Tire production method and system

Abstract

Provided are a tire production method and system that make it possible to improve work efficiency in a tire molding step by reducing loss of time due to material replenishment, while making a molding device more compact. According to the present invention, for each material, stocking is performed in a wound state in a plurality of supply units placed in parallel. A pair of bead members MC is stocked in a plurality of bead supply units 11. The materials each cut in a prescribed length are supplied by a supply conveyer to a band drum 3 and a belt drum 4 via a slide conveyer to mold an inner circumferential side member MA and an outer circumferential side member MB. Two shaping drums 2 are used to mold a green tire G with the inner circumferential side member MA, the outer circumferential side member MB, and the pair of bead members MC. The axial centers C1 of the respective drums 2 and 3 are set to be on the same axis and the drum axial centers C2 of the respective drums 3 and 4 are set to be on the same axis in transfer of the materials. While each material is supplied from one supply unit, the other empty supply unit is replaced with a new supply unit in which the material is stocked.

Description

Tire manufacturing method and system

[0001] The present invention relates to a tire manufacturing method and system, and more particularly to a tire manufacturing method and system that reduces time loss caused by replenishing tire material while compacting a tire building apparatus, thereby improving work efficiency in the tire building process.

[0002] A tire is manufactured by vulcanizing a green tire. The green tire is formed by laminating various tire components. For example, an inner liner, a carcass material, a belt material, a tread rubber, a pair of bead components, etc. are integrated on a shaping drum to form a green tire (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The tire manufacturing apparatus proposed in Patent Document 1 includes three types of drums: a first drum to which a carcass member is supplied, a second drum to which an outer member is supplied, and a third drum to which an inner member is supplied. In this tire manufacturing apparatus, the inner member, the carcass member, the outer member, and a pair of bead members are integrated on the third drum to form a green tire.

[0004] In this tire building apparatus, predetermined lengths of each material (carcass component, belt component, tread rubber component, inner liner, etc.) are fed flat to the corresponding drums by the feeding devices. Therefore, if the supply source (e.g., stock drum) that supplies each material to each feeding device runs out of material, the tire building process stops until the material is replenished. Alternatively, if excess material is placed on each feeding device or the like to allow storage in order to avoid stopping the supply of each material, the device becomes larger. Therefore, there is room for improvement in reducing the time loss caused by replenishment of tire material while compacting the tire building apparatus and improving the work efficiency of the building process. Improving the work efficiency of the building process can improve tire productivity.

[0005] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-220636

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a tire manufacturing method and manufacturing system that reduces time loss caused by replenishing tire material while making the tire building device more compact and improves work efficiency in the tire building process.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, a tire manufacturing method of the present invention includes laminating a plurality of types of tire components to form a green tire, and vulcanizing the green tire, wherein the tire components include at least an inner peripheral side component having as materials an inner liner, a carcass material, and a side portion, an outer peripheral side component having as materials a belt material and a tread portion, and a bead component, two parallel shape drums are installed so as to be rotatable by 180° in a plan view, two parallel belt drums are installed so as to be rotatable by 180° in a plan view, one belt drum is installed so as to be slidable in the drum width direction, and each of the shape drums is installed between the belt drum and each of the bunt drums, a plurality of supply units in which each of the materials is wound in a long body state are arranged in parallel at each material stock position, and a slide conveyor that slides in the width direction is arranged relative to each of the supply units, a predetermined number of pairs of the bead components are stocked in a plurality of bead supply units at bead stock positions, and the inner liner and the carcass material are supplied to the bunt drum. a supply conveyor for supplying the side portion to the band drum, a supply conveyor for supplying the belt material to the belt drum, and a supply conveyor for supplying the tread portion to the belt drum are arranged in parallel, and the inner liner and the carcass material are supplied in advance to a predetermined length from one of the supply units arranged in parallel at the stock position via the corresponding slide conveyor, and are sequentially supplied to the band drum by the corresponding supply conveyor, wound around and stacked into a cylindrical shape, and the side portion The belt material is sequentially supplied to the band drum by the corresponding supply conveyor in a state where it has been cut to a predetermined length from one of the supply units arranged in parallel at the stock position via the corresponding slide conveyor, and is wound around the band drum to form a cylindrical shape, and is layered on the cylindrical inner liner and carcass material to form the inner peripheral side member, and the inner peripheral side member and a pair of the bead members are transferred to one of the shape drums whose drum axis is aligned with the band drum using a band transfer machine and fitted onto the outside, and the belt material isThe tread portion is cut to a predetermined length from one of the supply units arranged in parallel at the stock position via the corresponding slide conveyor, and is sequentially supplied to one of the belt drums by the corresponding supply conveyor, wound around and stacked into a cylindrical shape; the tread portion is cut to a predetermined length from one of the supply units arranged in parallel at the stock position via the corresponding slide conveyor, and is sequentially supplied to one of the belt drums rotated 180° in plan view via the corresponding supply conveyor, and wound around and stacked into a cylindrical shape; the outer circumferential side member is formed by stacking the tread portion on the cylindrical belt material, and then one of the belt drums is rotated 180° in plan view. The drum axis of one of the shape drums fitted with the inner peripheral member is aligned with the drum axis of one of the belt drums on which the outer peripheral member is being formed, and the outer peripheral member is moved in the drum axis direction by using a belt transporter and inserted onto the inner peripheral member formed on one of the shape drums to form a green tire on one of the shape drums, and at the stock positions for each material, when the material stocked in one of the supply units becomes empty, the material is supplied from the other supply unit, and while the material is being supplied from the other supply unit, the empty supply unit is replaced with a new supply unit in which the material is stocked.

[0008] The tire manufacturing system of the present invention is a tire manufacturing system including a molding device having a shape drum in which a green tire is molded by stacking a plurality of types of tire components, and a vulcanizing device in which the green tire is vulcanized, and the tire components include at least an inner liner, a carcass material, and a side portion as materials, an outer circumferential member having a belt material and a tread portion as materials, and a bead member, and the system includes two shape drums arranged in parallel and installed so as to be rotatable by 180° in a plan view, two belt drums arranged in parallel and installed so as to be rotatable by 180° in a plan view, and one belt drum installed so as to be slidable in the width direction, and the shape drums are installed between the belt drums and each of the bunt drums, and the system includes a band transfer machine that transfers the inner circumferential member from the band drum to the shape drum, a belt transfer machine that transfers the outer circumferential member from the belt drum to the shape drum, and a bead transfer machine that fits the pair of bead members from one of the bead supply units onto the inner circumferential member, and each a supply conveyor for supplying the inner liner and the carcass material to the band drum, a supply conveyor for supplying the side portion to the band drum, a supply conveyor for supplying the belt material to the belt drum, and a supply conveyor for supplying the tread portion to the belt drum are arranged in parallel; the inner liner and the carcass material are sequentially supplied to the band drum by the corresponding supply conveyor in a state where they have been cut to a predetermined length from one of the supply units arranged in parallel at each stock position via the corresponding slide conveyor, and are wound around to form a tube and stacked; and the side portion isThe belt material is cut to a predetermined length from one of the supply units arranged in parallel at the stock position via the corresponding slide conveyor and sequentially supplied to the band drum by the corresponding supply conveyor, wound around the band drum to form a cylindrical shape, and layered on the cylindrical inner liner and carcass material to form the inner peripheral side member, the inner peripheral side member and the pair of bead members are transferred to one of the shape drums having the drum axis aligned with the band drum using the band transfer machine and fitted thereon, the belt material is cut to a predetermined length from one of the supply units arranged in parallel at the stock position via the corresponding slide conveyor and sequentially supplied to one of the belt drums by the corresponding supply conveyor, wound around the belt drum to form a cylindrical shape, and layered, and the tread portion is cut to a predetermined length from one of the supply units arranged in parallel at the stock position via the corresponding slide conveyor and layered on the corresponding supply drum. The materials are sequentially supplied to one of the belt drums rotated 180° in plan view by a supply conveyor, wound around to form a cylindrical shape, and stacked on the cylindrical belt material to form the outer peripheral member, and then one of the belt drums is rotated 180° in plan view, so that the drum axes of one of the shape drums rotated 180° in plan view and one of the belt drums on which the outer peripheral member is being formed are aligned with each other, and the outer peripheral member is moved in the drum axial direction using the band transfer machine and inserted onto the inner peripheral member formed on one of the shape drums, and a green tire is formed on one of the shape drums, and at the stock positions for each material, when the material stored in one of the supply units becomes empty, the material is supplied from the other supply unit, and while the material is being supplied from the other supply unit, the empty one supply unit is replaced with a new one in which the material is stocked.

[0009] According to the present invention, at the stock positions of each material, multiple supply units are arranged in parallel, and a slide conveyor that slides in the width direction is provided for each supply unit, so that each material can be supplied from one of the multiple supply units. When the material stored in one supply unit becomes empty, the new material is supplied from the other supply unit. While the material is being supplied from the other supply unit, the empty supply unit is replaced with a new supply unit stocked with the new material, thereby avoiding stoppages in the molding process due to the replenishment of each material. Furthermore, since multiple bead supply units are provided, a pair of bead members can also be supplied from any one of the multiple bead supply units, thereby avoiding stoppages in the molding process due to the replenishment of a pair of bead members.

[0010] As a result, there is no need to stock excess material on each supply conveyor to reduce time loss due to the replenishment of each material, and therefore the length of each supply conveyor can be minimized. Furthermore, since each material is wound in a long form and stored in each supply unit, this is advantageous for making the molding apparatus more compact. Furthermore, since the drum axes of the band drum and the shape drum are coaxial when transporting the inner peripheral member, and the drum axes of the belt drum and the shape drum are coaxial when transporting the outer peripheral member, the band transfer device and the belt transfer device only need to move in the direction of the common drum axes of the respective drums, further contributing to making the molding apparatus more compact. As a result, this is advantageous for making the tire molding apparatus more compact while manufacturing tires with high productivity.

[0011] Furthermore, by installing two parallel shape drums so that they can rotate 180° in a plan view, installing two parallel belt drums so that they can rotate 180° in a plan view, installing one belt drum so that it can slide in the drum width direction, and arranging the respective supply conveyors in parallel, it is possible to perform time-consuming processes using the shape drums in parallel on multiple shape drums. As a result, the time required for the processes using the shape drums, belt drum, and bundling drum is leveled out, and the time required to mold one green tire can be shortened. This is advantageous for manufacturing tires with high productivity.

[0012] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an embodiment of a tire manufacturing system in a plan view. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating each drum of the molding apparatus in FIG. 1 in a front view. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a supply path from an inner liner supply unit to a banding drum in a side view. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a supply path from a carcass material supply unit to a banding drum in a side view. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a supply path from a side portion supply unit to a banding drum in a side view. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a supply path from a belt material supply unit to a belt drum in a side view. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a supply path from a tread portion supply unit to a belt drum in a side view. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a supply path from a belt reinforcing material supply unit to a belt drum in a side view. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which an inner liner, carcass material, and side portion are supplied to a banding drum in a plan view. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the inner liner, carcass material, and side portion cut to a fixed length in FIG. 9 have been moved forward in a plan view. Fig. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating, in a plan view, the state in which the supply conveyor on which the inner liner of Fig. 10 is placed is rotated 90° and the side portions cut to a fixed length are moved onto the supply conveyor. Fig. 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating, in a plan view, the state in which the inner liner and carcass material cut to a fixed length of Fig. 11 are moved toward the banding drum. Fig. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating, in a plan view, the state in which the inner liner and carcass material cut to a fixed length of Fig. 12 are wound around the banding drum. Fig. 14 is an explanatory diagram illustrating, in a plan view, the state in which the banding drum of Fig. 13 is moved in the width direction and the side portions cut to a fixed length are wound around its outer circumferential surface to form an inner peripheral member. Fig. 15 is an explanatory diagram illustrating, in a plan view, the state in which a pair of bead members are fitted onto the formed inner peripheral member of Fig. 14. Fig. 16 is an explanatory diagram illustrating, in a plan view, the state in which the belt material and tread portion cut to a fixed length are supplied to the belt drum. Fig. 17 is an explanatory diagram illustrating, in plan view, a state in which the belt material cut to a fixed length and the tread portion of Fig. 16 are moved toward the belt drum. Fig. 18 is an explanatory diagram illustrating, in plan view, a state in which the belt material cut to a fixed length of Fig. 17 is wound around one of the belt drums.Fig. 19 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the belt drum of Fig. 18 is rotated 180° clockwise and a belt reinforcing material is wound around the belt material wound around one belt drum. Fig. 20 is an explanatory diagram illustrating, in a plan view, a state in which the tread portion cut to a fixed length of Fig. 19 is wound around one belt drum to form an outer peripheral member, and the belt material is wound around the other belt drum. Fig. 21 is an explanatory diagram illustrating, in a plan view, a state in which the belt drum of Fig. 20 is rotated 180° counterclockwise. Fig. 22 is an explanatory diagram illustrating, in a plan view, a state in which an inner peripheral member and a pair of bead members are fitted around one shape drum. Fig. 23 is an explanatory diagram illustrating, in a plan view, a state in which the shape drum of Fig. 22 is rotated 180° clockwise and a belt reinforcing material is wound around the other belt drum. Fig. 24 is an explanatory diagram illustrating, in a plan view, a state in which an outer peripheral member transferred from a belt drum is fitted onto one shape drum in Fig. 23, and an inner peripheral member and a pair of bead members are fitted onto the other shape drum. Fig. 25 is an explanatory diagram illustrating, in a plan view, a state in which the shape drum in Fig. 24 is rotated 180° counterclockwise and a belt material is wound around one belt drum. Fig. 26 is an explanatory diagram illustrating, in a plan view, a state in which a green tire has been removed from one shape drum in Fig. 25 and the belt drum has been rotated 180° counterclockwise. Fig. 27 is an explanatory diagram illustrating, in a partially enlarged longitudinal cross section, a vulcanizing apparatus that is vulcanizing the green tire in Fig. 26.

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A tire manufacturing method and system according to the present invention will be described below based on the embodiments shown in the drawings.

[0014] As shown in Fig. 1, an embodiment of the tire manufacturing system of the present invention includes a molding device 1 and a vulcanizing device 15. A green tire G is molded by stacking a plurality of types of unvulcanized tire components M using the molding device 1. The molded green tire G is vulcanized using the vulcanizing device 15 to manufacture a tire T. A vulcanizing mold 16 according to the tire specifications is attached to the vulcanizing device 15. Various known vulcanizing devices 15 can be used.

[0015] The green tire G has, as tire components M, at least an inner liner M1, an inner peripheral member MA having a carcass material M2 and a side portion M3, an outer peripheral member MB having a belt material M4 and a tread portion M5, and a pair of bead members MC. In this embodiment, the outer peripheral member MB further has a belt reinforcing material M6. The belt reinforcing material M6 can be used optionally, and other types of materials are used for the tire components M as needed. Note that, hereinafter, the inner liner M1, carcass material M2, side portion M3, belt material M4, tread portion M5, and belt reinforcing material M6 will be referred to as materials M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, and M6, respectively.

[0016] 1 to 8, the forming apparatus 1 has three types of drums: shape drums 2 (2a, 2b), band drum 3, and belt drums 4 (4a, 4b); supply units 5 (5A, 5B), 6 (6A, 6B), 7 (7A, 7B), 8 (8A, 8B), 9 (9A, 9B), and 10 (10A, 10B) for materials M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, and M6; and bead supply units 11 (11A, 11B) for a pair of bead members MC. The X, Y, and Z arrows in the figures indicate the width, depth, and height directions of the forming apparatus 1, respectively, which are perpendicular to each other.

[0017] The system includes two shape drums 2 (2a, 2b), one band drum 3, and two belt drums 4 (4a, 4b), and the shape drum 2 (2a, 2b) is disposed between the band drum 3 and the belt drum 4 in the X direction. In this embodiment, the two shape drums 2a, 2b are disposed at positions rotated 180° around a rotation axis 2p in a plan view. The two shape drums 2a, 2b are rotated 180° clockwise and counterclockwise around the rotation axis 2p, and are fixedly disposed at the same positions alternately.

[0018] The drum axis C1 of the band drum 3 extends in the X direction and is movable along a guide rail 3r extending in the X direction. Two belt drums 4a, 4b are provided at positions rotated 180° around a rotation shaft 4p in a plan view. The two belt drums 4a, 4b are alternately fixed and disposed at the same positions by rotating 180° clockwise and counterclockwise around the rotation shaft 4p.

[0019] When each shape drum 2a, 2b rotates around a rotation axis 2p and is fixedly disposed on the band drum 3 side and the belt drum 4 side, the respective drum axis centers C1, C2 extend in the X direction (parallel to the X direction). The drum axis centers C1 of the shape drum 2 and band drum 3, which have rotated and are fixedly disposed on the band drum 3 side, are parallel to the X direction and coincide in the Y and Z directions. In other words, the drum axis centers C1 of adjacent shape drums 2 and band drums 3 coincide in the X, Y, and Z directions.

[0020] When the belt drums 4a, 4b rotate around the rotation axis 4p and are fixedly disposed on the side of the shape drum 2 and the side opposite the shape drum 2, their respective drum axes C2, C3 extend in the X direction (parallel to the X direction). The drum axes C2 of the belt drum 4 that has rotated and been fixedly disposed on the side of the shape drum 2 and the shape drum 2 that has rotated and been fixedly disposed on the side of the belt drum 4 are parallel to the X direction and coincide with each other in the Y and Z directions. In other words, the drum axes C2 of the adjacent belt drum 4 and shape drum 2 coincide with each other in the X, Y, and Z directions.

[0021] The supply units 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are arranged at stock positions P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, and P6 for the materials M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, and M6, respectively. The bead supply unit 11 is arranged at stock position P7 for the bead member MC. At each of the stock positions P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, and P6, a corresponding plurality of supply units are arranged in parallel. That is, at stock position P1, supply units 5A and 5B are arranged in parallel, at stock position P2, supply units 6A and 6B are arranged in parallel, at stock position P3, supply units 7A and 7B are arranged in parallel, at stock position P4, supply units 8A and 8B are arranged in parallel, at stock position P5, supply units 9A and 9B are arranged in parallel, and at stock position P6, supply units 10A and 10B are arranged in parallel.

[0022] In this embodiment, one green tire G uses one sheet of material M1 (M5) cut to a fixed length, two sheets of material M2 (M4) cut to a fixed length, and a pair of two sheets of material M3 cut to a fixed length. Therefore, at stock position P2, two supply units 6A, 6B are aligned vertically (arranged in series in the Y direction). At stock position P4, two supply units 8A, 8B are aligned vertically (arranged in series in the Y direction). To build one green tire G, two sheets of material M2 are sequentially supplied from either one of the two vertically aligned supply units 6A or the two vertically aligned supply units 6B, and two sheets of material M4 are sequentially supplied from either one of the two vertically aligned supply units 8A or the two vertically aligned supply units 8B. Furthermore, each supply unit 7A, 7B stocks a pair of two sheets of material M3, and two pairs of two sheets of material M3 are sequentially supplied from one of the supply units 7A, 7B.

[0023] Each of the supply units 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 has a winding core, and each of the materials M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, and M6 is stored in a wound state around the winding core. Each of the materials M1 to M5 is wound around the winding core together with a release liner. Material M6 is wound around the winding core without a release liner. Each of the materials M1 to M6 is wound in a long form and stored.

[0024] The bead supply unit 11 has an annular rack that rotates horizontally around a rotation axis 11p, and a large number of bead members MC are hung on the rack. This rack is divided into two regions, units 11A and 11B, in the circumferential direction. A predetermined number of pairs of bead members MC are hung on each of the bead supply units 11A and 11B, and as the rack rotates in the circumferential direction, each of the bead supply units 11A and 11B moves sequentially between a supply position and a standby position. Pairs of bead members MC are sequentially supplied from the bead supply unit 11 that has moved to the supply position.

[0025] Materials M1, M2, and M3 are supplied to the belt drum 3 through respective supply paths from supply units 5, 6, and 7. Materials M4, M5, and M6 are supplied to the belt drum 4 through respective supply paths from supply units 8, 9, and 10.

[0026] Between each of the supply units 5, 6, 7 and the banding drum 3, cutters 5c, 6c, 7c, slide conveyors 5d, 6d, 7d, and supply conveyors 5e, 6e, 7e are arranged. As shown in FIG. 4, each supply unit 6 arranged in a vertical row at the stock position P2 has a cutter 6c, and two supply guides are installed, one above the other, between each cutter 6c and one slide conveyor 6d. That is, material M2 fed from the supply unit 6 arranged closer to the banding drum 3 in the Y direction is supplied to the slide conveyor 6d through a supply guide installed on the lower side. Material M2 fed from the supply unit 6 arranged farther from the banding drum 3 in the Y direction is supplied to the slide conveyor 6d through a supply guide installed on the upper side.

[0027] Between each supply unit 8, 9 and the belt drum 4, cutters 8c, 9c, slide conveyors 8d, 9d, and supply conveyors 8e, 9e are arranged. As illustrated in FIG. 6 , each supply unit 8 arranged in a vertical row at stock position P4 has a cutter 8c, slide conveyor 8d, and supply conveyor 8e, and the cutters 8c, slide conveyors 8d, and supply conveyors 8e are each installed in two tiers, one above the other. That is, material M4 fed from the supply unit 8 arranged closer to the belt drum 4 in the Y direction is supplied to the slide conveyor 8d and supply conveyor 8e arranged below via a supply guide installed below. Material M4 fed from the supply unit 6 arranged farther from the belt drum 4 in the Y direction is supplied to the slide conveyor 8d and supply conveyor 8e arranged above via a supply guide installed above. In this embodiment, the cutter 8c arranged above slides and moves together with the slide conveyor 8d arranged above, and the cutter 8c arranged below slides and moves together with the slide conveyor 8d arranged below.

[0028] Supply conveyors 5e and 6e that supply material M1 and material M2 to the band drum 3, a supply conveyor 7e that supplies material M3 to the band drum 3, a supply conveyor 8e that supplies material M4 to the belt drum 4, and a supply conveyor 9e that supplies material M5 to the belt drum 4 are arranged in parallel in the X direction. When supplying each of materials M1 to M5 to the corresponding drums 3 and 4, these parallel-arranged supply conveyors 5e, 6e, supply conveyor 7e, supply conveyor 8e, and supply conveyor 9e each extend perpendicular to the width direction (X direction) in which the band drum 3 slides when viewed in a plane.

[0029] A cutter 10c, a festoon unit 10d, and a head 10e are disposed between the supply unit 10 and the belt drum 4. As illustrated in Fig. 8, material M6 fed from each of the supply units 10A and 10B is supplied to separate heads 10e, 10e through separate supply paths. The heads 10e, 10e are disposed in a vertical row in the Y direction below the belt drum 4.

[0030] Cutters 5c, 6c, 7c, 8c, and 9c cut materials M1, M2, M3, M4, and M5 to predetermined lengths. Slide conveyors 5d, 6d, 7d, 8d, and 9d and supply conveyors 5e, 6e, 7e, 8e, and 9e are belt conveyors that transport materials M1, M2, M3, M4, and M5 in a flat state.

[0031] One slide conveyor 5d, 6d, 7d, 8d, and 9d is provided for each of the parallel supply units 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. For example, at stock position P1 for material M1, one slide conveyor 5d is provided that slides in the width direction of the parallel supply units 5 (5A and 5B). The slide conveyor 5d moves in the width direction between each of the supply units 5A and 5B, ahead of the supply direction of material M1. The other stock positions P2, P3, P4, and P5 are configured in a similar manner.

[0032] The cutter 10c cuts the rear end of the material M6 when joining the materials M6 together. The festoon unit 10d stores a predetermined required amount (required length) of the material M6. The head 10e guides the material M6 that has passed through the festoon unit 10d toward the drum surface of the belt drum 4. The material M6 is supplied to the belt drum 4 in the form of a long body, and is cut to a predetermined length by the head 10e on the belt drum 4.

[0033] A band transfer machine 12 is disposed between the band drum 3 and the shape drum 2. A belt transfer machine 13 is disposed between the belt drum 4 and the shape drum 2. A bead transfer machine 14 is disposed between the bead supply unit 11 and the shape drum 2.

[0034] In the band drum 3, a cylindrical inner peripheral member MA is formed using the supplied materials M1 to M3, and in the belt drum 4, a cylindrical outer peripheral member MB is formed using the supplied materials M4 to M6. A band transfer machine 12 transfers the inner peripheral member MA from the band drum 3 to the shape drum 2. A belt transfer machine 13 transfers the outer peripheral member MB from the belt drum 4 to the shape drum 2. A bead transfer machine 14 transfers a pair of bead members MC from one of the bead supply units 11A, 11B and fits them onto the cylindrical inner peripheral member MA. In the shape drum 2, a cylindrical green tire G is formed using the inner peripheral members MA (M1 to M3), the outer peripheral members MB (M4 to M6), and the pair of bead members MC.

[0035] Next, an example of the procedure for a tire manufacturing method using this manufacturing system will be described. In this manufacturing method, green tires G are successively molded by the molding device 1. That is, the molding device 1 simultaneously molds a plurality of green tires G. In some cases, the green tires G molded simultaneously have the same specifications, but in other cases, the green tires G are switched to green tires G with different specifications midway through the process.

[0036] When continuing to mold a large number of green tires G without changing the tire specifications, the necessary amounts of materials M1 to M6 of the same specifications are stocked in the parallel supply units 5 to 10 at the stock positions P1 to P6. At the stock position P7, the necessary amounts of bead materials MC of the same specifications are stocked in the bead supply units 11A and 11B.

[0037] When green tires G are molded with tire specifications changed midway, the supply units 5A to 10A on one side and the supply units 5B to 10B on the other side stock positions P1 to P6 are stocked with the necessary amounts of materials M1 to M6 according to the tire specifications of the green tires G to be molded. At stock position P7, the bead members MC according to the tire specifications of the green tires G to be molded are stocked with the necessary amounts of materials M1 to M6 according to the tire specifications of the green tires G to be molded for each of the bead supply units 11A and 11B.

[0038] In this manufacturing method, a cylindrical inner circumferential member MA and a cylindrical outer circumferential member MB are formed simultaneously. Figures 9 to 14 illustrate the procedure for forming the inner circumferential member MA, Figure 15 illustrates the state in which a pair of bead members MC are fitted onto the inner circumferential member MA, and Figures 16 to 21 illustrate the procedure for forming the outer circumferential member MB. Figures 22 to 26 illustrate the procedure for forming a green tire G using the inner circumferential member MA, the pair of bead members MC, and the outer circumferential member MC.

[0039] 9 to 14, the materials M1 to M3 for the inner peripheral member MA are supplied by the respective supply conveyors 5e to 7e from the respective stock positions P1 to P3 via the corresponding slide conveyors 5d to 7d in a state in which they have been cut to a predetermined length, to the banding drum 3. In the banding drum 3, the inner peripheral member MA is formed using the respective materials M1 to M3 that have been cut to a predetermined length.

[0040] Specifically, materials M1, M2, M2, and M3 fed from one of the supply units 5A, 6A, 6A, and 7A are cut to a predetermined length by cutters 5c, 6c, 6c, and 7c, respectively, and then placed on slide conveyors 5d, 6d, 6d, and 7d located in front of each of the supply units 5A, 6A, 6A, and 7A, and transported to supply conveyors 5e, 6e, 6e, and 7e. The supply conveyor 5e can rotate 90° in a plan view, and when receiving material M1 from the slide conveyor 5d, it is aligned vertically with the slide conveyor 5d in the X direction, as shown in Figures 9 and 10. After receiving material M1 from the slide conveyor 5d, the supply conveyor 5e rotates 90° and is aligned vertically with the slide conveyor 6d and the supply conveyor 6e in the Y direction, as shown in Figure 11.

[0041] As shown in Fig. 12, material M1 fed from one supply unit 5A and materials M2, M2 supplied from each of the vertically arranged supply units 6A, 6A are arranged in series on the banding drum 3. As shown in Fig. 13, the materials M1, M2, M2, which have been arranged in series and cut to a fixed length, are sequentially wound around the banding drum 3 while the banding drum 3 is rotated in one direction about the drum axis C1, and formed into a cylindrical shape and stacked. In this embodiment, the supply conveyors 5e, 6e function as supply conveyors that supply materials M1, M2 to the banding drum 3.

[0042] Furthermore, while the materials M1, M2, and M2 are wound around the banding drum 3, formed into a cylindrical shape, and stacked, a pair of materials M3, which are unwound from one of the supply units 7A and cut to a fixed length, are conveyed to the supply conveyor 7e. Next, the banding drum 3 in front of the supply conveyor 6e is moved in the X direction as shown in FIG. 14, and placed in front of the supply conveyor 7e. After that, the pair of materials M3, which are cut to a fixed length and placed on the transport conveyor 7e, are wound around the banding drum 3 while rotating the banding drum 3 about the drum axis C1, and formed into a cylindrical shape and stacked. In this way, a cylindrical inner peripheral member MA is formed in which the materials M1, M2, and M3 are stacked in order. In this way, the inner peripheral members MA are formed sequentially and continuously.

[0043] 15, a pair of bead members MC are supplied from one bead supply unit 11A and fitted onto the inner peripheral side member MA using a bead transfer machine 14. The bead members MC are fitted onto the inner peripheral side member MA at intervals in the width direction (X direction).

[0044] 16 to 21, the materials M4 and M5 for the outer peripheral side member MB are supplied by the respective supply conveyors 8e and 9e from the respective stock positions P4 and P5 via the corresponding slide conveyors 8d and 9d to the belt drum 4 in a state in which they have been cut to a fixed length. The material M6 is supplied in the form of a long piece via the festoon section 10c to the head 10e disposed adjacent to and below the belt drum 4. In the belt drum 4, the outer peripheral side member MB is formed using the materials M4 and M5 cut to the fixed length and the material M6 delivered from the head 10e.

[0045] More specifically, the materials M4, M4, M5 fed from one of the supply units 8A, 8A, 9A are cut to a predetermined length by the respective cutters 8c, 8c, 9c, and then placed on slide conveyors 8d, 8d, 9d arranged in front of the other of the supply units 8A, 8A, 9A, and transported to the supply conveyors 8e, 8e, 9e. One sheet of material M4 cut to the predetermined length is placed on each of the supply conveyors 8e, 8e arranged above and below as shown in FIG.

[0046] As shown in Figure 18, materials M4, M4 supplied from one of the vertically arranged supply units 8A, 8A are sequentially wound around one belt drum 4a, formed into a cylindrical shape, and stacked. For example, material M4 cut to a fixed length and placed on a supply conveyor 8e arranged above is wound around the belt drum 4a while rotating the belt drum 4a in one direction about the drum axis C2 to form a cylindrical shape. Next, material M4 cut to a fixed length and placed on a supply conveyor 8e arranged below is wound around the belt drum 4a while rotating the belt drum 4a in the other direction about the drum axis C2 to form a cylindrical shape.

[0047] Next, as illustrated in Figure 19, the belt drum 4 is rotated 180° clockwise around the pivot 4p. As a result, one belt drum 4a is moved forward of the supply conveyor 9e, and the other belt drum 4b is moved forward of the supply conveyors 8e, 8e. Then, while one belt drum 4a is rotated in one direction around the drum axis C3, material M6 supplied from one supply unit 10A is spirally wound around the belt drum 4a using one head 10e. As a result, a belt reinforcing layer formed of material M6 is laminated within a predetermined width direction (X direction) range on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrically formed material M4.

[0048] Next, as shown in Fig. 20, the cut-to-length material M5 placed on the supply conveyor 9e is wound around one of the belt drums 4a while the belt drum 4a is rotated in one direction about the drum axis C3, forming it into a cylindrical shape and stacking it. As a result, a cylindrical outer peripheral member MB is formed on one of the belt drums 4a, with the materials M4, M4, M6, and M5 stacked in this order. On the other belt drum 4b, the cut-to-length materials M4 and M4 placed on the respective supply conveyors 8e and 8e are wound around the belt drum 4b in order while the belt drum 4b is rotated about the drum axis C2, forming them into a cylindrical shape and stacking them.

[0049] 21, the belt drum 4 is rotated counterclockwise by 180° around the rotation axis 4p, thereby moving one of the belt drums 4a on which the outer peripheral side member MB is formed toward the shape drum 2.

[0050] As shown in Figure 22, the formed inner peripheral member MA is transferred from the banding drum 3 to one of the shape drums 2a using a band transfer machine 12. As a result, the inner peripheral member MA and a pair of bead members MC are fitted onto the outer surface of one of the shape drums 2a. Then, on the shape drum 2a, both widthwise ends of the inner peripheral member MA are turned up around the bead members MC by a known method. Then, while the shape drum 2a is rotated about the drum axis C1, both widthwise ends of the turned-up inner peripheral member MA are pressed toward the drum axis C1 by a known method.

[0051] 23, the shape drum 2 is rotated clockwise by 180° about the rotation axis 2p, thereby aligning one shape drum 2a and one belt drum 4a in the X direction.

[0052] Next, as illustrated in FIG. 24 , the outer peripheral member MB is transferred from one belt drum 4a to one shape drum 2a using a belt transfer device 13 and fitted onto the inner peripheral member MA. Then, on the shape drum 2a, the outer peripheral surface of the inner peripheral member MA and the inner peripheral surface of the outer peripheral member MB are brought into contact with each other, and the shape drum 2a is rotated about the drum axis C2 while pressing the outer peripheral member MB toward the drum axis C2. The inner peripheral member MA, the outer peripheral member MB, and the pair of bead members MC are integrated to form a green tire G. Meanwhile, the materials M6 and M5 are wound around the other belt drum 4b in the same manner as described above to form the outer peripheral member MB. The inner peripheral member MA and the pair of bead members MC are fitted onto the other shape drum 2b in the same manner as described above.

[0053] Next, as shown in Fig. 25, the shape drum 2 is rotated counterclockwise by 180° around the rotation axis 2p. Thereafter, as shown in Fig. 26, the green tire G is removed from one of the shape drums 2a and transported to the vulcanizer 15.

[0054] As illustrated in Fig. 27, the green tire G is placed in a vulcanization mold 16 attached to a vulcanization device 15. Thereafter, the green tire G is vulcanized between the closed vulcanization mold 16 and the inflated vulcanization bladder 17 to complete the tire T. Various known methods can be used to vulcanize the green tire G. In this embodiment, a pneumatic tire T is manufactured, but the present invention can also be applied to the manufacture of various types of tires T.

[0055] In the above-mentioned green tire G molding process, when a predetermined number of green tires G are molded, the materials M1 to M6 stored in one of the supply units 5A to 10A become empty at the stock positions P1 to P6 for each of the materials M1 to M6.

[0056] As described above, each stock position P1-P5 is provided with a slide conveyor 5d-9d that slides widthwise relative to the parallel-arranged supply units 5-9. Therefore, when one supply unit 5A-9A is emptied of materials M1-M5, the slide conveyor 5d-9d is slid widthwise across the parallel-arranged supply units 5-9, allowing the other supply unit 5B-9B to supply the materials M1-M5. Specifically, the slide conveyors 5d-9d are slid forward of the other supply unit 5B-9B, and the cut-to-length materials M1-M5 are placed on the slide conveyors 5d-9d. The slide conveyors 5d-9d are then slid to a position where they are aligned with the supply conveyors 5e-9e, and the cut-to-length materials M1-M5 are transferred and supplied to the supply conveyors 5e-9e. Then, while the materials M1 to M5 cut to a fixed length are being supplied to the supply conveyors 5e to 9e from the other supply units 5B to 9B, the one supply unit 5A to 9A that has been emptied of the materials M1 to M5 is replaced with a new supply unit 5A to 5B that has the materials M1 to M5 stocked therein.

[0057] Furthermore, at the stock position P6, the material M6 can be supplied by switching to either of the parallelly arranged supply units 10. Therefore, when the material M6 stored in one supply unit 10A becomes empty, the new material M6 can be supplied from the other supply unit 10B. Then, while the other supply unit 10B is supplying the material M6, the one supply unit 10A that has run out of material M6 is replaced with a new supply unit 10A that has stocked the new material M6. This prevents the green tire G building process from being stopped due to the replenishment of the materials M1 to M6.

[0058] Furthermore, when one bead supply unit 11A runs out of a pair of bead members MC, a new pair of bead members MC can be supplied from the other bead supply unit 11B. Then, while the other bead supply unit 11B is supplying a pair of bead members MC, the bead supply unit 11A that has run out of bead members MC can be rotated from the supply position to the standby position to replenish the bead supply unit 11A with a new pair of bead members MC, thereby avoiding a stop in the molding process due to the replenishment of a pair of bead members MC.

[0059] Accordingly, in order to reduce the time loss caused by replenishing each of the materials M1 to M5, it is not necessary to place and stock excess amounts of the materials M1 to M5 on each of the supply conveyors 5e to 9e. As a result, the length of each of the supply conveyors 5e to 9e can be minimized. Furthermore, since each of the materials M1 to M6 is stocked in a wound state in each of the supply units, this is advantageous for making the molding device 1 compact.

[0060] Making each of the supply conveyors 5e to 9e and each of the slide conveyors 5d to 9d shorter is advantageous for compacting the molding device 1. Each of the supply conveyors 5e to 9e and each of the slide conveyors 5d to 9d need only be longer than the length of one of the materials M1 to M5 to be placed on it. Therefore, the length of each of the supply conveyors 5e to 9e and each of the slide conveyors 5d to 9d is set to, for example, 100% to 150% of the length of one of the materials M1 to M5 to be placed on that conveyor, more preferably 105% to 130%, and even more preferably 105% to 120%.

[0061] Furthermore, the drum axis C1 of the band drum 3 and the shape drum 2 when transferring the inner peripheral member MA is set coaxially, and the drum axis C2 of the belt drum 4 and the shape drum 2 when transferring the outer peripheral member MB is set coaxially. Therefore, the band transfer device 12 and the belt transfer device 13 only need to be moved in the directions of the common drum axes C1 and C2 of the respective drums 2, 3, and 4, which is even more advantageous for making the molding apparatus 1 compact. As a result, this is advantageous for manufacturing tires T with good productivity while making the molding apparatus 1 compact.

[0062] Cutting the materials M1 to M5 to a fixed length causes them to shrink over time, resulting in variations in the degree of shrinkage. However, at each stock position P1 to P5, the materials M1 to M5 are stocked in a long form, and then fed from the supply units 5 to 9 to be cut to the fixed length. Then, each cut material M1 to M5 is supplied to the corresponding drum 3, 4 via the corresponding slide conveyors 5d to 9d and supply conveyors 5e to 9e. Cutting the materials M1 to M5 to a fixed length just before forming the green tire G in this way is advantageous for minimizing variations in the shrinkage and amount of shrinkage of the materials M1 to M5 over time, compared to cutting the materials to a fixed length and stocking them in advance. This contributes to improving the quality of the manufactured tires T.

[0063] Since the process using the shape drum 2 takes a relatively long time compared to the processes using the band drum 3 and the belt drum 4, if tire building is performed using the same number of drums 2, 3, and 4, the process using the shape drum 2 becomes the rate-limiting factor for the entire tire building process. In this building apparatus 1, two parallel shape drums 2a and 2b are installed so as to be rotatable by 180° in a plan view, two parallel belt drums 4a and 4b are installed so as to be rotatable by 180° in a plan view, and one belt drum 3 is installed so as to be slidable in the drum width direction (X direction). In addition, supply conveyors 5e and 6e that supply material M1 and material M2 to the band drum 3, a supply conveyor 7e that supplies material M3 to the band drum 3, a supply conveyor 8e that supplies material M4 to the belt drum 4, and a supply conveyor 9e that supplies material M5 to the belt drum 4 are arranged in parallel in the X direction.

[0064] Therefore, in this molding device 1, the necessary tire components M are supplied sequentially and quickly to the shape drum 2, and the process that takes a relatively long time on the shape drum 2 can be performed in parallel on multiple shape drums 2a, 2b. As a result, the time required for the processes on the shape drum 2, the bunt drum 3, and the belt drum 4 is leveled, and the time required to mold one green tire G can be shortened. This is advantageous for manufacturing tires T with high productivity.

[0065] In this embodiment, when each material M1-M5 is supplied to the corresponding drum 3, 4, the parallel-arranged supply conveyors 5e, 6e, 7e, 8e, and 9e each extend perpendicular to the X direction in a plan view. The supply units 5-9, slide conveyors 5d-9d, supply conveyors 5e-9e, and bead supply unit 11 are installed in the same region of two regions separated by a straight line extending in the X direction. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 1 , the supply units 5-9, slide conveyors 5d-9d, supply conveyors 5e-9e, and bead supply unit 11 are unevenly distributed in the upper region of the two regions separated by a guide rail 3r extending in the X direction. The shape drum 2, band drum 3, and belt drum 4 are arranged parallel to each other in the X direction, generally along an extension of the guide rail 3r.

[0066] With this equipment layout, the replacement work of each supply unit 5-9 (the work of replacing empty supply units 5-9 with new supply units 5-9 stocked with materials M1-M5) can be concentrated in the upper area divided by the guide rail 3r in Figure 1. Also, the molding process of each drum 2-4 can be centrally monitored and managed in the lower area divided by the guide rail 3r. As a result, the molding device 1 can be made compact while improving operational efficiency.

[0067] At each stock position P1 to P5, one of the supply units 5A to 9A is set as the main supply unit, and the corresponding slide conveyor 5d to 9d is slid and fixed in place in front of the main supply unit 5A to 9A, thereby forming a supply path for the corresponding drum 3, 4 using the main supply unit 5A to 9A, the fixed slide conveyors 5d to 9d, and the corresponding supply conveyors 5e to 9e. The supply paths for each material M1 to M5 thus formed do not require the slide conveyors 5d to 9d to slide, making it possible to form the green tire G more quickly, which is advantageous for improving forming efficiency. This also contributes to reducing the energy required to form the green tire G.

[0068] However, when the other supply units 5B to 9B supply the materials M1 to M5, the slide conveyors 5d to 9d must be slid every time the supply units 5B to 9B supply the materials M1 to M5 to the corresponding supply conveyors 5e to 9e, which is disadvantageous in improving the molding efficiency of the green tire G and in reducing the energy required to mold the green tire G.

[0069] Therefore, if materials M1 to M5 of the same specifications are stocked in the parallel supply units 5 to 9 at each stock position P1 to P5, when the materials M1 to M5 stocked in the main supply unit 5A to 9A become empty, as soon as the work of replacing the empty main supply unit 5A to 9A with a new main supply unit 5A to 9A stocked with the materials M1 to M5 is completed, the corresponding slide conveyors 5d to 9d are slid to a position in front of the new main supply unit 5A to 9A and fixed in place. Then, a supply path for the corresponding drums 3 and 4 can be formed by the new main supply unit 5A to 9A, the fixed slide conveyors 5d to 9d, and the corresponding supply conveyors 5e to 9e, so that the materials M1 to M5 can be supplied from the new main supply unit 5A to 9A.

[0070] In this way, forming the supply paths for the materials M1 to M5 by reducing the frequency of sliding the slide conveyors 5d to 9d is more advantageous in improving the molding efficiency of the green tire G than when the other supply units 5B to 9B continue to supply the materials M1 to M5, and contributes further to reducing the energy required to mold the green tire G. To use the main supply units 5A to 9A as the supply paths for the materials M1 to M5 for a long period of time rather than the other supply units 5B to 9B, for example, the stock amount of the materials M1 to M5 in the supply units 5A to 9A is made larger than the stock amount in the other supply units 5B to 9B.

[0071] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Molding device 2 (2a, 2b) Shape drum 2p Swivel shaft 3 Band drum 3r Guide rail 4 (4a, 4b) Belt drum 4p Swivel shaft 5 (5A, 5B) Inner liner supply unit 5c Cutter 5d Slide conveyor 5e Supply conveyor 6 (6A, 6B) Carcass material supply unit 6c Cutter 6d Slide conveyor 6e Supply conveyor 7 (7A, 7B) Side portion supply unit 7c Cutter 7d Slide conveyor 7e Supply conveyor 8 (8A, 8B) Belt material supply unit 8c Cutter 8d Slide conveyor 8e Supply conveyor 9 (9A, 9B) Tread portion supply unit 9c Cutter 9d Slide conveyor 9e Supply conveyor REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 (10A, 10B) Belt reinforcement supply unit 10c Cutter 10d Festoon section 10e Head 11 (11A, 11B) Bead supply unit 11P Swivel shaft 12 Band transfer machine 13 Belt transfer machine 14 Bead transfer machine 15 Vulcanization device 16 Vulcanization mold 17 Vulcanization bladder M Tire component MA Inner peripheral component MB Outer peripheral component MC Bead component M1 Inner liner M2 Carcass material M3 Side section M4 Belt material M5 Tread section M6 Belt reinforcement G Green tire T Vulcanized tire (finished tire)

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a tire, which comprises stacking a plurality of types of tire components to form a green tire, and vulcanizing the green tire, the tire components including at least an inner liner, an inner peripheral component having as its materials an inner liner, a carcass material, and a side portion, an outer peripheral component having as its materials a belt material and a tread portion, and a bead member; two parallel shape drums are installed so as to be rotatable by 180° in a plan view, two parallel belt drums are installed so as to be rotatable by 180° in a plan view, one belt drum is installed so as to be slidable in the drum width direction, and each of the shape drums is installed between the belt drum and each of the bunt drums; at each of the material stock positions, a plurality of supply units in which each of the materials is wound in a long body state are arranged in parallel, and a slide conveyor that slides in the width direction is arranged relative to each of the supply units; a predetermined number of pairs of the bead members are stocked in a plurality of bead supply units at the bead stock positions; a supply conveyor for supplying the inner liner and the carcass material to the banding drum, a supply conveyor for supplying the side portion to the banding drum, a supply conveyor for supplying the belt material to the belt drum, and a supply conveyor for supplying the tread portion to the belt drum are arranged in parallel; the inner liner and the carcass material are sequentially supplied to the banding drum by the corresponding supply conveyor in a pre-cut state from one of the supply units arranged in parallel at the respective stock positions via the corresponding slide conveyor, and wound around the banding drum to form a cylindrical shape and stacked; the side portion is sequentially supplied to the banding drum by the corresponding supply conveyor in a pre-cut state from one of the supply units arranged in parallel at the respective stock positions via the corresponding slide conveyor, and wound around the banding drum to form a cylindrical shape and stacked on the cylindrical inner liner and carcass material to form the inner peripheral side member; The inner peripheral member and the pair of bead members are transferred to one of the shape drums, the drum axis of which is aligned with that of the band drum, using a band transfer machine, and fitted to the outside;the belt material is cut to a fixed length in advance from one of the supply units arranged in parallel at the stock position via the corresponding slide conveyor, and is sequentially supplied to one of the belt drums by the corresponding supply conveyor, wound around the belt material to form a cylindrical shape, and laminated; the tread portion is cut to a fixed length in advance from one of the supply units arranged in parallel at the stock position via the corresponding slide conveyor, and is sequentially supplied to one of the belt drums rotated 180° in a plan view via the corresponding supply conveyor, and wound around the belt material to form a cylindrical shape, and laminated on the cylindrical belt material to form the outer peripheral side member, and then one of the belt drums is rotated 180° in a plan view; the drum axis of one of the shape drums rotated 180° in a plan view is aligned with the drum axis of one of the belt drums on which the outer peripheral side member is formed, and the outer peripheral side member is moved in the drum axial direction by a belt transporter, and is inserted around the inner peripheral side member formed on one of the shape drums, thereby forming a green tire on one of the shape drums; A tire manufacturing method in which, when the material stored in one of the supply units becomes empty at the stock positions for each of the materials, the material is supplied from the other supply unit, and while the material is being supplied from the other supply unit, the emptied supply unit is replaced with a new supply unit in which the material is stocked.

2. A tire manufacturing method as described in claim 1, wherein each of the supply conveyors extends perpendicular to the width direction in which the band drum slides when viewed in a plane, and each of the supply units, each of the slide conveyors, each of the supply conveyors and each of the bead supply units are installed on the same side of one of two areas separated by a straight line extending in the width direction.

3. A tire manufacturing method as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein at each of the stock positions for the material, one of the supply units is set as a main supply unit, and the corresponding slide conveyor is slid and positioned in front of the main supply unit, so that the main supply unit, the slide conveyor and the corresponding supply conveyor form a supply path to the corresponding drum.

4. A method for manufacturing tires as described in claim 3, wherein, when the material stored in the main supply unit becomes empty, as soon as the operation of replacing the empty main supply unit with a new main supply unit in which the material is stored is completed, the corresponding slide conveyor is slid and positioned in front of the new main supply unit, and the material is supplied from the new main supply unit.

5. A tire manufacturing system including a molding device having a shape drum in which a green tire is molded by stacking a plurality of types of tire components, and a vulcanizing device in which the green tire is vulcanized, the tire components include at least an inner liner, an inner peripheral side member having as its materials an inner liner, a carcass material, and a side portion, an outer peripheral side member having as its materials a belt material and a tread portion, and a bead member; two shape drums arranged in parallel and capable of rotating 180° in a plan view, two belt drums arranged in parallel and capable of rotating 180° in a plan view, and one belt drum arranged to be slidable in the width direction, each of the shape drums being installed between the belt drum and each of the bunt drums; a band transfer machine that transfers the inner peripheral side member from the band drum to the shape drum, a belt transfer machine that transfers the outer peripheral side member from the belt drum to the shape drum, and a bead transfer machine that fits the pair of bead members from one of the bead supply units onto the inner peripheral side member; a supply conveyor for supplying the inner liner and the carcass material to the band drum, a supply conveyor for supplying the side portion to the band drum, a supply conveyor for supplying the belt material to the belt drum, and a supply conveyor for supplying the tread portion to the belt drum are arranged in parallel; the inner liner and the carcass material are sequentially supplied to the band drum by the corresponding supply conveyor in a pre-cut state from one of the supply units arranged in parallel at each of the stock positions via the corresponding slide conveyor, and are wound up into a cylindrical shape and stacked;The side portions are cut to a fixed length in advance from one of the supply units arranged in parallel at the stock position via the corresponding slide conveyor, and are sequentially supplied to the band drum by the corresponding supply conveyor, wrapped around the band drum to form a cylindrical shape, and stacked on the cylindrical inner liner and carcass material to form the inner peripheral member; the inner peripheral member and a pair of the bead members are transferred to one of the shape drums whose drum axis is aligned with the band drum using the band transfer machine and fitted thereon; the belt material is cut to a fixed length in advance from one of the supply units arranged in parallel at the stock position via the corresponding slide conveyor, and is sequentially supplied to one of the belt drums by the corresponding supply conveyor, wrapped around the band drum to form a cylindrical shape, and stacked; The tread portion is cut to a predetermined length in advance from one of the supply units arranged in parallel at the stock position via the corresponding slide conveyor, and then sequentially supplied to one of the belt drums rotated 180° in a plan view by the corresponding supply conveyor, where it is wound around and formed into a cylindrical shape. The outer circumferential member is then formed by stacking the tread portion on the cylindrical belt material. After that, one of the belt drums is rotated 180° in a plan view, the drum axes of the one of the shape drums rotated 180° in a plan view and the one of the belt drums on which the outer circumferential member is formed are aligned with each other, and the outer circumferential member is moved in the drum axial direction by the band transfer machine and inserted onto the inner circumferential member formed on one of the shape drums, and a green tire is formed on one of the shape drums. A tire manufacturing system configured such that, at each of the stock locations for the materials, when the material stored in one of the supply units becomes empty, the material is supplied from the other supply unit, and while the material is being supplied from the other supply unit, the emptied supply unit is replaced with a new supply unit in which the material is stocked.

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