Award-winning innovation in rubber processing

In a constantly evolving and increasingly demanding market, Rodolfo Comerio is searching for innovative solutions through its R&D department to keep up with the new market trends. To this purpose, the company recently developed technical solutions for the tyre industry aimed in particular improving the quality of finished products, avoiding unnecessary labour expenditure, reducing production times and costs and increasing operator safety thanks to various automation systems destined for calendering processes.

Last March, this innovative drive also enabled Rodolfo Comerio to take down the "Tire Manufacturing Innovation of the Year" for the patented  RC Calender Quick-ChangeSystem as part of the "Tire Technology International Awards for Innovation and Excellence", held at the Tire Technology Exhibition in Hanover. The award-winning system makes it possible to change production in the shortest possible time, by modifying the configuration of the calender entry side in order to switch from the production of textile cord to metal cord and vice versa. The calendering line has been designed and built to allow the textile and metal cords to be changed quickly and automatically, with the fitting and change of the grooved rolls according to the density of the metal cord.

The system also makes it possible to place, in front of the third roll of the calender, the guide roll to bond the textile fabric and then two density rolls to bond the metal cord. The calender has been designed with the first density roll mounted on levers in order to introduce it into the process by means of a pneumatic device. The second density roll for the metal cord and the guide roll for the textile cord are mounted on a rotary support that allows them to be arranged alternately in their operating position. In addition, the density rolls are mounted on sliding skids to allow easy exit through the side of the calender and replacement through the shoulder of the machine on the heating side, where a hoist  picks them up and stores them on a stand.

In detail, the RC Calendar Quick-ChangeSystem ensure a 50% reduction in density roll changeover time, in the machine downtime necessary for new setups, in the production changeover time and labour for material bonding operations and a 60% reduction in labour for density roll changeover, at the same time increasing productivity by 50% as well as the production quality, while complying with the safety standards imposed by EC regulations.