A gas flow can be provided together with a liquid jet guided laser beam to remove accumulated liquid on the processing surface. The gas flow can be configured to have minimum interference with the liquid jet guided laser beam, while functions to blow away liquid generated by the liquid jet. Keeping the surface free from accumulated liquid can improve the efficiency of the liquid jet guided laser processing.

A tire vulcanization mold has a mold main body, and blades having, at proximal end sides thereof, embedded portions that are fixed to the mold main body in embedded states, and, at distal end sides thereof, projecting portions that project-out from the mold main body's inner surface, wherein at least one introducing path extends from a projecting portion side surface toward a blade inner portion is formed at each blade, and, a connecting path, shaped as a closed space and connects the introducing path and a proximal end opening, is formed at each blade's interior, a discharge path, whose one end opening communicates with proximal end opening and whose other end opening communicates with external space, is formed in the mold main body, and, a maximum flow path sectional area at the connecting path less than or equal to an opening surface area of discharge path's one end opening.

A sipe is provided to a land portion provided to a tread of a pneumatic tire. The sipe is formed of a wide portion having a groove width W1 and a narrow portion having a groove width W2 narrower than the groove width W1. The wide portion extends in a sipe depth direction D at both ends in a sipe length direction L and extends in the sipe length direction L at an upper end in the sipe depth direction D. The narrow portion is surrounded by the wide portion on three sides including both sides in the sipe length direction L and an opening side in the sipe depth direction D and extends to a sipe bottom. Consequently, chipping of rubber is suppressed by reducing pulling resistance of a sipe plate at the time of die releasing of a tire while suppressing breakage of the sipe plate.

A tire vulcanizing mold is disclosed capable of accurately providing a clearance, from which air existing between a green tire and a side mold is released, on a side shaping surface and thereby preventing shaping defect. The tire vulcanizing mold includes an upper and lower pair of side molds having side shaping surfaces, each of which shapes a sidewall of a tire. Each of the side molds includes a side mold main body, plural pieces, and a clearance provided between the side mold main body and each of the pieces. The side mold main body includes plural recesses, each of which is closed in a tire circumferential direction and a tire radial direction and is opened to a side shaping surface, at spaced intervals in the tire circumferential direction. Each of the pieces is fitted into the recess and forms the side shaping surface with the side mold main body.

A tire vulcanization mold disclosed herein includes sectors 13 divided in a tire circumferential direction and molding a tread portion 1 of a tire, and a pair of upper and lower side plates 11 and 12 molding a sidewall portion 2 of the tire. Mold parting lines 16a and 17a formed by the sectors 13 and a pair of the upper and lower side plates 11 and 12 are located in the tread portion 1. The mold parting lines 16a and 17a are set within a range PR which accounts for up to 7.5% of a width BW of an outermost belt 5a of the tire on each of an outer side and an inner side than belt end positions BP of the outermost belt in a tire width direction.

The invention provides for a set of molding elements (4, 5) adapted to be attached in a mold for molding tires, each molding element being able to mold a cut in a tire tread, wherein the set of molding elements comprises complex shaped molding elements, each molding element being able to connect to another molding element from the set of molding elements along a generally straight interface (54) defined between connecting molding elements The invention also provides for a mold for molding tires, said mold comprising a set of molding elements as described above attached to a main cast aluminum body.

A gas flow can be provided together with a liquid jet guided laser beam to remove accumulated liquid on the processing surface. The gas flow can have minimum interference with the liquid jet guided laser beam, while functions to blow away liquid generated by the liquid jet. Keeping the surface free from accumulated liquid can improve the efficiency of the liquid jet guided laser processing.

A tire vulcanization mold 10 has a plate-like sipe blade 26 used to form a sipe in a tread portion of a pneumatic tire. The sipe blade 26 protrudes to a mold inner side from a mold inner surface 30, and is provided with a through-hole 28 drilled to penetrate through the sipe blade 26. An acute angle portion is formed between a surface 29a of the through-hole 28 on the mold inner side and a surface 27 of the sipe blade 26, and a diameter of the through-hole 28 is larger than 1 mm.

A tire cure metal mold has a plurality of blades for forming a sipe provided in a protruding manner on a tread forming surface. The tire cure metal mold has a first blade extending along a first direction, a second blade extending along a second direction intersecting the first direction and a protrusion portion. The protrusion portion is formed by a local protrusion of the tread forming surface and comes into contact with a side surface of the first blade and an end surface of the second blade facing to the side surface of the first blade.

A tire mold or a tire mold segment can include an air compression cavity, which connects to multiple surface connection slots having dimensions between 10 and 300 microns, which can be suitable for selective removal of air in the mold. The air compression cavity, can be close to the outside ambient, allowing the air escaping the interior of the mold to be compressed, which can assist in preventing the rubber material from leaving the mold pattern surface.