Continuous Tire Component Forming via Closed-Loop Material Recycling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for forming tire components, such as tire treads, are discontinuous and inefficient, leading to material waste and interruptions, as they require manual application and substitution of strips, and do not effectively reuse unused material.
Innovation Solution
A closed-loop system that continuously forms and reuses sheets of material by translating them through a cutting assembly to create strips, which are then applied to a building surface to form a multi-layered tire component, allowing for automatic strip formation and reuse of unused material.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual application and substitution of strips is used, then flexibility in material selection is maintained, but productivity and continuity of the process deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system allows the material supply source to service itself by automatically redirecting unused material back to the input of the sheet generator, eliminating the need for manual intervention to replace material rolls and maintaining continuous operation
Solution Approach 2:
The closed-loop system ensures continuous operation by constantly recycling unused material back into the production process, eliminating interruptions and maintaining uninterrupted strip formation and application
2Ease of manufacture
If strips are cut from a sheet and remaining sheet portion is discarded, then strip formation is simplified, but material waste increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of discarding the remaining sheet portion after strip cutting, the system recovers it by automatically redirecting the unused material back to the input of the sheet generator, where it is reused as feedstock for producing new sheets and strips
Solution Approach 2:
The remaining sheet material serves multiple functions: it can be reused as input material for the sheet generator, or if insufficient, it can be combined with additional material rolls to maintain continuous production
3Reliability
If material source substitution is required, then fresh material can be introduced, but process interruptions and delays occur
Solution Approach 1:
The closed-loop recycling system maintains continuous material flow by constantly feeding unused material back into the sheet generator, eliminating the need to stop production for material replacement and ensuring uninterrupted strip formation and application
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically manages material supply by detecting unused material and redirecting it back to the input source without requiring manual intervention or process interruption, making the material supply system self-servicing
Data Source
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AI summary
Methods and apparatus for forming a multi-layered tire component, the steps of the method including providing a mechanical system, the system including a plurality of cutting members; translating a sheet of material along a translation path through the mechanical system; cutting a first strip from the sheet with one or more of the plurality of cutting members, this step occurring during the step of translating; mechanically applying the first strip to a building surface, this step occurring during the step of translating; cutting a second strip from the sheet subsequent to the step of cutting the first strip, this step occurring during the step of translating; mechanically applying the second strip to a building surface, this step occurring during the step of translating.