An apparatus for vulcanizing a tire comprises: a side mold segment provided with a face for shaping the outer surface of a tire sidewall portion, and an opposite face not serving for shaping; and a heater part for vulcanizing the raw tire. The heater part is disposed adjacently to the side mold segment to heat the raw tire abutting on the side-shaping-face from the side of the face not serving for shaping. The side mold segment is provided with a flow path through which a first fluid whose temperature is lower than the vulcanization temperature of the raw tire can flow to prevent over-vulcanization of the sidewall portion.

A tire vulcanizing apparatus of the present invention includes a liftable center post which supports a green tire, and a heating portion which is fixed to the center post, is disposed inside the green tire, and transmits heat from the inside of the green tire to the green tire by radiation heat.

A system and method for molding complex three-dimensional articles is disclosed. The system includes a mold for receiving an article made of at least one moldable material and, in one example, the article comprises at least one flat region and at least one radial region. The mold comprises an inner bladder that conforms to an inner surface of the article when pressurized and an outer mold that contacts an outer surface of the article. The system also includes an inner electrode spaced from an outer electrode, and a generator operable to generate an alternating electric field between the electrodes and across the article in the mold to obtain substantially even heating of the moldable material in the flat region and the radial region at the end of the heating cycle.

An apparatus for vulcanizing a tire comprises: a side mold segment provided with a face for shaping the outer surface of a tire sidewall portion, and an opposite face not serving for shaping; and a heater part for vulcanizing the raw tire. The heater part is disposed adjacently to the side mold segment to heat the raw tire abutting on the side-shaping-face from the side of the face not serving for shaping. The side mold segment is provided with a flow path through which a first fluid whose temperature is lower than the vulcanization temperature of the raw tire can flow to prevent over-vulcanization of the sidewall portion.

A waterless tire curing system for curing a tire in a mold includes a platen and a mold jacket configured to have at least one component of the mold coupled thereto. The platen and the mold jacket include an induction coil. An electric coil is provided that produces an electromagnetic field to induce an eddy current into the induction coil to produce a first heat energy. A bladder is disposed in an interior of the mold and a nitrogen supply system is included to provide a heated pressurized nitrogen gas for circulation through the bladder. The heat energy from the induction coil is transferred to the mold and the uncured tire. The heat energy from the heated pressurized nitrogen gas is transferred to the bladder and the uncured tire, wherein the heat energy transferred to the uncured tire is effective to cure the tire.