A plant for building tyres for vehicle wheels is described. The plant includes a crown structure building for building crown structures on second stage forming drums, a carcass structure building line for building carcass structures on first stage forming drums, a shaping and assembly station, a first manipulator, and a second manipulator. The first manipulator is configured to manage the flow of the second stage forming drums and the second manipulator is configured to manage the flow of the first stage forming terms.

A method for building belt assemblies for tyres for vehicle wheels is described. The method includes building a crossed belt structure on a forming drum. Depending on the type of tyre to be produced, the method selects whether to build a belt assembly having a cylindrical shaping or a belt assembly having a toroidal shaping. In order to build a belt assembly having a cylindrical shaping, a zero degrees belt layer is deposited on the forming drum in a radially outer position with respect to the crossed belt structure. In order to build a belt assembly having a toroidal shaping, the crossed belt structure is picked up from the forming drum. The crossed belt structure is then toroidally shaped and transferred onto another forming drum. A zero degrees belt layer is then deposited on the other forming drum in a radially outer position with respect to the toroidally shaped crossed belt structure.

A process and a plant for producing tyres for vehicle wheels are described. Building of a crown structure of the tyre includes building a crossed belt structure on a substantially cylindrical first forming drum, transferring the crossed belt structure from the first forming drum to an annular holding member, positioning a second forming drum in a radially inner position with respect to the annular holding member, transferring the crossed belt structure from the annular holding member to the second forming drum by radially expanding the second forming drum until it is brought into contact with the crossed belt structure so as to toroidally shape the crossed belt structure, and depositing at least one zero degrees belt layer on the second forming drum in a radially outer position with respect to the toroidally-shaped crossed belt structure.

Disclosed is a transfer ring for transferring one or more tire components, wherein the transfer ring has a frame that extends circumferentially about a central axis defining a central aperture for receiving a tire building drum, wherein the transfer ring has a plurality of holding members distributed circumferentially about the central axis for holding the one or more tire components, wherein the transfer ring further has a radial drive for moving the holding members with respect to the frame in a contraction direction and an expansion direction, wherein the radial drive has, for at least one holding member of the plurality of holding members, a first drive member that is arranged for translational movement with respect to the frame and a second drive member that is arranged for translational movement with respect to the first drive member.

A plant for producing tyres for vehicle wheels is described. The plant includes a building line configured to build a crown structure. The building line includes a building device configured to build a belt assembly. The building device includes a trolley, a first forming drum, a second forming drum, a first working area including a belt building device, a second working area downstream from the first working area including a depositing device, a first service area downstream from the second working area including a stationary annular holding member, and a second service area downstream from the first service area including a first support member.

The invention relates to an unwinding system for unwinding a tire component from a stock reel and outputting said tire component in a transport direction, wherein the unwinding system comprises a reel station, a conveyor and a transfer device, wherein the conveyor extends at least partially above the reel station, wherein the transfer device comprises a retaining surface for releasably retaining the tire component along a guide path between a pick-up position for picking up the tire component from the reel station and a release position for disposing the tire component on the conveyor, wherein, in the release position, the retaining surface is facing towards the conveyor, and wherein the retaining surface is offset between the release position and the pick-up position over an offset angle of at least ninety degrees around an inverting axis that is parallel to the conveyor and perpendicular to the transport direction.