In the method for producing a tire carcass ply for a vehicle, the ply is wound onto a drum and contains reinforcements running in planes that are radial to an axis of the drum, of which: at least one assembly member (51, 52) mounted such that it can move in relation to the drum brings the ends of the ply together and assembles them by travelling over the ply in a direction (X) parallel to the ends; and prior to assembly, a blade independent of the one or of each assembly member extends between the drum and the ends without extending between the drum and the rest of the ply.

A belt forming system may include an upstream conveyor, a downstream conveyor located downstream of the upstream conveyor, and a belt assembly system in communication with the upstream conveyor and the downstream conveyor. The belt assembly system may also include an arm, an actuator for moving the arm, and/or a holding component coupled to the arm and adapted to move a strip section from the upstream conveyor to a desired position on the downstream conveyor such that the strip section is oriented at a predetermined angle on the downstream conveyor. In one embodiment, the belt forming system comprises a belt cutter. The present disclosure also relates to a method for manufacturing at least a portion of a tire belt.

The installation comprises a preparation station for preparing strips by cutting a straight wire band, a jointing station arranged to butt-joint the strips obtained from the preparation station so as to form a reinforcing ply, and a station for turning over strips, which is interposed between the preparation station and the jointing station. The installation also comprises a first receiving surface, arranged to receive a strip, a second receiving surface associated with a reversing device which is arranged to transfer a strip from said first receiving surface to said second receiving surface, by thus turning over the strip. A gripping member is arranged to take a strip from the first or second receiving surface in order to allow the jointing station to selectively construct a reinforcing ply with a left-hand ply handle or with a right-hand ply angle.

Disclosed is a tire building apparatus and a method for joining or cutting tire components. The tire building apparatus includes a rocking member that is movable in a rocking plane in a rocking motion along a rocking line, a translation guide extending parallel to the rocking line and a carriage that is displaceable along the translation guide, wherein the rocking member has a convex edge that defines a minor arc of a circle and extends up to a rotation center, wherein the rocking member is supported by the carriage at the rotation center and is angularly displaceable with respect to the carriage about a rotation axis extending through the rotation center.

Disclosed is joining device for joining a trailing end of a first strip to a leading end of a second strip to form a tire component. The joining device includes a support member with a support surface and a retaining member with a retaining surface for retaining the second strip. The joining device is arranged for positioning the leading end of the second strip in a joining orientation in which said leading end is closer to the support plane than the rest. The joining device also includes a control unit for controlling a relative movement between the support member and the retaining member with a first component in a placement direction to place the leading end of the second strip and a second component in a joining direction to bring the leading end of the second strip into contact with the trailing end of the first strip.

Disclosed is a tire building apparatus and a method for joining or cutting tire components. The tire building apparatus includes a rocking member that is movable in a rocking plane in a rocking motion along a rocking line, a translation guide extending parallel to the rocking line and a carriage that is displaceable along the translation guide, wherein the rocking member has a convex edge that defines a minor arc of a circle and extends up to a rotation center, wherein the rocking member is supported by the carriage at the rotation center and is angularly displaceable with respect to the carriage about a rotation axis extending through the rotation center.

The installation comprises a preparation station for preparing strips by cutting a straight wire band, a jointing station arranged to butt-joint the strips obtained from the preparation station so as to form a reinforcing ply, and a station for turning over strips, which is interposed between the preparation station and the jointing station. The installation also comprises a first receiving surface, arranged to receive a strip, a second receiving surface associated with a reversing device which is arranged to transfer a strip from said first receiving surface to said second receiving surface, by thus turning over the strip. A gripping member is arranged to take a strip from the first or second receiving surface in order to allow the jointing station to selectively construct a reinforcing ply with a left-hand ply handle or with a right-hand ply angle.

Disclosed is joining device for joining a trailing end of a first strip to a leading end of a second strip to form a tire component. The joining device includes a support member with a support surface and a retaining member with a retaining surface for retaining the second strip. The joining device is arranged for positioning the leading end of the second strip in a joining orientation in which said leading end is closer to the support plane than the rest. The joining device also includes a control unit for controlling a relative movement between the support member and the retaining member with a first component in a placement direction to place the leading end of the second strip and a second component in a joining direction to bring the leading end of the second strip into contact with the trailing end of the first strip.

An apparatus and a method for stitching are provided. The apparatus includes a separator for separating in a separation position the leading end and the trailing end from a working surface to form a separation space, a stitcher unit with a stitcher foot to support the leading end and the trailing end from the separation space and a stitcher head for stitching the leading end and the trailing end on the stitcher foot from outside the separation space, a stitcher drive for driving the stitcher unit, a separator drive for retracting the separator, and a control unit to control the separator drive and the stitcher drive simultaneously such that, during the stitching, the separator is retracted in the stitching direction ahead of the stitcher unit.

A distance measure between a beginning and an end of a material strip wound onto a body in a tangential direction can be determined by creating a height profile of a surface of the material strip, which covers the beginning and the end of the wound material strip in the tangential direction. If a position value of the beginning of the material strip is determined in the created height profile, the distance measure can be determined using this position value and the height profile covering the end of the material strip.