Tire Manufacture
Situation
- Green tyres / tires are converted to finished cured rubber product via a vulcanization process carried out in a curing mould.
- Steam at temperatures up to 200°C / 392°F is used in the curing mould to cure and form the rubber, water is required to cool the die, and compressed air required blow the water out of the die prior to introducing steam for the next cycle.
- A typical application uses only two hoses per mould to supply steam, water, and hot air requirements to the mould.
- Typical cycle for the hoses are steam, hot water and hot gas at 14 – 20 bar / 200 – 300 PSI at 200°C / 392°F alternating to max 100 mmHg / 4” Hg over a 2 minute to 2 hour cycle depending upon tyre / tire type.
Problem
- OEM supplied curing moulds are typically supplied with inferior performing rubber hoses.
- Rubber hoses typically require replacing every two weeks.
- High permeation rates of rubber hoses allow boiler additives to be lost due to “lost effusion.”
Implications
- Continual hose failures and replacements costs result a loss of manufacturing efficiency and increased product costs.
- High permeation rates of steam from standard hoses allows expensive boiler additives to be lost and require constant replacement which add to manufacturing costs.
- Low manufacturing efficiency rates and increased product costs can result in loss of competiveness and loss of sales.
Customer Needs
- Increased production rates by decreasing / eliminating costly hose failures, hose replacement and machinery “down time”.
- Reduce top up of expensive boiler additives by reducing loss of additive through hoses.
- Reduce cost of tyre / tire manufacture to increase margins and / or competiveness.
Solution
- KA convoluted PTFE hoses in tyre / tire vulcanization process last over 6 months before replacement.
- This represents an 650% improvement based on 24/7 production.
- KA convoluted PTFE hoses typically have a X% lower permeation rate compared to rubber hoses which results in reduced consumption of boiler additives.