located between a tread of the casing and a carcass of the casing, the tread is removed from the carcass, and another tread is applied to the carcass.

The present invention relates to an apparatus (10) and a method for retreading a tire (16) having a worn surface (12). The worn surface (12) is made of a thermoplastic elastomer. The apparatus (10) includes a heater (34) and a 3D printer (18). The heater (34) is adapted to heat up the worn surface (12) to a desired temperature. The 3D printer (18) is adapted to lay one or more layers of the thermoplastic elastomer onto the heated worn surface (12). The or each layer of thermoplastic elastomer is capable of adhering to the heated worn surface (12) or previously laid layer without requiring an adhesive medium or agent.