An automatic splicing apparatus is provided herein for splicing together two ends of a sheet of tire material on a tire building drum. The apparatus comprises a splicer foot including a splicer foot frame, a first continuous unitary V-shaped axle, and two non-powered lower rollers. The splicer foot frame has an opening defined therein having opposing sides. The first continuous unitary V-shape axle has two arms attached to the opposing sides of the opening. The two non-powered lower rollers are mounted on the two arms of the first continuous unitary V-shaped axle so that the two non-powered lower rollers are arranged in a V-shape pattern. The apparatus further comprises a plurality of powered upper rollers configured to operate in coordination with the lower rollers to engage the two ends of the sheet of tire material.

The invention is directed to a posing assembly (30) that effects transfer and posing of a semifinished product (100) that is destined for inclusion in a tire. The invention is also directed to a tire production system (10) for transferring and posing a semi-finished product (100) that is destined for inclusion in a tire, which system includes the disclosed posing assembly. A method is provided for transferring and posing a semi-finished product (100) upon a rotating forming drum (40) having a circumferential forming surface (40a) during a product posing cycle, which method includes a step of providing a tire production system as disclosed.

The invention is directed to a posing assembly (30) that effects transfer and posing of a semifinished product (100) that is destined for inclusion in a tire. The invention is also directed to a tire production system (10) for transferring and posing a semi-finished product (100) that is destined for inclusion in a tire, which system includes the disclosed posing assembly. A method is provided for transferring and posing a semi-finished product (100) upon a rotating forming drum (40) having a circumferential forming surface (40a) during a product posing cycle, which method includes a step of providing a tire production system as disclosed.

A method for manufacturing (S) a subassembly (3) for a tire (4) comprising the following substeps: providing an assembly comprising a supporting structure (14) comprising supporting filamentary elements linking a first structure (10) of filamentary elements and a second structure (12) of filamentary elements, aligning (S1) the first structure (10) and the second structure (12), securely fixing (S4) the first structure (10) onto the second structure (12) using a securing element (18), and cutting (S5) the assembly (1) along the securing element (18) so as to separate said securing element (18) from the rest of the assembly (1) and to obtain at least one subassembly (3) without securing element (18).

A method for manufacturing (S) a subassembly (3) for a tire (4) comprising the following substeps: providing an assembly comprising a supporting structure (14) comprising supporting filamentary elements linking a first structure (10) of filamentary elements and a second structure (12) of filamentary elements, aligning (S1) the first structure (10) and the second structure (12), securely fixing (S4) the first structure (10) onto the second structure (12) using a securing element (18), and cutting (S5) the assembly (1) along the securing element (18) so as to separate said securing element (18) from the rest of the assembly (1) and to obtain at least one subassembly (3) without securing element (18).

A first ply and then a second ply, which is superposed on the first ply, are produced on a hoop-type first support. The hoop-type first support has a first receiving surface, to form a laminate. The first and second plies forming the laminate are transferred onto an annular second receiving surface of a core so that the laminate is wrapped on the core until each ply is closed on itself and the laminate is thus closed on itself in a ring about the central axis of the core.

Method for controlling the feed of semifinished products in a tyre building process, said method comprising: feeding a semifinished product (10) into a building station (30) adapted to build, through said semifinished product (10), a structural component of a tyre; performing, in an acquisition zone (AZ), a verification to verify the presence of at least one defect of said semifinished product (10); generating a notification signal (NS) as a function of said verification; activating, as a function of said notification signal (NS), a discard device (60), configured for discarding at least one portion of said semifinished product (10) comprising said at least one defect.

Method for controlling the feed of semifinished products in a tyre building process, said method comprising: feeding a semifinished product (10) into a building station (30) adapted to build, through said semifinished product (10), a structural component of a tyre; performing, in an acquisition zone (AZ), a verification to verify the presence of at least one defect of said semifinished product (10); generating a notification signal (NS) as a function of said verification; activating, as a function of said notification signal (NS), a discard device (60), configured for discarding at least one portion of said semifinished product (10) comprising said at least one defect.

The method comprises steps during which, by making the cylindrical form rotate in a first circumferential direction, the ply is deposited until the front edge and performs a complete rotation. A point of penetration is marked on the ply on a cutting line, and a cutting blade that is driven in translation is made to penetrate between two wires placed on the cutting line at the point of penetration. The cylindrical form is made to rotate in an opposite second circumferential direction while displacing the cutting blade in a first transverse direction until the cutting blade is disposed at a predetermined and non-zero distance from a first selvedge. Without retracting the cutting blade from the wire gap, the cylindrical form is made to rotate in the first circumferential direction while displacing the cutting blade in an opposite second transverse direction until the cutting blade emerges at a second selvedge.

Disclosed is a transfer wheel, a transfer device and a method for transferring a strip, in particular a run-flat reinforcement strip or a sidewall strip, to a tire building drum, wherein the transfer wheel defines a retaining area that is divided into a first end section for retaining the leading end, a second end section for retaining the trailing end and a main section for supporting the strip body. The transfer wheel has a first mounting member that defines first mounting positions for receiving a first group of retaining segments at the first end section, wherein the first group of retaining segments includes first body retaining segments for retaining the strip body and a first end retaining segment for retaining the leading end, wherein the first mounting member is arranged for interchangeably receiving one first body retaining segment or the first end retaining segment in each first mounting position.