Speeding-up Synthetic-tyre Production
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PRODUCTION in this country of tyres from, synthetic rubber Should be accelerated by a huge new machine which has recently, been installed at. the factory of the Goodyear. Tyre and
Rubber Co., Ltd, at Wolverhampton. • It is a fabric -treatment machine, and is said to be the only one of its kind in the United Kingdom.
Treatment of the fabric to ensure adhesion to it of the synthetic rubber has been one of the biggest problems of the industry. The Goodyear answer is the application, by this machine, of a special adhesive to an unending rbll of fabric, which in the same process is dried and heat-tempered ready for immediate application of the synthetic rubber. The raw fabric is 'received in rolls nearly half a mile long. These can be fed without halting the machine, which slows down automatically. When a roll has been fed, the end is sewed on to the beginning of the next roll.
The adhesive is supplied from 1,000gallon tanks, which arecooled by a Large refrigeratitin plant, so that the liquid remains in good Condition.' After application, the 'treated fabtic paSse's through a vast oven fed with hot air by 100 h.p. fans which shiftover-100;000 cubic ft of air per minute. _ Automatic fingers control the winding up of the finished fabric, so that the rolls of tough, " whippy " fabric are always kept straight and taut. The width 'of fabric comprises 1,800 cords, and the a-utoniatic fingers ensure that these are -evenly spaced across the roll. Lou-speakers are fitted to enable the operators at each end of the machine to talkto one another, which the extra,ordinary length of the plant, would otherwise rnake impoksit4e. Although power is provided by 12 electric .inotots. which are ,automatically ,-syuchronizeLL the entireunit can be controlled frOrn a single push-button.