Tire Technology Expo 2010 a knockout success!

Tire Technology Expo 2010 was hailed by all who attended as a huge success, with exhibitors enjoying a renewed sense of confidence in the industry. There was an abundance of new technologies on show, demonstrating continued investment, and delegates were thrilled with the content of the Tire Technology Conference, which featured the strongest line-up in the event’s 10-year history.

We have highlighted just a few of the technologies you may have missed. Be sure to attend next year: Tire Technology Expo 2011 looks set to be even better with over 70% of space already sold before the end of this year’s event!

Cutting technology launched

Slitting specialist Calemard exhibited its enhanced Aquila product line, designed to better answer customers’ needs for polyvalence and easy and quick handling operations.

Cutting technology expertise drove the company to fit three cutting systems on the same machine. The crush, shear and razor blades (fixed and floating) allow users to cut on the same machine, by a simple manual operation of connection or disconnection of the cutting tools, gum strip, tire cords, and gum and steel bias.

The crush cutters are mounted on a dovetailed supporting rail for easy adjustment of slitting widths, and can be used to slit gum strip. The shear cutting system is recommended for slitting gum and steel bias, and includes two receiving axles 80mm for cutters and undercutters. The razor blades slitting station is recommended for slitting the tire cord with a very good quality (stable strip strength), because it avoids cutting cords.

The floating razor blades system features a blades supporting frame, which allows for instant self-adjustment, to follow the cords inside the coated fabric.

‘Two in one’ laser mold cleaning

Clean-Lasersysteme GmbH (cleanLASER) impressed the crowds with a new system for cleaning tire molds, which provides a unique combination of handheld and automated laser tools.

The design consists of one compact system with two laser optics (tools) to clean tire molds with laser light. One tool is used manually, and the second for automated operation. The system includes a beam-switch, so the operator can select either a handheld cleaning tool for optimal versatility or a robotically mounted optic for repetitive high-speed treatments.

The handheld laser tool offers cleaning flexibility that is ideal for cleaning fully assembled molds. Using this tool, operators can selectively or completely clean molds, including difficult areas, removing all residues with high precision.

The automated laser tool is designed to clean disassembled two-piece or segmented molds in the mold shop. With it, mold components can be cleaned very quickly, while cold or still hot from the press, and faster than with any other cleaning option for assembled molds. Depending on laser power, mold size and condition, cleaning can be completed in 30 minutes.

Filler research revealed

RockTron, a world leader in innovative eco-mineral recycling technology, revealed exciting new research by Artis at Tire Technology Expo.

Advanced products director, Godfrey Short, presented results showing equivalent air permeation results, when partially replacing carbon black with RockTron MinTron 7 in a bromobutyl passenger tire liner formulation. These are initial results and, following further work, the true cost reduction potential will be realized.

Backed by these and previous positive research results, RockTron is set to assist the tire industry with its 100% recycled, lower-cost filler/extenders, which cut costs, improve tire performance, increase manufacturers’ margins, and protect their bottom line.

Momentive announces tire application technology lab

Momentive Performance Materials USA Inc representatives announced that the company has established a 22,000ft² tire R&D laboratory with state-of-the-art capabilities in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, through the purchase of certain assets and the sublease of laboratory space from Continental Tire North America Inc.

In addition, Momentive has hired five highly experienced R&D personnel previously employed by Continental. The facility enhances Momentive’s ability to provide faster innovation for customers in the tire and rubber industry, while helping the company reduce new product development cycle times. The laboratory greatly expands Momentive’s strategic capability for analysis of the chemical interaction of innovative silanes within the complex network chemistry of tire and rubber compounds.

“When Continental decided to consolidate an R&D laboratory facility elsewhere, we seized the opportunity to significantly add to our tire and rubber research capability,” said Mike Stout, Momentive’s global marketing manager for tire and rubber.

With the new lab, Momentive expects to substantially increase the annual number of complex compounds tested, provide more specific, relevant data, and reduce turnaround time for development samples. “We can now more directly engage our customers with application data and analysis, while shortening their evaluation cycle of new Momentive products,” said John Nicholson, global technology manager for silanes at Momentive.

Alpha Technologies centralizes European customer care

Streamlining its European operations for faster response to customer needs, Alpha Technologies announced that it is centralizing its customer-service and parts-distribution activities in Heilbronn, Germany.

A new team of representatives – with fluency in eight different languages in all – has been assembled to provide immediate support to rubber manufacturers and processors across Europe. The move is part of a global rapid-response initiative that involves not only the European site, but also operations in Asia and North America. The program has already reduced new-equipment lead times by 30%.

Alpha will share the Heilbronn facility with its parent company, Dynisco, which manufactures and sells pressure and temperature measurement and control products for plastics extrusion and injection molding, as well as process control and general industrial applications. Alpha will close an older distribution centre in Swindon, Wiltshire, in southern England. An existing team of three technicians will continue to provide technical support and calibration services to customers from new offices in nearby Oxford.

“We recognize that the vast majority of our customers are in continental Europe, and this move will allow us to serve them better than ever before,” explained Greg Clark, vice president, segment leader. “We are simplifying logistics management. All of this is good for Alpha Technologies, but it also is great for our customers, who can now expect more rapid response and more personal, focused regional service and support.”

MESNAC European center is open

Chinese producer of rubber machines MESNAC, which is now in fifth place in the Rubber Machinery Producers World Ranking, is closer to its European customers now, as Tire Technology Expo visitors discovered.

After establishing a sales agent for Europe and Middle East – Rubber Point – MESNAC now has its own European design center too: the MESNAC European Research and Technical Centre (MERTC).

MERTC is employing former engineers and designers from Matador Machinery (later Conti Machinery) with long-term experience in the rubber machinery business. The center will follow European market demand and the requirements of European customers. MESNAC will be able to fulfill tasks in the demanding EU market, especially the reliability, safety, quality and environmental aspects of MESNAC products. European customers will also benefit from more flexible communication with MERTC experts.

At the same time, several MERTC experts, together with Rubber Point, are now responsible for European service including spare parts management, which is very important for flexibility and speed of service response.

All-in-one tire test machine revealed

The OnLEVEL Tire Test System shown at the expo is, according to its creator Test Measurement Systems, the first system in the world to provide measurement of tire-generated forces and moments, rolling resistance, RPK, high-speed uniformity, conicity and ply-steer, ply-steer residual aligning torque, and rolling radial spring rate, all on a flat road surface with computer-controlled variations of speeds, loads, inflation pressures, and steer and camber angles while capturing tire performance data for instant analysis.

For more details, see the March issue of Tire Technology International.

Fast tire data visualization and modeling software

The collection and analysis of tire data is an important but often neglected area of vehicle dynamics, as representatives from OptimumG explained. To address this problem, the company developed OptimumT, a powerful tire data visualization and tire modeling tool that allows better insight into how a particular tire operates, and allows users to run more accurate vehicle simulations.

OptimumT is the most efficient way to utilize tire data. Users can fit tire models from raw data collected through laboratory tire testing or on-track testing; display tire data and models in 2D and 3D visualizations of force and moment data; create custom graphs or use predefined templates; integrate data into Excel and Matlab calculations; and quickly change between coordinate systems and units throughout the entire process. OptimumT is compatible with all major vehicle dynamics simulation codes, and supports the fitting and analysis of numerous tire models; it imports and exports data from Excel, CSV/ASCII, TIR or TYDEX files.

But the main feature of OptimumT is its speed. “With OptimumT, it takes us three days to do the fitting and analysis that used to take us two weeks,” marveled Ben Michell, senior design engineer at Dunlop Motorsport, who has been working with the beta version of OptimumT for a year.

Tire uniform test machinery

Major cycle time improvements are claimed by Micro-Poise following the launch of Astec Plus, its latest tire uniformity testing machinery. The technology builds on the company’s Akron Standard D-70 uniformity machine with an improved dual-directional testing cycle time, now giving a cycle time of 19.6 seconds.

“The impact of this cycle time improvement is significant for customers striving for throughput improvements and manufacturing flexibility,” said Dr Shaun Immel, CTO of Micro-Poise. “This improvement has been accomplished while maintaining the industry’s tightest specifications for measurement repeatability, system reliability and high point mark accuracy.”

Total distributed intelligence

A wire calender measurement and control system from NDC, designed to improve quality and reduce costs for tire manufacturers, was popular with visitors. Measurement sensors are integrated into robust scanning frames for profile generation. Data is accessed via intuitive operator interfaces with application-matched displays to provide comprehensive process visibility.

Available measurement technologies include high-precision Beta transmission, x-ray backscatter and x-ray transmission sensors mounted in a fast-scanning AccuTrak ‘O’ frame located after the calender to provide measurements such as total gum weight, wire balance, wire cord count and position, and full sheet width.

System controls capabilities include three-zone weight control (dual-gap for electric screw motors or hydraulic cylinders, cross-axis or roll bending, and average sheet weight) for quality, and automatic target optimization for economics and preset controls for quick start up.

Fatigue testing

The DMA+300 exhibited by 01dB-Metrravib is a dynamic testing machine dedicated to the fatigue analysis of advanced materials and industrial components. The DMA+300 makes it possible to characterize the mechanical properties of a wide range of materials and their dependence on various parameters such as frequency, temperature, stress or strain amplitude, wave form, gas environment, etc. An optional module is dedicated to crack growth analysis.

Tire scanning made simple

Visitors were impressed by the display at Dr Noll’s stand. A Toyota iQ’s tires were being scanned for tread wear analysis every 10 seconds – while they were still on the car. Dr Albrecht Noll explained, “We are measuring the three-dimensional outline of the tire on the car. We have another system that works in the lab, but this one measures directly from under the floor. Every tire manufacturer has a tire test area, and after driving on the track they go to the tire test system and make a revolution of the tire to measure 10 million data points around the tire.”

The difference with this system is that following a test, the car can be driven onto the ramp, tested, and then driven straight back onto the track again.

“This is the launch of the machine. We have been working hard developing this system over the past six months. We got money from the German government to help develop the system and it is brand new,” added Noll.

Exhibitor reaction:

“We’ve had a lot of interest here. People seem to come in clumps of 20 all at the same time!”
Dr Gerald Potts, TMSI

“It was a successful show, and even busier than last year”
Kirsten Reyles, Harburg-Freudenberger

"We have had a lot of interest in our systems at the expo. It is very important to be here."
Dr Albrecht Noll, Dr Noll GmbH

"I like the concept of the expo, as it is really focused. Our objective was to come here to meet the whole tire industry. Halfway through the show I have already had everyone I could dream of coming to the stand and it can only get even better!" Philippe van Bogaert, Bogimac NV SA

What visitors to the exhibition thought:

"It's my first time here and it's very good."
Shudu Zachariah-Thomas, Monotona Tyres

"It's an important forum for us to meet people."
Karsten Jung, Continental Reifen

“The exhibition is fantastic and we have met so many people. We already know most of these guys from business partnerships and this is a good opportunity to meet them and network, and know what new things they are doing. It is very useful.”
M.K. Jain, head of corporate technology, Apollo Tyres

What visitors to the conference thought:

"There are very important sessions looking at the future trends in technologies of materials that will be used for the tire, also the kind of processes that will be used in tire manufacturing – these are all of great interest to us."
Mahaveer Jain, Apollo Tires

"The presentations are very interesting. There is a large variety of suppliers, of OEMs and very interesting things."
Dirk Herkenrath, Mercedes

"There are some very intelligent questions being asked, and today's particular session interacting with OEMs about runflat tires was very valuable. The presentations that probably stood out for me were the presentations on runflat tire concepts from all the major OEMs."
Roger Jenkins, MD Kumho Europe Technical Centre, Kumho Tires

"The conference is very interesting. It's a very good way to get summaries about things going on at a worldwide level ­– regulations in USA, Europe, the worldwide level. It's also a good occasion to meet all our colleagues from the industry."
Marco Spinetto, Pirelli

"They were really high-level presentations and really to finalise this year with the panel discussion was a really good approach. I think we learned a lot about TPMS, direct TPMS and indirect TPMS."
Victor Underberg, Audi AG

"I have actually enjoyed today very much. The exhibition and presentations fostered the communication between certain tire manufacturers and car manufacturers very much, and I was impressed by the progress shown on runflat tires, which was the main subject of this session today."
Hans Becker, manager steering, Ford Motor Company

“The show is good. We represented Apollo at the conference, with the objective of presenting our paper and finding out what everyone is talking about. There is a lot of value to us as participants – everyone in the sessions is very knowledgeable. These forums really let us update our knowledge”
M.K. Jain, head of corporate technology, Apollo Tyres