Spreader Crown Handling of Green Bicycle Tyres for Stable Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bicycle tyres, especially in their green state, lack structural consistency and tend to deform uncontrollably due to the absence of metallic bead cores and reinforcement belt layers, making them difficult to handle mechanically and necessitating mostly manual processes.
Innovation Solution
A process and plant that transition green tyres from an elongated, preferably suspended, configuration to a widened configuration using a spreader crown, ensuring precise and repeatable positioning by employing a transfer gripper and sliders to maintain a triangular or polygonal shape, facilitating automated handling and transfer to a vulcanization mould.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If green tyres are handled manually due to lack of structural consistency, then handling reliability is improved, but productivity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The green tyre is pre-profiled to translate the tread band radially outward before handling, creating a stable cross-sectional convex profile. This preliminary shaping action enables subsequent automated mechanical handling without manual intervention, resolving the contradiction by preparing the tyre in advance for reliable automated processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The tyre's geometric parameters are modified through profiling to create a convex cross-sectional shape. This parameter change transforms the tyre from an unstable form that requires manual handling to a stable form suitable for automated mechanical handling, thereby improving both reliability and productivity.
2Manufacturing precision
If green tyres are profiled to translate tread band radially outward, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The profiling operation is segmented into distinct functional components: a profiling device with adjustable elements that can independently control the radial translation of the tread band. This segmentation allows precise control of tread band positioning while keeping each component relatively simple, managing the overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The profiling device incorporates adjustable and movable elements that can adapt to different tyre configurations. This dynamic capability enables the device to achieve precise tread band positioning across various tyre types without requiring a completely new device for each configuration, thereby managing complexity while maintaining precision.
Data Source
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AI summary
A plant (100) for handling green tyres for bicycles comprises a storage (30), a support (10) for green tyres and a transfer member (60). The support comprises a spreader crown (12) radially expandable and contractible with respect to a central axis (A). The spreader crown (12) expands against a contour (2) of the green tyre (1) arranged in a first configuration in which the contour (2) has an elongated shape along a first radial direction (Y) perpendicular to the central axis (A). Once a radially expanded configuration has been reached, the spreader crown (12) imposes a second configuration on the green tyre in which the contour has a substantially enlarged shape both along the first radial direction (Y) and along a second radial direction (X) perpendicular to the first radial direction (Y). The transfer member (60) picks up the green tyre (1) in the second configuration, fit on the spreader crown and surrounding the central axis.