A device is disclosed for turning up the side walls of tyres on a shaping drum for shaping a tyre carcase, the spindle arrangement of which has a central spindle and at least two side spindles running in parallel, between which the central spindle extends, wherein the central spindle and the side spindles are drivable in a mutually independent manner and the core clamping devices are allocated to the central spindle and the turn-over devices are allocated to the side spindles or the turn-over devices are allocated to the central spindle and the core clamping devices are allocated to the side spindles.

A machine vision system is directed toward a tire building drum in a tire building machine. The machine vision system produces a three dimensional image of a green rubber tread applied to the tire building drum. A center of the green rubber tread is identified in the three dimensional image by performing at least one convolution with at least one profile trace of the green rubber tread and a predefined tread profile. A difference is identified between the center of the green rubber tread and a center of the tire building drum. The difference is used as a tread position feedback error to position an application of a next green rubber tread onto the tire building drum from a tread conveyor.

A process for manufacturing tyres for vehicle wheels, comprising the step of building on a forming support a carcass structure comprising at least one carcass ply and, at at least one end edge of the carcass ply, at least one annular anchoring structure comprising at least one substantially circumferential annular insert and at least one filling insert associated to said at least one substantially circumferential annular insert. The step of building the carcass structure comprises the steps of positioning the annular anchoring structure on the carcass ply by moving the annular substantially circumferential insert into contact with an end edge of the carcass ply by means of a special positioning member, pulling down the filling insert on the end edge of the carcass ply and turning up a free end portion of the end edge of the carcass ply so as to form a turned up end portion of the carcass ply including said annular anchoring structure. The pulling down of the filling insert on the end edge of the carcass ply is carried out by a special pulling down member while the substantially circumferential annular insert is retained into a contact position with the end edge of the carcass ply by said positioning member.

A device and method are provided for manufacturing a cylindrical member. By inserting an edge of the forming drum on one side in a width direction between an arm and a projection of a holding unit disposed opposite one another and bringing the arm and the projection closer together in a direction in which a separation distance is reduced, a first end of the rubber member disposed on the outer circumferential surface of the forming drum is disposed between the arm and the projection, pressed by the arm, and held on the outer circumferential surface, and a holding unit attached to the forming drum is rotated about a drum shaft together with the forming drum; and the rubber member is wound around the outer circumferential surface and formed into a cylindrical shape.

A tire is formed by disposing a cylindrical band member on a forming drum and outer circumferential sides of side portions disposed on both sides of the forming drum in a drum axial direction; expanding in diameter the forming drum and moving the side portions closer together in the drum axial direction; making step portions formed in the band member conform to side surfaces of the forming drum; moving bead members toward the step portions and compression-bonding the bead members to the band member on the side surfaces of the forming drum; and using a turn-up mechanism to wrap the bead members by turning up both end portions of the band member in the drum axial direction to form an intermediate green tire.

A process for manufacturing tires for vehicle wheels, comprising the step of building on a forming support a carcass structure comprising at least one carcass ply and, at at least one end edge of the carcass ply, at least one annular anchoring structure comprising at least one substantially circumferential annular insert and at least one filling insert associated to said at least one substantially circumferential annular insert. The step of building the carcass structure comprises the steps of positioning the annular anchoring structure on the carcass ply by moving the annular substantially circumferential insert into contact with an end edge of the carcass ply by means of a special positioning member, pulling down the filling insert on the end edge of the carcass ply and turning up a free end portion of the end edge of the carcass ply so as to form a turned up end portion of the carcass ply including said annular anchoring structure. The pulling down of the filling insert on the end edge of the carcass ply is carried out by a special pulling down member while the substantially circumferential annular insert is retained into a contact position with the end edge of the carcass ply by said positioning member.

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.

A space required for forming a cylindrical carcass band is reduced and productivity of carcass band forming is improved. A first forming drum (21) forms a cylindrical carcass ply (3). A second forming drum (22) forms a cylindrical member (7) by forming a cylindrical inner liner (4) and combining the inner liner (4) with the carcass ply (3). A third forming drum (23) forms a cylindrical side member (5) a carcass band (8) by forming a cylindrical side member (5) and combining the side member (5) with the cylindrical member (7). A conveying device (30) conveys the carcass ply (3) from the first forming drum (21) to the second forming drum (22) and conveys the cylindrical member (7) from the second forming drum (22) to the third forming drum (23). The third forming drum (23) is arranged below an arrangement space for the first forming drum (21) and the second forming drum (22).

The invention relates to a calibration tool and a method for calibrating a laser-triangulation measuring system, wherein the calibration tool comprises a tool body that defines a reference plane and that is rotatable relative to the measuring system about a rotation axis perpendicular to said reference plane, wherein the tool body is provided with one or more calibration surfaces that define a pattern of calibration positions, wherein the pattern comprises at least three columns extending in a radial direction away from the rotation axis and at least three rows extending in a circumferential direction about the rotation axis, wherein for each column the calibration positions within said respective column vary in height relative to the reference plane in a height direction perpendicular to said reference plane and wherein for each row the calibration positions within the respective row vary in height in the height direction relative to the reference plane.

A method for managing a carcass structure building line, a plant and a process for building tyre carcass structures, wherein the plant includes a carcass structure building line provided with a plurality of stations including an unloading station and n building stations. A group of forming drums being processed includes m forming drums being processed defining a first size of carcass structure being processed. Three groups of entering forming drums include respective entering forming drums, defining a second size of carcass structure being processed. A pair of support elements being processed includes a first and a second support element being processed and three pairs of entering support elements respectively include a first and a second entering support element. The invention also relates to a method for managing a carcass structure building line.