Tire Technology & Manufacturing

Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. has announced the development of a new technique for predicting noise resulting from the combined vibration of tires and vehicles. Employing a tire rolling motion simulation, the method allows both tire and vehicle manufacturers to reduce product-generated noise. This reduction enhances passenger comfort and shortens delivery time by minimizing development hours and physical prototypes. The company plans to address various user needs, including model-based tire and vehicle development, while promoting environmentally friendly tire solutions.

Smithers announces the launch of Virtual Tire Lab, a unique, comprehensive toolset for analyzing raw data and comparing, contrasting, and adjusting virtual tire models for use in design analysis, simulation, and model certification. Virtual Tire Lab utilizes an annual subscription model to provide clients with access to a library of passenger and light truck tire models. During the subscription period, models are added to the Virtual Tire Lab library and include a variety of popular brands, sizes, and categories; such as all-weather, all-season, and EV-specific tires. All models are MF6.2 UM14 Handling Models.

Join the Rubber Division for their new webinar series MANUFACTURING MONDAYS – TIRES on Mondays June 3 through July 22, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. ET.

This webinar series is intended for those engaged in the tire and rubber industry and in academia. The focus will be on tire manufacturing beginning with raw materials receiving through production, final finishing and product shipment. Many of the fundamental manufacturing principles apply equally to other rubber product production such as conveyor belts, so the webinars will have very broad applications.

Apollo Tyres has announced a significant partnership with NATRAX, a leading provider of testing and validation services, to establish the first of its kind test track in India, specifically designed to validate tires for Electric Vehicles (EVs) and low rolling resistance tires. This collaboration aims to provide a dedicated testing facility for EV manufacturers, enabling them to test and validate cut and chip resistance of tires.

Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. (Toyo Tires®) announces a new compound upgrade for increased milage to three existing long haul and regional truck tires, which include the Toyo® M171+TM, M671A+TM, and M677+TM. The improved compound change maximizes removal miles while maintaining low rolling resistance and traction. The new compound can result in improved mileage based on application, delivering more to the user’s bottom line.

Michelin Molding Solutions (MMS) in Greenville, SC purchased their second AddUp FormUp 350 Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) machine following the successful installation and operation of their first one in 2022. This machine is the sixth added to an expanding global fleet of FormUp’s currently in use across Europe and North America. Thanks to the productivity and serial production capabilities of AddUp’s Additive Manufacturing (AM) machines, each new FormUp 350 replaces five legacy AM machines.

Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. has developed a new simulation technique called “Tyre Aerodynamic Simulation” for use in EV tire development. To reduce energy consumption and increase the range of EVs, it is important to minimize both rolling resistance as well as air resistance around the tire. Sumitomo will pursue the development of a tire profile that optimizes aerodynamic performance. By visualizing the airflow around the tire of a moving vehicle through its own AI powered simulation, Sumitomo will use the findings to develop a low energy consumption next-generation tire to be launched in 2027.

As early as 2021, the tire manufacturer focused on the use of silica from agricultural waste, polyester from recycled PET and other renewable and recyclable materials with the Conti GreenConcept concept tire. Continental has now incorporated many of these technologies into its series tires. With the UltraContact NXT, the company launched the most sustainable series tire to date last year. This underlines Continental’s claim to be the most progressive manufacturer in the tire industry when it comes to sustainability.