05/28/2010

• Investments to improve product safety
• Increased automation
• Basis for further optimisation processes

Hanover, May 2010. Continental's solid tyres have been manufactured in Korbach, Germany, for over a hundred years, with regular process and product improvements being implemented. The manufacturing processes recently introduced once again demonstrate Continental's technological leadership in the field of industrial tyres.

The development engineers at Continental Industrial Tyres have always looked for new innovations - creating the first CSE solid tyre to fit on rims designed for industrial pneumatic tyres in 1965, for example. Korbach now supplies tyres from the CSE product group to customers all around the world. The development of the Snap-In-Tyre (SIT) in 1978 produced a Super Elastic solid tyre that could be fitted quickly without the need for loose rim parts and the benefits of this system are obvious - it saves both time and money. Today the Snap-In-Tyre design is considered a key innovation in the SE tyre sector and is now regarded as the patent solution for genuine time-saving. The introduction of the CSEasy in 2005 ushered in a new era in fitting technology - changing tyres without the need for a fitting press, so vehicle downtime is reduced to a matter of minutes.

The investments made in advanced technologies and production equipment in Korbach in 2009 mean improved product safety and quality today. Examples of this are as follows: 

1. The introduction of new technology in the manufacturing of the load bearing base layer.
2. The commissioning of a new WBA (base winding unit) manufacturing cell. Several steel wires are wound simultaneously to form core bundles. In the cell these core bundles are then automatically applied directly to the base. This manufacturing method ensures optimum fit on the rim.
3. In the WBA unit the covering layer is then applied to the base layer with the cores in place in a fully automated process.  
4. In the parallel winding unit (PWA) the intermediate layer and tread layer are applied. This computer-controlled unit ensures consistent product quality. Robots have been introduced to ensure safe handling of the delicate pre-vulcanised 'green' tyres.
5. Another new process reduces the time required for vulcanisation which, depending on size, material and weight, is between 85 and 430 minutes at a temperature of approximately 130 degrees.
6. The improvements made to the manufacturing process in Korbach mean that developers can look for further product optimisation.