Additive Manufacturing of Pre-Cured Tire Treads Without Molds
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for fabricating tire treads require multiple molds and vulcanization processes, which are inefficient and limit the complexity and material variability of tread designs.
Innovation Solution
Additive manufacturing techniques are used to form tire treads directly on a substrate without molds, allowing for the deposition and curing of materials at specific locations, enabling varied material compositions and complex designs, and potentially eliminating or reducing the need for vulcanization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional molding and vulcanization processes are used to fabricate tire treads, then the tread structure can be formed with uniform material properties, but the process requires multiple molds and complex vulcanization steps which reduces manufacturing efficiency and increases production time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical molding and thermal vulcanization processes with additive manufacturing technology. The tread structure is built layer-by-layer through selective material deposition and UV curing, eliminating the need for molds and complex vulcanization equipment. This substitution of mechanical/thermal processes with additive manufacturing achieves both simplified device complexity and improved manufacturing efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental manufacturing parameters from bulk molding and high-temperature vulcanization to selective UV curing at room or low temperature. By using UV-curable materials and layer-by-layer construction, the process achieves complex tread geometries and material variability without requiring multiple molds or extended vulcanization cycles, thereby improving productivity while reducing process complexity
2Adaptability or versatility
If traditional molding processes are used to fabricate tire treads, then the tread can be produced with consistent material composition, but the ability to vary material properties and create complex designs is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by enabling different material compositions and properties at different locations within the tread structure. The additive manufacturing system can selectively deposit materials with varying durometers, fillers, or functional properties in specific regions, allowing customization of tread characteristics for different performance requirements while maintaining precise control over the final design geometry
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes composite materials by incorporating multiple material types within a single tread structure. Different UV-curable materials with distinct properties can be combined in the additive manufacturing process, enabling the creation of multi-material treads that offer both material variability and design complexity without compromising manufacturing precision
3Adaptability or versatility
If additive manufacturing is used to fabricate tire treads, then complex designs and material variability can be achieved, but the deposition and curing process must be precisely controlled to ensure proper layer adhesion and structural integrity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action through the sequential cycle of material deposition followed by UV curing for each layer. This periodic process ensures that each layer is properly formed and cured before the next layer is deposited, maintaining reliable layer adhesion while enabling complex designs. The controlled alternation between deposition and curing phases prevents defects and ensures structural integrity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method allows for cost-effective and efficient fabrication of tire treads with varied material properties and complex designs, reducing the need for molds and vulcanization, and enabling precise control over tread features like grooves and sipes.
Implementation Method 1
The energy source is configured to cure a material. The method includes submerging a substrate in the material and directing energy from the energy source to a portion of a substrate and forming at least a portion of at least one layer of the material on the substrate.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of forming a tread element is provided. The method includes forming, by a printer element of an additive manufacture assembly, a first layer of at least one material on a substrate. The first layer forms a tread element back side configured to couple to a tire casing. The method includes sequentially forming, by the printer element, a plurality of layers of the at least one material on the first layer across at least a portion of the tread element corresponding to a tread pattern. The plurality of layers defines a thickness of the tread element, and an outermost layer of the plurality of layers forms a tread element front side.