Over the years, we’ve heard tire manufacturers report problems and frustrations with their calendering equipment. That’s why, at Steelastic, we’ve worked to make it possible to manufacture passenger and specialty tires without the need for expensive, inflexible calendering equipment.
Today, lower volume, highly flexible, ‘calenderless’ tire manufacturing is a reality, thanks to the Steelastic Body Ply System. Read on to see how this innovative machine is taking on longstanding tire manufacturing challenges.
Problem 1: Material Quality
With calendered production, materials are layered rather than extruded. Steelastic’s Body Ply System processes single ended textile cord with no possibility for crossed cords. Cords are placed precisely with uniform tension across the extruded strip. The resulting products are superior quality with exact widths, gauges and edge straightness.
Problem 2: Limited Flexibility
Because changeovers are time consuming and cumbersome, it can be difficult for calendered production lines to accommodate the demands of modern tire consumers. This lack of flexibility can prevent manufacturers from effectively responding to an evolving market that is demanding an ever increasing number of SKUs.
Calenderless manufacturing provides the flexibility to produce multiple SKUs with quick changeovers, allowing for enhanced customization and responsiveness. Steelastic’s Body Ply System opens the door to more versatility in tire design and production.
Problem 3: Too Much Waste
The traditional process of calendered production generates significant material waste and inefficiencies. Calendered manufacturing relies on large, complex machinery with limited adaptability. This requires more labor, more storage and more heavy lifting equipment, wasting time and materials.
With a single process from creel to wind-up, calenderless manufacturing promotes greater efficiency, reduced material waste and a more sustainable approach to tire production.
Problem 4: Difficult Maintenance
Calendered body ply production requires a textile calender and separate offline processing equipment. These larger machines not only involve significant initial capital investment, but they are also more difficult and expensive to maintain and upgrade.
With Steelastic’s calenderless tire component manufacturing systems, maintenance is easier, less expensive and can be scheduled to ensure production is always maintained. Upgrades are also less time-consuming, reducing downtime and disruptions to the production process.
See the Advantages with Steelastic
Are you interested in seeing the advantages of calenderless manufacturing? We have a full-scale demo facility where you can try out the Steelastic Body Ply System in person. Contact us today to set up a visit.