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CRATER TYRE CT4.0

Patented machine for processing tire imperfections

This machine is capable of automatically loading the tire from the monorail and transferring it into the processing cell. Equipped with an advanced 3D scanner, a six-axis robotic arm scans the tire casing in search of impacts and defects to automatically remove, then treats them using a new processing system that ensures faster and more efficient tool changes.
The robotic arm, holding the tire, performs operations by working the rubber against fixed tools, which are mounted and exchanged more rapidly through the new tool center, resulting in more effective treatment.

The available tools on the market are customizable, such as an abrasive brush and a conventional grinding wheel, designed to remove rust residues without damaging the steel belt of the tire.

With a significant impact on work quality improvement, Crater Tyre CT4.0 increases productivity, reduces costs, and protects operator health from dirt, fumes, environmental and noise pollution—thanks to a hermetically sealed cabin.

New tool center: redesigned tool change system that reduces changeover time by over 50%

Patented vision system

Increased productivity and quality

Zero environmental and noise pollution

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions 3600 width x 2400 depth x 2300 height (mm)
Peso 3.8t
Pneumatic housing 16″ to 24″ x max width 500mm
Machinable tyres 16″ to 24″ x maximum width 560mm
Medium machining 4 seconds per crater 20 width x 20 depth (mm)
Minimum detection width width 2 x 2 depth x 0.5 height (mm) adjustable by parameter
FEATURES
  • Multi diameter mechanical spindle
  • Online assistance
  • User and maintenance manual in Italian and English
  • UL and CE certifications
DISCOVER MORE

With Crater Tyre CT4.0, Italmatic Robotics & AGV creates a new generation of shearography machines for non-destructive testing of new and used tyres, from 13″ to 24″.

Plant

The new Crater Tyre CT4.0 is equipped with a tilting system that allows the vertical loading of the tire, faster and more efficient than the traditional horizontal loading, thanks to a system of accumulation rollers, completed by silicone belts, which avoids rubber slipping during the handling process. The machine can be equipped with two different scanning systems depending on the customer’s need to scan the rim or the sides of the tyre. Both scanning systems, in addition to accurately identifying the presence of defects on the tire, highlight their volume, allowing the operator to understand whether the tire is rebuildable or not, detecting defects with relevant size and contour information. The shearography machine software system can interact with external servers, keeping track of the history of the number of defects per tire, from their size to their position on the inspected carcass, identifiable through RFID, barcode or QR-code. From the control panel you can select the tyre scanning area: crown, crown and upper and/or lower side.

The vision system
  1. If the customer needs a tyre crown scan, a special high-performance camera, with a resolution of up to 48MP, provides two 360º rim images: ambient pressure and vacuum to identify defects.
  2. If the customer needs a side scan of the tyre, a high-precision 3D sensor scans the tyre by rotating 360 º, including the lower and upper heels. The scan, a dynamic overview comparable to a special video, allows the operator to analyze the tyre sidewall from a single image, provided at ambient and vacuum pressure, for better identification of imperfections. A better technique than that used by competitive machines, which perform sector scans. Both scanning systems, in addition to accurately identifying the presence of defects on the tire, highlight their volume, allowing the operator to understand whether the tire is rebuildable or not, detecting defects with relevant size and contour information.

“Thanks to Crater Tyre CT4.0, we have improved our productivity, increased production quality, improved the health and safety of our operators. This way you can reduce the number of defects and simply shorten the time of debridement, which is the longest operation in the reconstruction process. Unlike humans, robot intervention is done in a non-aggressive way”

Gaétan Jouve
Head of the Bandag plant in Rhône
2018