Sustainability is the megatrend for the several-hundred tyre plants worldwide. Among other things, this includes increasing both energy and production efficiency by avoiding rejects while simultaneously shortening production cycles.
Sustainability – already during production
Despite all the electronic aids, a car today still has only four points of contact with the road, each barely the size of a postcard. Each of the four tyres is critical for a safe journey, and all this under the most diverse operating conditions. This explains the extremely high quality requirements that every tyre manufacturer defines for its products.
Sustainability through precise measurement technology
The CPH7000 portable process calibrator
Tyre manufacturers ensure the compliance of their quality requirements through extensive testing of the raw materials, testing during and after the individual production steps, as well as through various tests on the finished tyre. Of course, the reject rate should be minimised and each production step should run sustainably in the long term. Precise and reliable measurement technology is required exactly for this.
Pressure measurement and Industry 4.0
Modern machinery and systems, even with comprehensive condition monitoring and IIoT connection, cannot change the fact that tyre production is a rough process. In this environment, sensitive sensors must not only survive, but measure as long, as accurately and as reliably as possible. For the checking of sensors, switches and pressure gauges, WIKA also offers the appropriate calibration instruments. From hand-helds for use in production, through stationary desktop instruments for the quality assurance test room, to custom-built testing systems.
Sustainability in action: Robust measurement technology avoids production downtime
Robust pressure measurement technology: MW and S-20
High-quality measuring instruments make a contribution to sustainability. Their durability prevents rejects in production, as well as the subsequent costly downtime, and it reduces the cost of spare parts. Extensive field tests by a “global player” show significantly longer operating times for WIKA pressure switches and pressure sensors, and thus sustainable savings in maintenance and servicing. In particular, premature failures of pressure switches and pressure sensors on curing presses previously led to frequent production line downtimes. This is explained by the very particular loads. Rapid pressure and temperature changes driven by the shortest possible production cycles, along with superheated steam and sulphurous atmospheres, stress the measuring instruments and lead to rapid ageing.
Costs of defective measuring instruments
- Rejects
- Production downtime
- Spare parts
- Labour
Even today, our customer is surprised that he had previously accepted these frequent failures as a technical given – as unavoidable. In the meantime, WIKA supplies the group’s production facilities worldwide, with WIKA’s global presence guaranteeing both customer contact in the local language and fast delivery.
Note
The WIKA portfolio covers all relevant measured variables required for the control and regulation of all tyre machinery – pressure, temperature, level and flow. You tell us your measuring requirement – we will provide you with the solution. You can find many more application examples in the Industries section on the WIKA website and in our brochure. If you have any questions, your contact will gladly help you.