The 4JET Group (Alsdorf, Germany) presents another innovation for laser-based processing of tires at TIRE Expo Hannover: The new LUC systems enable digital, precise and touchless post-processing of tire beads to improve uniformity. The new process optimizes tire performance and replaces mechanical reworking with grinding processes.
The Task
Production tolerances cause variations in the radial force of tires. If tolerance values are exceeded, the products can sometimes no longer be supplied as original equipment and must be reworked or even destroyed.
The methods commonly used to date for correction use mechanical processes to remove material from the tire bead, or tread. These processes and their machines work with limited precision, require comparatively high maintenance and often do not meet the requirements of the original equipment or replacement market regarding the appearance of the tires.
The solution - LUC
The new 4JET solution processes tires without touch and leaves no visible marks on the bead. A maintenance-free laser vaporizes the material to be removed, which is locally extracted. The laser process operates quietly, dry and without dust.
LUC systems typically remove material relative to the high point of the first harmonic radial force variation. The systems can process different tire dimensions in the passenger car segment without retooling in batch size 1. Both bead areas are processed in one set-up.
Cycle times depend on tire dimensions and the volume to be removed from the bead. The machines operate fully automatically and, due to their compact design, can be integrated into the conveyor system in the final finish of a tire plant.
The processed areas on the tire are unchanged in appearance from the surrounding surface. The application of paint to hide grinding marks or the restoration of color coding on the tread becomes unnecessary.
The system´s powerful Core4 software allows convenient recipe creation and parameterization, integration with belt interfaces and MES systems, and has modules for analysis, remote maintenance and service. The handling components are based on the 4JET solutions for tire marking and inner tire cleaning, which have been proven for years of 24/7 operation.
The Task
Production tolerances cause variations in the radial force of tires. If tolerance values are exceeded, the products can sometimes no longer be supplied as original equipment and must be reworked or even destroyed.
The methods commonly used to date for correction use mechanical processes to remove material from the tire bead, or tread. These processes and their machines work with limited precision, require comparatively high maintenance and often do not meet the requirements of the original equipment or replacement market regarding the appearance of the tires.
The solution - LUC
The new 4JET solution processes tires without touch and leaves no visible marks on the bead. A maintenance-free laser vaporizes the material to be removed, which is locally extracted. The laser process operates quietly, dry and without dust.
LUC systems typically remove material relative to the high point of the first harmonic radial force variation. The systems can process different tire dimensions in the passenger car segment without retooling in batch size 1. Both bead areas are processed in one set-up.
Cycle times depend on tire dimensions and the volume to be removed from the bead. The machines operate fully automatically and, due to their compact design, can be integrated into the conveyor system in the final finish of a tire plant.
The processed areas on the tire are unchanged in appearance from the surrounding surface. The application of paint to hide grinding marks or the restoration of color coding on the tread becomes unnecessary.
The system´s powerful Core4 software allows convenient recipe creation and parameterization, integration with belt interfaces and MES systems, and has modules for analysis, remote maintenance and service. The handling components are based on the 4JET solutions for tire marking and inner tire cleaning, which have been proven for years of 24/7 operation.
