Nrm Corporation

Anand P Singh

Gary R Naylor

Daniel Shichman

Thomas A Crumbacher

George E Enders

Daniel Schichman

Virgil Y Blosser

Norman R Knoedler

Thomas R Fagan, Jr

A tire curing press for the curing of radial tires includes top and bottom mold sections, relatively movable top and bottom bead rings, the latter being on top of a well, and a center mechanism in the bottom bead ring well. The top mold section includes a sectional mold operator, a top bead ring actuator and an actuator for raising and lowering a chuck for the top bead ring of an uncured tire. The chuck includes a series of horizontal L-shape plates each of which swings about a respective swing axis. An open vertical tube aligned with the top mold section includes a gear at its bottom in mesh with gear segments on the chuck plates so that rotation of the tube opens and closes the chuck. The extent of rotation of the tube controls the extent of the chuck. Such tube is open at the bottom and also serves as an inflation pipe for introducing air pressure into the interior of the uncured tire when the beads thereof are adjacent the mold bead rings for centering the uncured tire and snapping the beads of the tire on the mold bead rings in proper sealed engagement for subsequent closing of the press and shaping of the tire. The actuators for the sectional mold mechanism, the top bead ring, and the raising and lowering of the chuck are arranged in a cascading fashion.

Tire curing press

A tire press having upper and lower cavity molds with a tire loader which is vertically and horizontally movable and has a chuck which grips a tire by the tread rather than the bead. The gripper has plural gripping shoes movable by bell-cranks and piston actuators. The chuck of the invention grips a tire by the tread and positions it adjacent a mold where the tire bead is gripped by a second chuck (not claimed) which deposits the tire in the mold.

A tire press of the slideback type has mounted on the press head beam a precision loader for the uncured tires. The beam moves vertically and then laterally or horizontally while maintaining the top mold section in parallelism with the bottom mold section for concurrent opening, loading of the uncured tire and discharge of the cured tire from the press. The invention includes a pair of tire chucks mounted on a loader beam for precise vertical movement through an electric motor driven rack and pinion drive. The loader beam is in turn mounted on the press head beam but through a lost motion connection. In this manner the loader is uncoupled from the press head during the final loading horizontal travel thereof to allow independent movement of the loader and press head. The loader is biased toward the press head by springs. When the press opens the loader moves with the press head but is stopped short of the full open position of the press head and is engaged by external alignment blocks which then move the loader relative to the press head against the spring pressure during the final portion of movement of the press head to locate the loader precisely independently of any inconsistent full 'open' position of the press or press beam. The loader beam is guided in to final loading position independently of the press beam in both a lateral and fore and aft direction. The loader beam thus floats in a horizontal plane in both an X and Y direction.

Tire curing press and loader

A spring finger ply down for a tire building machine comprising an annular array of spring fingers, an annular support for the fingers and a constrictable clamp for securing each finger to the support at an axial interference between each finger and the support. The constrictable clamp includes an elastic band stretched circumferentially around the fingers and/or a clamping ring of relatively inextensible material that is adjustably constricted or cinched around the fingers or, if used, the elastic band for holding rigidly or relatively rigidly the fingers to the support. The elastic band is locally radially deformable to permit radial release of the axial interference for easy insertion and removal of a finger without disturbing adjacent fingers.

Finger ply down for tire building machine

A tire curing press incorporates an improved seal assembly for the center mechanism or bladder assembly. The bottom or lower clamp ring assembly for the shaping bladder is normally threaded on a hub. The hub and ring assembly include cylindrical telescoping surfaces and axially facing surfaces with an O-ring or seal ring provided between the former and a harder bumper ring provided between the latter. The present invention eliminates the seal between the cylindrical surfaces and provides between the axially facing surfaces a special seal assembly which includes an annular sealing plate with a low coefficient of friction and two sealing O-rings on each side thereof. The seal assembly prevents 'blow-by' and makes the parts easier to assemble and disassemble under various temperature conditions.

A hydraulic tire curing press comprises a center column and two outer columns respectively located at the apex and ends of a shallow V, and a pair of press cavities each located between the center column and a respective outer column. The press cavities each include a lower cavity part and an upper cavity part, the latter being supported by and between the center column and respective outer column for vertical movement by an in line or shallow V arrangement of actuators which raise and lower the upper cavity parts in order to open and close the press cavities. The center column, when at the front of the press, is used as a common mount for a pair of tire loaders respectively associated with press cavities. Roller guide assemblies, which maintain each upper cavity part during vertical movement thereof centered to and parallel to the respective lower cavity part, include a vertical rail on each column and plural rollers on the upper cavity part for engaging, respectively, two opposite sides and a third side of each rail.

Hydraulic tire curing press

A tire press and loader achieves precision and accuracy in positoning an uncured tire on or near the bottom mold section after the top mold section has been moved to open the press. The loader utilizes a horizontally movable carriage which is mounted on a track system for shuttling between a pick-up and loading position through the action of a cable piston-cylinder assembly. The track system includes a rod rail at one side with preloaded spaced ball bushings riding thereon and a channel rail at the other side with three spaced rollers riding therein with the center roller being eccentrically loaded against one side of the channel in turn to load the other rollers against the opposite side of the channel. A pair of loader chucks are mounted on the lower ends of vertically movable posts which are each supported by vertically spaced sets of three rollers on the carriage. Vertical motion of the posts is obtained by a rack and pinion system with an electric motor and brake drive which drives the pinions through a non-back driving worm reducer transmission. The pinions engage racks mounted on the posts. In this manner uncured tires may be positioned in the press in a short cycle time with a high degree of repeatable precision.

Tire press and loader

A tire press, loader and method employs a stationary bottom mold section and a vertically movable top mold section which moves upwardly to open the press clearing the area therebetween for discharge of the cured tire and loading of the green or uncured tire. The press loads the green tire initially into the top mold section centering and holding the top bead of the green tire on the bead ring of the top mold section. To position the uncured tire for such top loading there is provided a loader which engages the uncured tire at the lower shoulder of the tread area. The loader includes pivotally movable chuck sector assemblies, each mounted on a ring. The ring can readily be centered with respect to the axis of the mold sections and each assembly can be moved concurrently uniformly radially of the ring to accommodate tires of different sizes. The loader elevates the uncured tire from in front of the press and then positions it within the open press at the proper elevation with respect to the top mold section after the cured tire has cleared the press. The top mold section includes a mechanical chuck the segments of which then extend to flower from cylindrical form to a conical form of increasing apex angle and then to a horizontal plate form in which they are locked. With the tire held with respect to the upper bead ring, the press then closes until the bottom bead of the uncured tire is in contact with the bottom bead ring, which is mounted on top of a vertically movable bladder well or bead lift can. The beads may be seated by fluid pressure or subsequent action of the bladder. During opening of the press the bladder after at least partial deflation and the bringing of the bladder clamp rings together overlies the bottom bead of the cured tire. This ensures that the tire properly remains on the bottom bead ring during stripping from the upper mold half and then the lower mold half, and as the bladder is drawn into the bladder well or bead lift can.

Tire press, loader and method

A tire curing press with an improved loader includes a shaping or center mechanism which includes a vertically movable well on which is mounted the bottom bead or toe ring. The press includes a loader of improved design affording precision centering and accuracy which is driven for vertical movement by a ball screw and nut drive which positions the green tire concentric with the upper and lower mold sections and over the bottom bead ring. The loader then moves the green tire downwardly until the lower bead of the green tire reaches a predetermined point touching or fairly closely adjacent the elevated bead ring. Simultaneously, an adjustable pad on the loader contacts the tip of an extended rod of a vertically oriented synchronizer piston-cylinder assembly. Concurrently, a sensor is tripped to power the synchronizer piston downwardly and as such piston moves downwardly, the loader follows at a slightly higher speed causing the rotary motor of the ball screw drive to be retarded or stall, thus keeping the loader in contact with the tip of the rod of the synchronizer cylinder assembly. As the synchronizer piston is being powered down, fluid on the underside of such piston is being forced over to the top ports of a pair of bead lift cylinder assemblies causing them to bring the well and thus the lower bead ring down at the same speed as the loader is bringing the tire down. In this manner the green tire and lower bead ring are maintained in constant relationship until the bead ring is seated on the lower mold section. The point of bead ring seating provides a physical stop which in turn blocks the synchronizer piston and rod, and thus the loader from further downward travel. This synchronization is accomplished by making the blind end area of the piston of the synchronizing cylinder assembly twice the equal rod end areas of the pistons of the bead lift cylinders.

A loader for a tire curing press comprising a support, a loader frame mounted to the support for vertical and horizontal movement, a loader basket mounted to the loader frame for engaging, holding and releasing a tire, a first actuator for vertically moving the loader frame, a second actuator for horizontally moving the loader frame into and out of the press when open, and a mechanical guide for guiding the loader frame from an over-center position in the press to a center position as the loader frame is moved vertically in the press. The loader frame is supported on a spline shaft for movement therealong and rotation therewith by ball bushings riding in the grooves of the spline split. The loader basket comprises a plurality of generally radially movable shoes, an adjustable stop for limiting radial movement of each shoe and an adjustment mechanism for simultaneously and uniformly adjusting the adjustable stops.

Tire loader and basket

A pop-up, rotating nozzle in a tire curing press provides for dispersed and uniform introduction of fluid media into the upper containment portion of a curing and shaping bladder during tire cure and cooling, and yet allows for relatively close spacing of upper and lower bladder clamps such as during bladder insertion and stripping operations. The nozzle has an outlet head in communication with the interior of the bladder and a supply stem mounted in a lower bladder clamp and porting assembly of the press for both axial and rotational movement. The nozzle is movable against a spring biasing force by the upper bladder clamp to a lowermost retracted position which allows the bladder clamps to be axially spaced apart a distance substantially less than their axial spacing during cure. As the bladder clamps move apart to their respective positions for cure, the spring urges the nozzle to an elevated dispensing position locating the outlet head thereof in the upper containment portion of the bladder and closely adjacent the upper bladder clamp for more uniform circulation of fluid media with the drain located at the bottom of the bladder. The outlet head is provided with a plurality of tangentially arranged outlets or jets such that the nozzle will rotate causing a uniform and dispersed flow of fluid media throughout the interior of the bladder. The outlet head may also serve to locate the bladder clamps with respect to one another when engaged therebetween.

Tire curing press with pop-up, rotating nozzle

A tire curing press has a loader assembly comprising a bead grip for engaging and lifting the axial interior of the upper bead of a green tire and a tread positioning ring movable axially to an adjusted position to engage the tire tread shoulder and to force a predetermined distance between the upper bead and tread to identify precisely the transaxial middle or crown plane of the tread. The loader includes means to swing the bead grip and tread register from a tire pick-up position to a load position centered in the press and to position the lower bead of the green tire on or close to a movable toe ring, and then to lower the bead grip, tread register and toe ring uniformly with the green tire held open and firmly therebetween to match the transaxial middle plane of the tread to that of a bladder mounted in a center mechanism in the press by independently movable top and bottom bladder bead clamps. Adjustable mechanical stops and pilots are utilized for obtaining alignment of the movable press components with respect to one another and for accommodating different sizes of tires being processed. The center mechanism is mounted in a movable mounting sleeve, the upper end of which supports the toe ring. The sleeve is mounted in a well and the bottom plate of the mounting well is provided with passages for circulation of coolant therethrough to isolate the center mechanism hydraulic actuators mounted on and beneath such plate from the heat generated in the press cavity.

Tire press

A dual cavity hydraulic tire press utilizes a single long stroke piston-cylinder assembly vertically positioned substantially in line with the center of gravity of the vertically movable upper mold sections, the latter being supported on the underside of the outer ends of a shallow V-shaped beam which is mounted for vertical movement on a readily removable column or post. In the closed position of the press the top mold cavities are locked to the base of the press by rotatable bayonet locks. Four short stroke hydraulic clamp piston-cylinder assemblies are positioned beneath each bottom mold section to achieve clamping pressure during cure. In one embodiment mechanical stops may be provided to achieve mold height adjustment and to preclude the molds opening significantly upon loss of fluid pressure to the clamping piston-cylinder assemblies. In another embodiment the clamp-piston-cylinder assemblies are mechanically adjusted to obtain the proper position for mold height adjustment. The press includes a safety bar which is supported from the top mold section for part of its movement with the bar being stationary during initial opening movement of the top molds, and then picked up to be in a position just below extended segment molds if employed. The clamp-piston-cylinder assemblies are provided with extended coolant passages between the clamp actuating fluid and the heat of the mold cavity to preclude degradation of the fluid employed. The isolation of the clamp pressure at four equally spaced points beneath the bottom platen enables the platens and molds to be more efficiently encased with insulating materials not subject to high pressure during cure. The position of the clamp-piston-cylinder assemblies as well as the piston-cylinder assembly opening and closing the press preclude hydraulic fluid contamination of the uncured or cured tires passing through the press. With the present invention, a tire curing press of substantially less weight, envelope and energy consumption can be provided.

Hydraulic tire press

A tire curing press has a loader assembly comprising a bead grip for engaging and lifting the axial interior of the upper bead of a green tire and a tread positioning ring movable axially to an adjusted position to engage the tire tread shoulder and to force a predetermined distance between the upper bead and tread to identify precisely the transaxial middle or crown plane of the tread. The loader includes means to swing the bead grip and tread register from a tire pick-up position to a load position centered in the press and to position the lower bead of the green tire on or close to a movable toe ring, and then to lower the bead grip, tread register and toe ring uniformly with the green tire held open and firmly therebetween to match the transaxial middle plane of the tread to that of a bladder mounted in a center mechanism in the press by independently movable top and bottom bladder bead clamps. Adjustable mechanical stops and pilots are utilized for obtaining precise alignment of the movable press components with respect to one another and for accommodating different sizes of tires being processed. The center mechanism is mounted in a movable mounting sleeve, the upper end of which supports the toe ring. The sleeve is mounted in a well and the bottom plate of the mounting well is provided with passages for circulation of coolant therethrough to isolate the center mechanism hydraulic actuators mounted on and beneath such plate from the heat generated in the press cavity.

A dual cavity hydraulic tire press utilizes a single long stroke piston-cylinder assembly vertically positioned substantially in line with the center of gravity of the vertically movable upper mold sections, the latter being supported on the underside of the outer ends of a shallow V-shaped beam which is mounted for vertical movement on a readily removable column or post. In the closed position of the press the top mold cavities are locked to the base of the press by rotatable bayonet locks. Four short stroke hydraulic clamp piston-cylinder assemblies are positioned beneath each bottom mold section to achieve clamping pressure during cure and are provided with extended coolant passages between the clamp actuating fluid and the heat of the mold cavity to preclude degradation of the fluid employed.

Growing community of inventors

Youngstown, OH, United States of America

Anand P Singh