A bead retaining member includes a body having a concave first concave edge and one or more retaining elements which are distributed over the body along said first concave edge for retaining a first bead of a first size along a first retaining curve having a first retaining radius and for retaining a second bead of a second size along a second retaining curve having a second retaining radius larger than the first retaining radius. The first retaining curve intersects with the second retaining curve at a first intersection point and a second intersection point. The first concave edge is non-circular and is located radially outside of the second retaining curve in a center region of the first concave edge between the first intersection point and the second intersection point and radially outside of the first retaining curve in a first lateral region and a second lateral region.

A method for verifying the correct formation of the beads in a process and a plant for building tyres for vehicle wheels, includes: loading a plurality of annular anchoring structures in a storage, disposing them in two groups separated by an opening; positioning a building drum provided with a carcass sleeve in a tyre bead-forming machine; picking up two of the annular anchoring structures from the storage and loading them on the tyre bead-forming machine. In a work area of the tyre bead-forming machine, on each of two axially opposite zones of the carcass sleeve, a respective annular anchoring structure is fit and each of the abovementioned zones is turned up around the respective annular anchoring structure to form the beads. The aforesaid opening allows an operator to conduct a visual inspection of the work area and/or access the work area during the entire work cycle of the machine.

Disclosed is a spacer gripper, a bead-apex storage system and a method for lifting one or more of the spacers from a stack of bead-apexes, wherein each spacer has a central aperture, wherein the central apertures of the spacers in the stack of bead-apexes are aligned in a stacking direction to form a central space, wherein the spacer gripper has a gripper head and a plurality of spacer engagement members protruding from said gripper head for reaching into the central space of the respective stack at least up to a second spacer of the respective stack from the top of the respective stack, wherein the plurality of spacer engagement members are movable into an engagement position for engaging said second spacer to lift said second spacer from the respective stack simultaneously with a first spacer at the top of the respective stack.

Disclosed is a bead-apex storage system and a method for handling carriers, each carrier supporting a stack of bead-apexes stacked in a stacking direction and alternated with spacers separating the bead-apexes, wherein the bead-apex storage system includes a plurality of storage stations for storing the carriers and a transfer station for transferring one of the plurality of bead-apexes to a tire building machine, wherein the bead-apex storage system further includes a spacer gripper for lifting one or more of the spacers from one of the carriers in one of the plurality of storage stations and for carrying said one or more lifted spacers to the transfer station, wherein the bead-apex storage system includes a spacer gripper base for supporting the spacer gripper, wherein the spacer gripper base is movable from the transfer station to any one of the plurality of storage stations.

A fully automated bead filler production line system and a fully automated bead filler molding and attaching method, implementing highly efficient production of bead filler in order to solve the problem in traditional production lines of large occupied area and low efficiency. To achieve said goal, the solution is to provide a fully automated bead filler production line system, comprising: a bead filler molding processing section, a functional auxiliary section, a filler and bead molding processing section, and automated material flow sections. The bead filler molding processing section, the functional auxiliary section, and the filler and bead molding processing section are sequentially linked, and two material flow sections are provided, on either side of the filler and bead molding processing system respectively.

A method for manufacturing pneumatic tire of the present disclosure, the method comprising: a first step of pressure-bonding a bead filler to an outer peripheral portion of an annular bead core, the bead filler being thinned outward of the bead core in a radial direction, and fabricating an annular bead member; a second step of causing a separator to support the bead filler, and mounting the bead member so that the radial direction of the bead core goes along a horizontal direction; and a third step of cooling the bead member.

The invention discloses a tire building device and a tire building method. The tire building device includes a lateral-longitudinal-orthogonal 1 rail unit, a transferring ring, a carcass application unit, a bead placement unit, a belt application unit, a building unit, a shaping unit, and a tire unloading mechanism; the lateral and longitudinal orthogonal rail unit divides the tire building device into four areas, and also establishes the connection between the units through the transferring ring. The tire building method, including: 1) adhere the bead and tire carcass compound and then sent to the building unit; 2) send the belt compound to the building unit, 3) compound the carcass compound and belt compound into a carcass and sent to the shaping unit; 4) wind the carcass around the tread to form a green tire and sends it to the tire unloading mechanism for disassembly.

Disclosed is a filler-raising device that raises a filler upright to couple the filler with a bead core. The filler-raising device includes a balloon that raises the filler upright toward the bead core and an air controller that supplies air into the balloon and draws air out of the balloon.

Disclosed is a bead-apex storage system and a method for handling carriers, each carrier supporting a stack of bead-apexes stacked in a stacking direction and alternated with spacers separating the bead-apexes, wherein the bead-apex storage system includes a plurality of storage stations for storing the carriers and a transfer station for transferring one of the plurality of bead-apexes to a tire building machine, wherein the bead-apex storage system further includes a spacer gripper for lifting one or more of the spacers from one of the carriers in one of the plurality of storage stations and for carrying said one or more lifted spacers to the transfer station, wherein the bead-apex storage system includes a spacer gripper base for supporting the spacer gripper, wherein the spacer gripper base is movable from the transfer station to any one of the plurality of storage stations.

An apparatus (10) for producing green tyres (13) consisting of a carcass or inner section (13′) coupled with a belt package or outer section (13″), comprising a first tyre processing assembly (12) for manufacturing the carcass or inner section (13′), a second tyre processing assembly (14) for finishing said carcass (13′), a third tyre processing assembly (16) for manufacturing a belt package or outer section (13″) and for coupling said carcass or inner section with said belt package or outer section (13′, 13″) to form a tyre (13), and an unloading station (60) for unloading said tyre (13), said tyre processing assemblies comprising interface means for transferring the product being manufactured from one tyre processing assembly to another one and for moving said product being processed internally to said individual tyre processing assemblies in a fully automatic manner.