A process for building tyres provides for building a carcass sleeve around a forming drum having an application diameter and two lateral half-portions axially moveable relative to each other. The carcass sleeve includes at least one carcass ply coaxially engaged around each of the axially opposite end flaps thereof to an annular anchoring structure defining a fitting diameter smaller than the application diameter. The building of the carcass sleeve includes: applying and stopping a leading end of a semi-finished product in the form of a continuous strip cut to size against a continuous surface of the forming drum; winding the semi-finished product in the form of a continuous strip cut to size circumferentially around the forming drum; and joining a trailing end of the semi-finished product to the leading end at said continuous surface. The continuous surface is extended only partly around the forming drum. The semi-finished product, except for the leading end and the trailing end, is laid against a discontinuous circumferential surface of the forming drum adjacent to the continuous surface and belonging to the two lateral half-portions.

A method for manufacturing a motorcycle tire comprises: building a raw tire main body, building a breaker, sticking the breaker, and building a band. The building of the breaker comprises: moving two cylindrical support rings to operating positions, swelling the raw tire main body to have its crown portion protruding from the support rings through a gap therebetween, and winding a breaker ply material on the support rings to form a cylindrical breaker ply whose inner surface is adhered to the raw tire main body. The sticking of the breaker comprises: expanding a profiled deck to swell the raw tire main body into a second swollen state, and turning down both edge portions of the breaker while being supported by the profiled deck. The building of the band comprises: spirally winding a tape on the curved breaker ply while being supported by the profiled deck.

A drum for producing a tire casing blank comprises a support and sectors forming a circumferential face of the drum. Each sector has a circumferential outer face having a contour of general trapezoidal form and is mounted so as to be movable relative to the support in a non-radial predetermined direction relative to an axis of rotation of the drum and intercepting this axis.

Provided is a tire molding device to mold an unvulcanized tire, including a spindle, and a drum mechanism disposed on an outer peripheral side of the spindle, the drum mechanism includes a first half drum fixed on one end side of the spindle, and a second half drum that is not supported by the spindle and is connected to the spindle closer to the other end side of the spindle than the first half drum, and the spindle moves along an axial direction of the spindle.

A process for building tyres provides for building a carcass sleeve around a forming drum having an application diameter and two lateral half-portions axially moveable relative to each other. The carcass sleeve comprises at least one carcass ply coaxially engaged around each of the axially opposite end flaps thereof to an annular anchoring structure defining a fitting diameter smaller than the application diameter. The building of the carcass sleeve comprises: applying and stopping a leading end of a semi-finished product in form of continuous strip cut to size against a continuous surface of the forming drum; winding the semi-finished product in form of continuous strip cut to size circumferentially around the forming drum; joining a trailing end of the semi-finished product to the leading end at said continuous surface. The continuous surface is extended only partly around the forming drum. The semi-finished product, except for the leading end and the trailing end, is laid against a discontinuous circumferential surface of the forming drum adjacent to the continuous surface and belonging to the two lateral half-portions.

A method and a device for producing a tire blank. At least two strip-shaped materials are positioned on a tire building drum. At least two cores are set in place. The tire building drum has a core clamping element and a core fixing element. The core fixing is forcibly guided by a lever. The tire building drum includes a middle part and two drum halves arranged on both sides of the middle part so as to be positionable axially. The middle part is provided in a radial direction with a variable diameter. A radial diametral enlargement of the middle part is executed prior to the cores being set in place. The middle parts can be covered on the outside with a center sleeve of stretchable material. Furthermore, the middle parts can be contoured so that reinforcing strip pockets, which promote the production of tires with reinforced side walls, are formed.

A second stage tire building drum is disclosed. The tire building drum has two hubs with an inner sleeve mounted to a central shaft of the tire building drum and configured for axial movement. At least one of the hubs is configured for free axial movement. Preferably, each hub further include a sliding sleeve mounted on the inner sleeve for unconstrained sliding in the axial direction relative to the inner sleeve. Preferably, each hub has a bead receiving mechanism mounted on the sliding sleeve and comprised of one or more segments that are radially expandable. Preferably, each segment has a pocket with a curved surface for receiving a bead. The method employs the steps of mounting a green cylindrically shaped tire carcass onto a tire building drum so that each bead are seated in a respective bead pocket segment, inflating the carcass under low pressure and expanding the carcass into engagement with tread and belt assembly while allowing the one or more of the hubs or one or more of the bead pocket segments to freely slide in the axial direction.

A method of building a tire on a second stage tire building drum is disclosed. The method employs the steps of mounting a green cylindrically shaped tire carcass onto a tire building drum so that each bead are seated in a respective bead pocket segment, inflating the carcass under low pressure and expanding the carcass into engagement with tread and belt assembly while allowing the one or more of the hubs or one or more of the bead pocket segments to freely slide in the axial direction.

Method, process and plant for building tires for vehicle wheels wherein: in a service position of a carcass structure building line, a forming drum is associated with a pair of support elements including a first support element and a second support element; the forming drum is moved, associated with the pair of support elements, in a deposition line in the carcass structure building line; and the forming drum is transferred from the deposition line to a subsequent work station of the carcass structure building line. The transfer from the deposition line to the subsequent work station includes dissociating the forming drum from the second support element, keeping the forming drum associated with the first support element; transferring the forming drum, associated with the first support element and dissociated from the second support element, to the subsequent work station; dissociating, in the subsequent work station, the first support element from the forming drum, leaving the forming drum in the subsequent work station; and transferring the first support element, dissociated from the forming drum, into the service position.

A method for manufacturing a motorcycle tire comprises: building a raw tire main body, building a breaker, sticking the breaker, and building a band. The building of the breaker comprises: moving two cylindrical support rings to operating positions, swelling the raw tire main body to have its crown portion protruding from the support rings through a gap therebetween, and winding a breaker ply material on the support rings to form a cylindrical breaker ply whose inner surface is adhered to the raw tire main body. The sticking of the breaker comprises: expanding a profiled deck to swell the raw tire main body into a second swollen state, and turning down both edge portions of the breaker while being supported by the profiled deck. The building of the band comprises: spirally winding a tape on the curved breaker ply while being supported by the profiled deck.