Modular Tread Mold Segments for Rapid Tire Pattern Changes
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing tire curing process is costly and time-consuming due to the need for manufacturing separate molds for various tire dimensions and tread patterns, with significant manpower and time required for mold assembly and replacement.
Innovation Solution
A modular tread mold and tire curing mold design that allows for attachable and detachable segments, enabling quick changes and adaptations to different tire dimensions and patterns, utilizing a segmented structure for improved heat transfer and reduced manufacturing costs through additive manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If separate molds are manufactured for various tire dimensions and tread patterns, then manufacturing precision and adaptability are improved, but manufacturing time and costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The mold is divided into multiple detachable segments including pattern segments, middle segments, and back segments. Each segment can be independently manufactured and stored, then quickly assembled or replaced depending on the required tire dimension and tread pattern, eliminating the need to manufacture entire new molds for each variation
Solution Approach 2:
The segmented mold design creates a universal mold system where the same basic mold structure (with standardized coupling surfaces) can be adapted to produce multiple tire types by simply changing the pattern segments, making one mold system serve multiple functions for different tire dimensions and patterns
2Adaptability or versatility
If separate molds are manufactured for various tire dimensions and tread patterns, then adaptability is improved, but manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the mold into reusable components (back segments, middle segments, and pattern segments), the manufacturing cost is reduced because only the pattern segments need to be customized for different tire types, while the expensive structural components remain the same and can be reused across multiple mold configurations
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges multiple mold functions into a single universal mold system by combining standardized structural segments with interchangeable pattern segments, reducing overall manufacturing costs by eliminating the need to produce separate complete molds for each tire type
3Ease of manufacture
If a single mold is used for different tire configurations, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but adaptability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The mold transitions from a static, fixed configuration to a dynamic, reconfigurable system where pattern segments can be detached and replaced based on production requirements, allowing the same mold structure to adapt to different tire dimensions and patterns while maintaining cost efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
Proposed is a tire curing mold and, for example, a tread mold formed for use in a curing process for a green tire. The tread mold may include a pattern segment having a pattern surface disposed to face the green tire during the curing process. The tread mold may also include a back segment disposed outside the pattern segment, and a middle segment arranged between the pattern segment and the back segment.