Method for manufacturing a molding element of a mold for vulcanizing a tire

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10259142-B2
Application number	US-201415102164-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 28, 2014
Priority date	Dec 6, 2013
Publication date	Apr 16, 2019
Grant date	Apr 16, 2019

Abstract

A Method for manufacturing molding elements for molds is provided herein. The molds are used for molding tires provided with a tread with a circumferential arrangement of tread pattern elements. The method includes: a step consisting in aligning a plurality of basic linings; a step consisting in generating, from the basic tread circumference portion, an intermediate support; and obtaining an unfinished molding element from the intermediate support.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing molding elements for molding tires provided with a tread with a circumferential arrangement of tread pattern elements, the method comprising the steps of
aligning a plurality of basic linings made of flexible material so as to form a basic tread circumference portion, with each of the plurality of the basic linings corresponding to a pattern element of the circumferential arrangement of the tread of the tire that is to be molded;
using the basic tread circumference portion formed by the basic linings, molding an intermediate support out of a non-metallic material such that the intermediate support has a surface that corresponds to the tread circumference portion;
using the intermediate support, making an unfinished molding element that is made out of metal; and
cutting the unfinished molding element into a plurality of molding elements, the plurality of molding elements being assembleable in a predetermined order to form a mold.

2. The method of manufacture according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of cut elements include an additional thickness of material, and further comprising a phase of machining the said additional thickness for finalizing the dimensions prior to assembly in the mold.

3. The method of manufacture according to claim 1 , wherein the intermediate support is made in an intermediate mold.

4. The method of manufacture according to claim 3 , wherein the basic linings extend one another in the intermediate mold.

5. The method of manufacture according to claim 3 , wherein the basic linings in the intermediate mold are wedged in position using a wedge, the wedge having a different hardness from the flexible material.

6. The method of manufacture according to claim 1 , wherein the intermediate support is made of a destructible material.

7. The method of manufacture according to claim 1 , wherein the unfinished molding element is made of a reusable material.

8. The method of manufacturing according to claim 1 , further comprising, prior to the aligning, producing a basic die from resin, to obtain corresponding basic linings.

9. The method of manufacture according to claim 1 , wherein the basic lining is made of silicone.

10. The method of manufacture according to claim 9 , wherein the basic lining is made of silastene.

11. The method of manufacture according to claim 1 , wherein the aligning of the basic linings is performed on a flat or concave support.

12. The method of manufacture according to claim 1 , further comprising a mold having a support on which a plurality of the molding elements are circumferentially aligned.

13. The method of manufacture according to claim 1 , further comprising a tire obtained by molding and vulcanizing using the plurality of molding elements.

14. The method of manufacture according to claim 13 , further comprising:
a tread provided with a plurality of pattern elements arranged in a circumferential alternation, with each of the plurality of pattern elements of the circumferential arrangement corresponding to a pattern element of a basic lining.

Assignees

• Michelin & Cie
• Michelin Rech Tech

Inventors

• Lepretre Jerome
• Andanson Patrick
• Segoviano Enrique

Classifications

• B29K2083/00

  Use of polymers having silicon, with or without sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, or carbon only, in the main chain, as moulding material · CPC title

• B29C33/302

  Assembling a large number of mould elements to constitute one cavity · CPC title

• B29C33/301

  Modular mould systems [MMS], i.e. moulds built up by stacking mould elements, e.g. plates, blocks, rods (B29C33/0088 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29D30/0629

  with radially movable sectors · CPC title

• B29L2031/757

  Moulds, cores, dies · CPC title