CUYAHOGA FALLS, OH – Nov. 6, 2019. Steelastic, the world leader in extrusion-based systems for manufacturing tire reinforcing components, has introduced its new Combo Belt & Body Ply Machine. This combination machine, originally developed for Steelastic’s own Calenderless Manufacturing Cell, can switch from running steel belt / breaker material to textile or steel body ply in a matter of minutes. The combo machine shares a common extrusion, cooling and accumulation system, with separate cutting and splicing lines for belt / breaker and body ply. Material is produced in one, end-to-end process, from creel to wind-up, eliminating the need for expensive calendering and off-line processing operations.
“We wanted to make it easy for tire manufacturers to try our calenderless manufacturing process, using their own materials, with the finished product produced to their exact specifications,” said Ian Dennis, Steelastic President. “To achieve this, we invested in our groundbreaking Calenderless Manufacturing Cell incorporating our new generation of highly flexible Belt and Body Ply machines. This combination machine format is very attractive to tire manufacturers, particularly for R&D facilities, where smaller batch sizes and regular SKU changes are the norm.”
The new Steelastic® Combo Belt & Body Ply Machine is custom-designed for every application and can even be adapted to add extruded textile cap strip manufacture. The basic set-up includes creels for steel or textile reinforcement cords, which feed into a cross head extrusion die where the cords are fully encapsulated in rubber. The material then passes through a cooling and accumulation unit, before being processed in either the belt / breaker or the body ply machines, and then wound with liner on an in-line wind-up system. In-line hot or cold gum edging of the steel belt can also be added if needed. The machine is operated by a single operator to minimize operational cost.
For more information about the Steelastic® Combo Belt & Body Ply Machine, call us today at +1-330-633-0505 or email at sales@steelastic.com. www.steelastic.com.
About Steelastic:
Founded in 1970, The Steelastic Co., LLC is the leading designer and manufacturer of extrusion-based systems for manufacturing belt, cap strip, inner liner, and apex components for passenger, truck, bus, off road, aircraft and motorcycle tires. Steelastic is the fuel behind the “Go Calenderless” revolution in the tire making industry, allowing tiremakers to now profitably manufacture shorter runs of multiple SKUs. Today, Steelastic has over 900 systems operating in more than 55 countries around the world. Steelastic has been owned by Heico Companies LLC since 1998. Chicago-based Heico is a privately held, WBENC-certified business with a portfolio of more than 50 companies worldwide representing engineered components, specialty equipment, construction and industrial services and steel products.