Method and apparatus for stripping flexible article from a building drum

Abstract

Abstract Apparatus for mechanically removing a tire or similar annular and flexible article from the drum on which it is built provides a lifting device for moving the tire and drum from a conveyor into cooperating alignment with clasp arms which embrace the tire and drum without distortion thereof and with opposing coaxial spindles which hold the drum. A driving clutch within one of the spindles extends to engage and operate a drum collapsing mechanism within the center shaft of the drum. A carriage on which the clasp arms are mounted moves parallel to the drum axis to carry the tire coaxially off the collapsed drum and over a cantilevered length of one of the spindles. The driving clutch operates in a reversed sense to reexpand the bare drum. The lifting device again moves to receive the drum, and the spindles are retracted, allowing the drum to be returned to the conveyor on which the drum is transported through a plurality of tire component applying stations. In its method aspect the disclosure includes removal of the tire, or like article, from the drum by purely axial movement, free of distortion or movement radially of the drum axis.

Inventors

• 👤 Paul E Appleby
• 👤 Denver C Folden
• 👤 Paul R Stuhldreher

Bibliographic Details