Tyre Plant Segmentation and Robotic Transfer for Flexible Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tyre production methods lack technological flexibility and productivity, with large production plants being difficult to manage and synchronize, leading to bottlenecks and inefficiencies in producing tyres with varying specifications.
Innovation Solution
A process and plant design that integrates separate carcass structure, crown structure building lines, and assembling and shaping work stations, synchronized to maintain high production rates and flexibility, allowing for the use of different semi-finished products and avoiding bottlenecks by using robotized arms for transferring and storing components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If separate carcass structure and crown structure building lines are used with robotized arms for transferring, then technological flexibility and productivity are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The production plant is divided into separate carcass structure building lines and crown structure building lines, each operating independently with their own forming drums and assembly processes. This segmentation allows each line to be optimized for specific tyre components while maintaining overall system flexibility through modular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
Robotized arms serve as intermediary devices that transfer semi-finished tyre components between different building lines and to the vulcanization line. These robotic intermediaries enable flexible material handling and positioning without requiring direct mechanical coupling between production stages, thus improving adaptability while managing complexity through standardized interfaces.
2Productivity
If separate building lines with synchronized production rates are implemented, then productivity increases, but device complexity and investment costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements dynamic synchronization where the carcass structure building line and crown structure building line operate at coordinated production rates. The robotized transfer system adjusts its operation dynamically to match the production pace of both lines, ensuring continuous flow optimization without requiring identical fixed-speed mechanisms throughout the entire plant.
Solution Approach 2:
Semi-finished tyre components are prepared in advance on separate forming drums with predetermined production rates before being transferred to the vulcanization line. This preliminary preparation allows each building line to operate independently at optimized speeds, with the robotized system handling the coordination and transfer timing, thereby increasing overall productivity without proportionally increasing device complexity.
3Loss of time
If robotized arms are used for transferring semi-finished products, then stand-by times are minimized, but device complexity and investment costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The robotized arms enable continuous transfer of semi-finished tyre components between building lines and to the vulcanization line without interruption. The automated robotic system maintains continuous operational flow by immediately picking up components as they become ready and transferring them without manual intervention delays, thereby eliminating stand-by times while the complexity is managed through automated control systems rather than complex mechanical synchronization mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
There are described a plant and a process for producing tyres for vehicle wheels, said process comprising the steps of: a) building a carcass structure of a green tyre on a first forming drum (6), said carcass structure comprising at least one carcass ply and a pair of annular anchoring structures; b) transferring said first forming drum (6) and said carcass structure in at least one assembling and shaping work station (4) for the tyre being processed by using at least one robotized arm (50); c) toroidally shaping said carcass structure assembling it to a crown structure in said at least one assembling and shaping work station (4) for the tyre being processed for obtaining a green tyre, said crown structure comprising at least a belt structure and a tread band; wherein said carcass structure is associated with said first forming drum (6) whereon it is built up to the end of step c) of shaping and assembling the tyre being processed.