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Advantages of Steelastic’s Calenderless System

Calenderless System

Discover the advantages of Steelastic’s calenderless tire manufacturing system, and how it affects your ability to be flexible, lean, dependable—and deliver on your ROI.  

Table of Contents  

Calenderless Tire Manufacturing

What is Calenderless Tire Manufacturing?

For years, tire manufacturing has relied on the calendering process to produce the reinforced  rubber materials that are used to create the components within a tire. Calenderless Tire manufacturing relies on extrusion to create these same tire components.  

In this post, we will explore the calendering process more in-depth, and you will discover how going calenderless can be a great advantage to your company.  

Components Produced

At Steelastic, we support you with the calenderless equipment you need for quality tire components.  

Our extruders produce the following components so that you can produce exceptional tires:  

  • Tread  
  • Sidewall  
  • Cap Strip  
  • Radial Belt  
  • Body Ply  
  • Inner Liner & Single Compound Components  
  • Bead Apex  

Equipment Required

When you choose a calenderless tire production system, you’re choosing a simpler manufacturing process that requires less capital equipment.  

The chart below compares the equipment needed for calendering versus a calenderless system.  

Capital Equipment Required Chart

Advantages of Going Calenderless

The future of tire manufacturing is here. Discover the benefits of calenderless tire production. 

Lower Total Cost of Ownership

When you’re considering an investment in tire technology, it’s critical to assess the entire cost of ownership – not just operation. When you choose Steelastic’s proprietary calenderless system, you can save money. Here’s how:  

Lower Cost of Equipment

Equipment can be a huge capital investment, but it doesn’t have to be. If you are planning to produce fewer than 6 million  tires per year, the cost of Steelastic’s calenderless system might be for you. With a lower investment, tire manufacturers can pay off their equipment more quickly and receive a quicker return on their investment.  

No Special Foundation is Required

Traditional calendering equipment is large and heavy, requiring a special foundation and additional cost. When you choose Steelastic, you don’t need to lay a new foundation.  

Lower Utility Usage

Tire production requires a variety of utilities, but when you choose a calenderless tire production process, your annual cost is far lower. In fact, if you’re producing 6 million tires per year, your annual savings could be nearly $500,000. That’s a 12% savings in operating costs that goes straight to your bottom line.  

Yearly Energy Costs Breakdown Comparison Chart

More Flexible

A hallmark of the calenderless tire manufacturing systems is its modular design that allows for quick changeovers, lending itself well to flexibility.  

Tire manufacturers can process a variety of materials, including steel, aramids, nylon, fiberglass, rayon, polyester and more, making it well suited for multi-SKU applications.  

Quicker Delivery

The typical lead time for a calenderless tire manufacturing system is 50-54 weeks depending on the size and complexity of the equipment. Due to the small footprint and more simple nature of the machine, tire manufacturers can expect an installation time of 2-3 weeks. This is nearly half of the installation time needed for a traditional calenderless system.   

Lean Operation

Efficient Human Resources

A traditional calendering system requires multiple workers, but a calenderless cutter system requires only one. This allows plant managers to utilize workers more efficiently in other parts of the tire production process.  

The simple design of the calenderless system expedites the training process, allowing workers to be fully trained in months, as opposed to years of training required for the traditional calender component preparation production methods.  

Less Waste

When you go calenderless, you create less waste. It’s a single extrusion process, from raw materials such as cord and compound to a finished component. Without a need to stage calender material, the calenderless system produces less than 1% overall scrap.  

Higher Quality

The calenderless system gives precision belt width, gauge and angle control, resulting in higher production control and consistency. In fact, the combined cutting and splitting operation found in the calenderless system ensures that splicing is highly repeatable and consistent. This creates higher quality tires with a straight belt edge and improved cord control and position—and superior rubber-to-cord adhesion.  

A Trusted Partner

Did you know that we’re trusted by more than 700 companies around the world? With calenderless machines on five continents, Steelastic has built a reputation for trust and reliability, following three principles.  

1. Partnership

When you purchase from Steelastic, you can be sure to find a true partner in business. We’ll listen to your needs, adapt and support your business goals.  

2. Flexibility

At Steelastic, we understand the rubber industry’s diverse and changing needs. That is why we’ve built and adapted the calenderless tire manufacturing equipment to fit within your existing production line, supporting your current needs, instead of requiring the manufacturing process to align with a pre-determined output. 

3. Field Support

When problems do arise, you can depend on Steelastic to show up with support, audits, preventative maintenance and training when you need it most.  

Request a Quote

Deciding on a supplier for your tire manufacturing equipment is a big investment. We understand that. 

But if you’re ready to learn more, contact us for a no-pressure conversation. We’re here to learn about your business, your needs, and how we can support you.