Curing Machinery | Rubber & Tyre Machinery World

July 6, 2016
by Prasanth Warrier 4 Comments

Editor’s Pick: Manufacture of Cold Retreading Material (Part 2)

This is a continuation to Part 1 of this informative article on Manufacture of Cold Retreading Material shared by Dr.S.N.Chakravarty.

Cold Retreading Material - Part 2

Advantages of ‘Pre Cured’ Process:

Precured rubber generally gives more mileage than the conventional rubber due to richer compound, denser tread and flatter profile;
For radial tires, pre-cure retreading is the most ideal process. Radial tire, in its construction, has an inextensible belt. In the conventional retreading process the matrix (rigid mould) should have exact dimensions matching the dimensions of a built radial tire. Even a small difference in the matrix dimension affects the ultimate performance of the retreaded tire. But in the case of pre-cure retreading, radial tires are cured in a chamber and not confined to a rigid matrix or mould, hence there is no distortion.
Longer casing life because tire is retreaded in inflated normal road running condition. Thus the casing is not put under tension and over stressed as it happens inside a rigid mould. (Due to distortion of casing, the number of times a tire can be retreaded with conventional retreading is always lesser than with pre-cure retreading).
Better balancing, due to uniform thickness of tread and better buffing and building techniques.
Better traction due to flatter profile of buffing.

Advantages of Conventional retreading process

More economical (compared to cold cure retreading).
Comparative advantage ( pre cure retreading due to difficulties in setting up franchisees everywhere in case of latter – high investment).
Better aesthetics (compared to pre cure retreading since better finish given to the tire sidewall also).

Tire Retreading Processes 1

Tire Retreading: Salient Features

Since labour is one of the main components of tire retreading in the organized sector, it is more profitable to undertake high value addition business in the organized sector (i.e. retreading of truck and bus, light truck, jeep etc.). Hence, pre cure retreading of other categories of tyres (especially farm, two wheelers etc.) is not as popular.
Retreading, as per international experience, finds greater and ready acceptance in the commercial segment since the main objective is ‘savings’ whereas in the passenger segment the focus is ‘safety’ followed by ‘aesthetics’. Moreover, savings are also very low in passenger segment.
In India, trucks carrying loads above 16 ton and plying on long distance routes do not find operational economy in using retreaded tires. However, trucks and buses plying short distance routes (and loading pattern upto 12 ton) find retreading a more economical option.
The current trend is going in favour of pre-cured primarily due to the following reasons:

Better road conditions (with resultant less damage to tire casing)
Better driving habits (getting more mileage even from retreaded tires)
Overloading is comparatively less
Presence of large number of ‘job shops’ for retreading with each specializing in a special part of the process – repairing, buffing, curing etc. being handled by different persons/processors who, over the years, have gained sufficient experience and expertise in conventional retreading.

Pre-cured Tread Manufacturing Process

Compound Mixing

Typical Compound Formulation of Pre-cured Tread, Solution and Cushion Gum

Ingredients	Pre-Cured Tread Compound (phr)	Solution Compound (phr)	Cushion Gum Compound (phr)
Natural Rubber ( RMA 4 )	70	100	100
Polybutadine Rubber (High cis type)	30	0	0
Rubber crumb ( 40 mesh )	5	0	0
WT Reclaim Rubber	5	0	10
Peptizer	0.15	0.2	0.3
Zinc Oxide (White Seal)	4	4	5
Stearic Acid	3	1.5	1.5
Antioxidant TDQ	1	1	1.5
Antioxidant 4020	1	0	0
MC Wax	0.8	0	0
Carbon Black N 339 / 220	65	0	0
Carbon Black N 550	0	35	30
Rubber Process Oil 710	12	12	0
Pine Tar	0	0	12
Wood Rosin	0	6	5
PF Resin	0	2	4
MF Resin	0	2.8	0
Insoluble Sulfur	0	0	3
Sulfur	2.3	3	0
Accelerator NOBS	0.8	0	1
Accelerator TMTD	0	0	0.25
Retarder PVI	0.1	0	0.15
	200.15	167.50	173.70

Rubber compound is prepared by mixing rubber with different ingredients like fillers, process oil, activators, accelerators, curing agents, antioxidants etc. In order to achieve desired level of properties of the product. It is necessary to reinforce rubber with different fillers and vulcanize with sulfur with the help of accelerator etc.

Mixing and mastication are carried out in an Internal Mixer or Kneader or Two Roll mixing mill.

Rubber compounding is one of the most difficult and complex subjects to master in the field of Rubber Technology. There is no simple mathematical formulation to help the compounder. That is why compounding is so difficult a task. (More on this subject)

L&T Marketed Kobelco Make Internal Mixers

Principles of Mixing

Vulcanizable polymers cannot be used without compounding. Various additives like curative system, protective system, reinforcing agents, cheapeners and other process aids have to be mixed to the polymer or polymer blend ‘to make a coherent homogeneous mass of all these ingredients, which will process satisfactory and on Vulcanization will give the product capable of giving the desired performance, all with the minimum expenditure of machine time and energy.’ (More on this topic)

Extruder and Extrusion Process

Extruders are machines, which shape rubber to a profiled strip by forcing it through a die. (More on this topic)

The rubber compound is passed through a hot feed or cold feed extruder to produce rubber blanks of suitable size (width and thickness) for use in the next manufacturing step i.e. curing in a hydraulic press.

BHARAJ MAKE 200MM PIN BARREL EXTRUDER WITH TREAD DIE HEAD

The extruded and cut rubber blanks are placed in tread dies and cured in a steam-heated hydraulic press at suitable curing temperature and pressure. After the curing cycle is completed cured treads with desired tread pattern are taken out and cooled.

Cushion Gum

A three roll calendering machine is used to prepare “cushion gum” i.e. uncured rubber sheet that acts as an adhesive layer between the pre-cured tread and tyre casing during the pre-cured retreading process.

Cushion Gum Roll

The term “to calendar” is defined as “to press between rollers or plates in order to make smooth & glossy sheet”.

Calender can be of two bowl or three bowl or multiple bowl machines which is used for Calender rolls are not perfectly cylindrical but have different shape.

Solution

A solution churner vessel is used for the preparation of cement solution (contact adhesive) applied to the casing and helps provide increased adhesion between the casing and the cushion.

****

Here is a flow chart for you summarizing the production process.

Pre-cured Tread - Production Flow Chart

Dr. Chakravarty can be reached on kpspltd@gmail.com

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June 14, 2016
by Prasanth Warrier Leave a comment

Global Approach To Rubber Machinery Technology

Make in India is an initiative launched by the Government of India in 2014 to encourage multi-national and national companies to manufacture their products in India. While this initiative has garnered significant international attention and keenly watched, few Indian machinery companies have been steadily building up their repute with global approach and right technology.

In this special edition of Know Your Supplier’s cover story, we feature one such company Bharaj Machineries Pvt. Ltd., through an interactive conversation with Amardeep Singh, Director – Sales & Projects.

Established in 1982 with a vision, to always produce most advanced and quality machinery for the rubber industry, Bharaj has transformed into a giant machinery supplier. Read the full interview here of how Bharaj’s aspiration to be leaders in their various business segments’ is filled with passion and backed with technology.

Click image to read

(This digital edition is available on Youblisher and Yumpu)

Based in Mumbai, India, Bharaj manufactures and supply high-quality and advanced machinery for the rubber industry. They specialise in rubber mould manufacturing, rubber moulding, extrusion and mixing technology.

They are a preferred choice for many rubber related industries starting from Tyre, Automotive, Sports, Footwear, Pharmaceutical, Aerospace and Specialized Silicon Rubber Industry with exports to USA, UK, France, Canada and many Asian Countries.

Here is a teaser from the interview.

Q) What products and services can a prospective equipment buyer expect when they approach you?

ASB: Yes, we offer complete solutions in rubber mould manufacturing, rubber moulding, extrusion and rubber mixing areas. Bharaj designs and manufactures latest technology rubber machinery that saves power, compact in size, has low maintenance, requires minimum labour through smart automation and are user-friendly. Our prospects can choose from a range of Cold Feed Extruders (Plain/Vent Types), Heavy duty Rubber Mixing Mills, Rubber Dispersion Kneaders, Hot Feed Extruders, Refiner Mills, Cracker Mills, Grinding Mills, Calenders with complete lines, Batch-Off Units, Vulcanizers, Bale Cutters, Conveyors, Stock Blenders, Vacuum Compression Type Rubber Moulding Machines, etc.

Q) How do you compete technologically on your product offerings?

ASB: Starting as a small manufacturing unit, today Bharaj Machineries has evolved into a well-respected machinery supplier for the rubber industry in India as well as in the Global Market in the areas of rubber mould manufacturing, rubber moulding, extrusion and mixing technology. We focus on providing high quality machinery at a competitive price. The wide range of quality machinery made by Bharaj is well-accepted worldwide. Our competitively priced equipment performs consistently and we extend prompt back-up. We export to developed countries like USA, UK, France, Canada and many Asian countries. Hence, it is also apt to mention here that Bharaj manufactured machinery are considered as a first choice for many rubber related industries starting from Tyre, Automotive, Sports, Pharmaceutical, Footwear, Aerospace and Specialized Silicon Rubber Industry. Depending on the equipment, we offer quick delivery to our customers. Some of our equipment is delivered in as low as 25 days.

Download PDF of this special edition here

As they pursue global growth, Bharaj management respects and value every equipment buyers’ desire for optimum technology in their production floor. Emphasizes, Amardeep Singh Bharaj,

“We recommend the right machinery with right features that gives our customers the best return on his investment. This means we consult him on equipment selection to match his production process, share layout drawings and take great care to clarify his genuine queries in the most practical manner feasible. Depending on availability, we arrange equipment visits for our prospects either at our 30,500 Sft ultramodern and state-of-the-art manufacturing plant near Mumbai or at any of customer sites.”

I hope you find the contents on this leading rubber and tyre industry equipment supplier, and their global approach to rubber machinery technology, informative .

Below is the rubber machinery supplier info image-card of Bharaj Machineries and their contacts, if you would like to reach them quickly.

Bharaj Info Card

In addition, we have two other knowledge-enriching topics from our portal in the ‘Insight’ and ‘Tips’ sections of this special edition.

Let me know your thoughts.

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May 4, 2016
by Prasanth Warrier Leave a comment

Practical Modern Solutions For Tyre And Rubber Industry

Change is inevitable. Changes in the business environment happen all the time. The economy fluctuates up or down on a daily basis, frequently causing businesses to alter the way they operate. New competitors enter the marketplace while others leave. Advancements in technologies, products and innovation lead to change in a business environment.

Sustaining and innovating amidst changes is the hallmark of exemplary leadership. Pelmar Group has been displaying dynamic leadership for the last 50 years! Hence, in this special edition of Know Your Supplier’s cover story, we showcase for you Pelmar Engineering Ltd., the Practical Modern Solution Providers For Tyre And Rubber Industry.

We understand from our conversation with Jacob Peled, Founder and Executive Chairman, that Pelmar had three consecutive record years. And is now planning expansion of both its commercial and technical activities in Israel and worldwide.

It’s not easy to achieve three record years consecutively handling a range of activities that include pre-owned machinery, new equipment, complete engineering services, raw materials, military technical rubber production, technology transfer, M&A activity and more. Because, this requires efficiency and focus.

Don’t miss our main interview to know how Pelmar has been consistently outperforming customer expectations year-on-year.

Click on the image to read

(You may read this digital edition either on Youblisher and/or Yumpu platform.)

An anecdote shared by Peled in his own words that I choose to mention here.

“I was asked a question yesterday evening by one of the persons I admire most in the industry, Michael Labbe the Managing Director of Rema TipTop, how could I and Pelmar cope with handling so many various subjects efficiently at the same time. He referred mainly to Pelmar handling pre-owned machinery, new equipment, complete engineering services, raw materials, military technical rubber production, technology transfer, M&A activity and more. I did not have a proper answer.

This morning I had breakfast with the technical director of one of the major Tier 1 tyre companies, who asked me how could I with the size of our Group, with the international spread, with the diversity of functions handle only one industry, the tire and rubber industry. I tried to explain that tire and the technical rubber industry are separate, but found myself mumbling.

The worst thing about the above is that both questions are absolutely correct and in place. The only answer that I can think of is that because we are handling “just one industry” we can and should be involved in as many aspects of this industry as possible.”

Identifying and capitalizing on the opportunities swiftly along with thirst for growth has helped Pelmar diversify their expertise, spread reach globally and offer single-stop shop total solutions for rubber and tyre industry.

Additionally, on this digital edition, we have two knowledge-enriching topics from our portal aptly titled ‘Insight’ and ‘Tips’ sections.

Download PDF of this special edition here

I hope you find the contents informative to learn more about this leader in rubber and tyre industry.

Know Your Supplier is an advertorial initiative of Rubber & Tyre Machinery World.

April 27, 2016
by Prasanth Warrier 1 Comment

Will Post Cure Inflator Machinery Ever Die?

Few weeks back, I shared Jacob Peled’s presentation ‘The Future of Tire Plants’ and more recently, ‘Visions of the Future’ on our LinkedIn Page. On reading, an industry friend asked me this question – ‘Will Post Cure Inflator Machinery Ever Die?’

While Jacob’s presentation envisions the shortening of curing time by use of higher temperatures and pressure, automation, development of bladder, materials etc, there have been no specific mention of Post Cure Inflators.

So where did this question rise from, I was curious.

Historically, the process of Post Curing Inflation has seen its popularity rise and fall at different time intervals. Tyre technology has been evolving to embrace increased efficiency at all stages of manufacturing. And Post Curing Inflation is not really an energy efficient process, reasoned my friend clarifying the basis for his question.

So, what is Post Cure Inflator Machinery?

Post Cure Inflator (PCI) machinery cools the tyre under pressure immediately after it has been cured.

Image: L&T Make Post Cure Inflator

For the tyre, this stage involves mounting them on the flanges, inflating it and cooling it according to a selected procedure. You may do this for one or two cycles (Note: one cycle is equal to the time taken for one curing cycle) depending on the specification arrived at for the time your cured tyre takes to cool down to room temperature.

Types of Post Cure Inflator Machinery

There are two types of Post Cure Inflator machinery, viz. Automatic and Semi-Automatic, in the market for use with tyres of passenger cars, light trucks, trucks and off-the-road equipment.

Automatic Post Cure Inflator units are installed at the rear of tyre curing presses, to receive the cured tyres from the curing presses. The tyres are cooled to ambient temperature under controlled air pressure to avoid distortion of plies. After cooling, tyres are discharged onto the takeaway conveyor rollers. Post Cure Inflators are available in 2-position and 4-position designs, which allow for inflation time equivalent to curing time and double the curing time respectively.
Semi Automatic Post Cure Inflator units are located in the curing area and cured tyres are loaded into these units. Tyres are cooled to the ambient temperature under controlled air pressure and are manually discharged from these units.

Machinery suppliers offer design features like adjustable inflation, auto/manual rotation, and adjustable bead width. These features enable Post Cure Inflator machinery to also function as a testing stand for secondary, manual inspection of sidewall or runout rejects.

To examine the importance of this tyre machinery further, let’s understand the process deeper.

Post Curing Inflation Process & its Significance

Post Curing Inflation is recommended especially for tyres of nylon carcass construction. This is because nylon has a unique property of shrinking while it is heated. When you have nylon in your tyre carcass (i.e. the skeleton of the tyre), there is a tendency for it to shrink as you heat the tyre to vulcanize.

Since vulcanizing of the tyre happens inside a curing press, it is not possible for these nylon cords to shrink. This is because there is high pressure inside the tyre which keeps these nylon cords in the stretched condition. But when the curing is completed and you release the pressure inside the bladder, the nylon cords tend to shrink since your tyre is still hot.

To avoid this hot or thermal shrinkage, the tyre is to be cooled under pressure. If you skip this process, the tyres may lose shape or get distorted or have changes in dimensions.

Post Cure Inflator machinery stabilizes the shape of your tyre in production. When you delay Post Curing Inflation, the damage caused would be irreversible and highly undesirable – both for your company’s reputation and customers safety.

If your customer is given a tyre which was affected by Post Curing Inflation delay, its dimensions will be different from normal tyres. This leads to uneven wear, problems to the axle and bearings of their vehicle. The distortion in shape further leads to tyre uniformity problems that adversely impacts the level of comfort and performance of tyres in the highly advanced vehicles. Last but not the least, a distorted tyre is not safe and lead to accidents. Needless to say, all of the above creates a negative impact on the company’s image and lead to economic and legal implications for your company.

When the design of your tyre construction changes, Post Curing Inflation process allow your tyres to maintain their designed profile and performance characteristics as they reach road temperatures.

Summarizing, while the popularity of Post Curing Inflation process (and hence Post Cure Inflator Machinery) may shift back and forth, this tyre machinery will not die soon.

What do you think?

April 13, 2016
by Prasanth Warrier 1 Comment

Know The Structure of A Mechanical Bladder Curing Press

Curing is the process of applying pressure to the green tyre in a mould. This gives it its final shape. There is heat energy applied to stimulate a chemical reaction between the rubber compounds and other materials.

In curing process, you will observe (a video) that the green tyre is transferred onto the lower mold bead seat, a rubber bladder is inserted into the green tire, and the mold closes while the bladder inflates. As the mold closes and is locked the bladder pressure increases so as to make the green tire flow into the mold, taking on the tread pattern and sidewall lettering engraved into the mold.

The bladder is filled with a circulating heat transfer medium (such as steam, hot water, or inert gas). At the end of cure the pressure is bled down, the mold opened, and the tire stripped out of the mold.

Various suppliers manufacture curing bladders to fit to the different curing press types viz. Bag-o-Matic (BOM), Autoform and Hydraulic (Bagwell).

A bladder curing press cure bladders. Sizes vary because there are radial and bias type curing bladders for the passenger car, light truck, OTR (Off-The-Road), agricultural, bicycle, and motorcycle tyres. You will also find curing bladders for tire retreading and air spring production.

Here’s a structure of a compact mechanical bladder curing press.

Know A Bladder Curing Press

Additionally, you would also find this L&T newsletter informative on technical aspects.

A good curing bladder has following key features

It is made of a sustainable and flexible compound
The bladder contour is optimized to tire contour
A good surface structure to prevent trapped air
Durable and simple to use during service

If the bladder contour and venting system are not optimized, the tyre plants experience higher level of trapped air and blisters. This is predominant in motorcycle tyres when compared to other tyre segments.

A good bladder has minimum inner-liner consumption. It also facilitates a smooth and simple final inspection of the tyre due to its constant surface structure. Imperfections, if any, can be easily detected which in turn gives you extra ordinary final finish.

So choose your bladder curing press wisely and operate it smartly to produce the best curing bladder for your customers.

Let us know your thoughts.

January 27, 2016
by Prasanth Warrier 2 Comments

Tyre Technology Is An Amalgamation Of Science And Engineering – P.K.Mohamed

Tyre Technology is an amalgamation of science and engineering. It is dominated by physics, chemistry, mechanical and chemical engineering, says P.K.Mohamed, Chief Adviser – Research & Technology and Member of Management Board, Apollo Tyres Ltd. in an exclusive interview with Rubber Machinery World.

Mohamed is a soft-spoken and an accomplished tyre technologist with 5 decades of experience in the field of Tyre Technology and Manufacturing. When you read this passionate interview of his journey from a college lecturer to a well-known tyre technologist, you will observe struggles, challenges, achievements, dedication and loyalty; and importance of continuous education – a complete package of learning and leadership wisdom for new generation of aspiring professionals in tyre industry.

Mohamed is a Fellow Member of the Rubber and Plastic Institute London, Member in the Management Board of Apollo Tyres Ltd, Industrial Advisory board of Centre for Tyre Research, USA, IRCO and Area Director of American Chemical Society Rubber Division. Mohamed is also the Chairman of Indian Tyre Technical Advisory Committee (ITTAC), Technology Environment Safety and Standard (TESS) group of ATMA and past chairman of IRI. He has several international publications to his credit.

Mohamed’s exceptional knowledge, clarity, relevance and insight on the various aspects is awe-inspiring. I consider it a privilege to know him and present his thoughts to you in our “Know A Leader” Series.

Click cover to read online

I urge you not to miss reading this complete interview online on our digital edition (please click on the image above). You will immensely gain from his wisdom shared through passionate narration of personal experiences growing Apollo’s technology might; know his views on changes in rubber compounding, future of tyre building, new ideas energizing the tyre industry, sustainable profitability, automation, notes for equipment manufacturers, and machinery selection advice for buyers.

Here’s one teaser Q&A below, while the full interview has 10 questions.

Q6) Tyre design is a fascinating topic though few people really understand the differences in design between brands. How has the design of tyres really changed during as you witnessed it? What were the key factors driving this change?

P.K.Mohamed:

Tyre technology is an amalgamation of science and engineering. It is dominated by physics, chemistry, mechanical and chemical engineering. Tyre is a product which is a unique combination of steel and rubber.

Steel is responsible to withstand all stresses experienced by the tyre and rubber is responsible for taking care of its strain. Such an intelligent sharing of stresses and strain is rarely seen in any other product other than a tyre. So it is a challenge for the tyre engineer to design a carcass of a tyre with minimal strain on material when the same is stressed by inflation, vehicle load or traction loads. This challenge further increases when it comes to the tread design. Tread is responsible not only for providing adequate traction, mileage, and water drainage but also need to cater to other performance requirement of rolling resistance and noise. It is noticed that, several new concepts such as natural inflated profile (NIP), and Tension Controlled Optimized Theory (TCOT), have been tried by several companies but the tyre technologist is yet not very successful in creating a carcass which can withstand under inflated condition and provide the same performance. This still remains as a challenge. In the case of tread, several developments have taken place to enhance water drainage & traction improvement, reduction in foot print pressure & noise and improvement in aesthetics and aggressive looks. While the pattern design methodology followed by many companies generally follow same guidelines, significant deviations are seen recently to meet the new-found challenges in meeting label values in RR, traction and noise. In depth understanding is required to make significant alterations in tried and tested designs to meet ever-increasing performance requirements and advanced design simulation tools are of great use for the tyre designers in this process. With the usage of new materials and improvements in compound properties, tyre technologists are now trying to tune the behavior of new compounds in different designs for optimal performance in a given operating condition.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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Was this informative for you? I look forward to your feedback and thoughts of this interview.

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December 29, 2015
by Prasanth Warrier 2 Comments

Industrie 4.0 And Why You Should Be Excited About It?

If you are even remotely following the advancements in manufacturing and automation, then you have already heard this term – Industrie 4.0. A German branded initiative, this is a term coined for the next stage of manufacturing that describes the main future development tasks required to achieve a ‘Smart Factory‘.

To quickly understand, you may visualize smart factories as ‘social networks’ where humans, machines and materials communicate and interact in real time.

Considered the 4^th industrial revolution in manufacturing (watch a video), Industrie 4.0 is a dynamic process of evolution. It refers to the technological evolution from embedded systems to Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS).

Too much of jargons? Let me make an effort to explain…..

Relevance of CPS

In your manufacturing environment, these Cyber-Physical Systems comprise of smart machines, storage systems and production facilities capable of autonomously exchanging information, triggering actions and controlling each other independently.

This means all your machines, processes, control systems, logistics and even end-products are closely interconnected via internet-based, data-handling technologies and devices.

CPS makes your next level of decentralization realistic. It improves your resource productivity and efficiency, enables more flexible models of your work organization.

Says, Ashutosh Chincholikar, Business Head, Smart Controls India Ltd, “With Industrie 4.0, rubber and tyre machinery will no longer simply ‘processes’ the product, but your product would communicate with the machinery to tell it exactly what to do.”

Industrie-4.0-Rubber-Tyre-Machinery

Benefits of Industrie 4.0

Your benefits include flexibility in specification and volume, fine-tuning to your customer needs, and improving efficiency as a way to reduce your cost.

Your product development-to-market and order-to-shipment lead times become shorter. Expensive downtime for your machinery and plant gets reduced through remote monitoring and predictive maintenance.

Digitization, connected-ness and virtual tool planning opens your door to customized mass-production. This means you can produce very small batch sizes and yet sell at a profit. Flexible manufacturing may mean that more of your parts and production materials have to be detected, inspected and identified. Transparency and reproducibility of your processes will enhance your product quality.

Experiences shared by Smart Controls India Ltd, include significant benefits like

5% increase in productivity on 20 machines was equal to an extra machine.
25% saving on a plant in Auto industry
11% efficiency improvements in first 3 months at a Tire Company.
68% gain in production by just fine tuning setup processes (up from 410 to 690 parts/week)
A large equipment manufacturer’s OEE shot up from 24% to 62% on machines

It is these benefits of speed, flexibility, quality amongst others that should keep you excited and upbeat about the prospects of Industrie 4.0. Further when you use CPS, you will have a clear advantage to attract the best employee talent since you can offer a better work-life balance.

| It is these benefits of speed, flexibility, quality amongst others that should keep you excited and upbeat about the prospects of Industrie 4.0. |

Need for a balanced approach

Interestingly, Industrie 4.0 goes by a variety of names: ‘Advanced Manufacturing’ in the USA and the UK, ‘les usines du futur’ (The Factories of the Future) in France, ‘Made Different – Factories of the Future’ in Belgium, and “Smart Industries” in the Netherlands.

As a manufacturer, you definitely need to procure equipment with right level of futuristic automation. Because Industrie 4.0 is bringing fundamental change to your business competition in today’s ‘VUCA’ (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) world. If you continue using today’s automation systems you will fail due to excess cost in automation.

| If you continue using today’s automation systems you will fail due to excess cost in automation. |

However, it is also necessary to find the balance between full automation and manual work. It doesn’t make sense to automate all your manufacturing processes completely as the cost of that will be too high.

For example, tire production is high-volume customization. The tire industry seeks to consistently improve quality while cutting waste, thus reduce the cost of each tire. Experts and Leaders will tell you that the steps you need to do this in China or India are different than they are in Japan or in Europe or in the U.S.

Every application must be evaluated with regards to the breakeven point. And that is where you will benefit with the assistance of a systems integrator.

Adopt a Balanced Approach. (Image Source: Web)

| Every application must be evaluated with regards to the break-even point.|

Adds Ashutosh, “In order to implement automation solutions in the tyre industry someone who understands the intricacies of tyre manufacturing processes – from mixing, tyre building, curing to inspection – is needed. This is where Smart Controls plays a big role. With over 15 years of experience in serving the tyre industry, Smart Controls has full knowledge and experience of using the Siemens Technological Platform to implement automation solutions for almost all processes of tyre making.”

(You may wish to hear more on the ‘role of a system integrator in your smart factory’, when Ashutosh Chincholikar speaks at the International Rubber Conference in Chennai on March 1-3, 2016.)

Summarizing, Industrie 4.0 is more than just a buzzword today and hence important that you take notice. Because it ensures that your resources are used more efficiently while people and machinery work far more productively.

Let us know your thoughts on Smart Factory and and plans for Industrie 4.0.

Do you have any blog suggestions? Let us know on rubbermachineryworld@gmail.com

Rubber & Tyre Machinery World

Info on Equipment And Suppliers

Category Archives: Curing Machinery

Editor’s Pick: Manufacture of Cold Retreading Material (Part 2)

Global Approach To Rubber Machinery Technology

Practical Modern Solutions For Tyre And Rubber Industry

Will Post Cure Inflator Machinery Ever Die?