Process and plant for producing tyres for vehicle wheels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10328646-B2
Application number	US-201514975043-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2015
Priority date	Nov 27, 2006
Publication date	Jun 25, 2019
Grant date	Jun 25, 2019

Abstract

A plant and a process for producing tires wherein the process includes the steps of: a) building a green tire on a toroidal support in a building line of a tire production plant; b) transferring the green tire and the relevant toroidal support from the building line of the production plant to a first holding unit; c) transferring the green tire and the relevant toroidal support from the first holding unit to a vulcanization line of the production plant; d) molding and vulcanization the green tire in the vulcanization line of the production plant; e) separating the molded and vulcanized tire from the relevant toroidal support; f) transferring the toroidal support, separated from the relevant tire, from the vulcanization line to the first holding unit; and g) transferring the toroidal support, separated from the relevant tire, from the first holding unit to the building line of the production plant, wherein steps b) and g) are carried out through a first transfer device and steps c) and f) are carried out through a second transfer device different from the first transfer device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A plant for producing one or more tyres for vehicle wheels comprising:
a building line, for a green tyre on a toroidal support, comprising: a plurality of work stations for building the green tyre; and a cooler for said toroidal support;
a vulcanization line for the tyre comprising: a vulcanization unit for the tyre; and a mounter/dismounter for said toroidal support;
a first holding unit operatively arranged between said building line and said vulcanization line;
a first transfer device to transfer said toroidal support from said first holding unit to said building line and vice-versa and said first transfer device comprising a robotized arm;
a second transfer device to transfer said toroidal support from said first holding unit to said vulcanization line and vice-versa and said second transfer device comprising a robotized arm; and
a track on which said first transfer device and said second transfer device are movable, wherein the first holding unit is arranged on the track and said first transfer device translates on the track between said first holding unit and said building line and vice-versa, and said second transfer device translates on the track between said first holding unit and said vulcanization line and vice-versa,
wherein said first transfer device is adapted for:
transferring the green tyre on the toroidal support from the building line to the first holding unit;
transferring the toroidal support, separated from the green tyre, from the first holding unit to the cooler of the building line;
transferring the toroidal support, separated from the green tyre, from the cooler of the building line to a work station of the building line; and

wherein said second transfer device is adapted for:
transferring the green tyre on the toroidal support from the first holding unit to a vulcanization unit of the vulcanization line;
transferring, after vulcanization, the moulded and vulcanized tyre on the toroidal support from the vulcanization unit to the mounter/dismounter of the vulcanization line; and
transferring the toroidal support, separated from the moulded and vulcanized tyre, from the mounter/dismounter of the vulcanization line to the first holding unit.

2. The plant for producing tyres for vehicle wheels according to claim 1 , further comprising a second holding unit adapted for holding the green tyre and the relevant toroidal support coming out from the building line and for holding the toroidal support, separated from the relevant tyre, coming out from the vulcanization line.

3. The plant for producing tyres for vehicle wheels according to claim 2 , wherein said first transfer device is adapted for:
transferring the green tyre and the relevant toroidal support from said second holding unit to the first holding unit;
transferring the toroidal support, separated from the relevant tyre, from the first holding unit to the cooling unit of the building line of the production plant; and
transferring the toroidal support, separated from the respective tyre, from the cooling unit of the building line to the second holding unit.

4. The plant for producing tyres for vehicle wheels according to claim 1 , wherein the vulcanization line comprises two vulcanization units.

5. The plant for producing tyres for vehicle wheels according to claim 4 , wherein the vulcanization line comprises two mounters/dismounters.

6. The plant for producing tyres for vehicle wheels according to claim 5 , wherein the building line comprises four coolers.

7. The plant for producing tyres for vehicle wheels according to claim 1 , wherein said track extends between the cooler and a work station of the building line.

8. The plant for producing tyres for vehicle wheels according to claim 1 , wherein said track extends between at least two units selected from a vulcanization unit, a mounter/dismounter, a cooler and a second holding unit.

9. The plant for producing tyres for vehicle wheels according to claim 8 , wherein the track extends between the cooler and the second holding unit.

10. The plant for producing tyres for vehicle wheels according to claim 8 , wherein said track extends between the vulcanization unit and the mounter/dismounter.

11. The plant for producing tyres for vehicle wheels according to claim 1 , wherein said track extends between a work station of the building line and a unit selected from a vulcanization unit, a mounter/dismounter, a cooler, and a second holding unit.

12. The plant for producing tyres for vehicle wheels according to claim 1 , further comprising a driver to move the first transfer device and the second transfer device along said track.

13. The plant for producing tyres for vehicle wheels according to claim 1 , wherein said vulcanization unit comprises a vulcanization wheel on which six vulcanization moulds are mounted.

14. The plant for producing tyres for vehicle wheels according to claim 1 , wherein said first holding unit comprises two seats for housing said toroidal support.

15. The plant for producing tyres for vehicle wheels according to claim 14 , wherein said first holding unit comprises four seats capable of housing said toroidal support.

16. The plant for producing tyres for vehicle wheels according to claim 1 , wherein said first holding unit is movable.

17. The plant for producing tyres for vehicle wheels according to claim 1 , wherein said first holding unit is movable along the track.

Assignees

• Pirelli

Inventors

• Mirto Antonio
• Sangiovanni Stefano
• Montacchini Guido

Classifications

• B29D2030/0022

  Handling green tyres, e.g. transferring or storing between tyre manufacturing steps · CPC title

• B29D30/10

  on round cores, i.e. the shape of the core is approximately identical with the shape of the completed tyre · CPC title

• B29D30/005 Primary

  General arrangement or lay-out of plants for the processing of tyres or parts thereof (vulcanization presses B29D30/0601; round cores or cylindrical drums arranged for a single sequence of tyre building operations B29D30/10, B29D30/20) · CPC title

• B29D30/0661

  Rigid cores therefor, e.g. annular or substantially toroidal cores (cores for building tyres B29D30/12; drums for building tyres B29D30/24) · CPC title

• B29D2030/105

  the cores being movable · CPC title