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Vipal Rubber Launches Innovation in Envelopes
Constant innovation and evolution are part of Vipal Rubber' s trajectory. That is why the company continues to seek con- tinuous improvements in its processes and products. This
is the case of the new functionality developed for Vipal envelopes.
Used in the tyre retreading process in the curing stage, the envelope is used in a curing chamber and has the function of pressing the precured tread on the tyre casing to, after being applied, generate a vacuum in the tyre and completely block the air inlet. The VOS envelopes - Vipal Outer Short (short skirt) - and VOE - Vipal Outer Extended (long skirt) - bring new functionality, presenting an individual barcode that allows the control of the number of cycles through which the piece has already passed.
who could control in an exact and standardised way the useful life of the envelopes, guaranteeing its expected performance. The innovation is that the code is directly linked to the enve- lope, remaining this way until the end of its useful life. In other words, it would not be possible to disassociate the history from the envelope's barcode. This would ensure that the number of cycles matches that unit when the code is checked before a
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new tyre retreading process.
Since 2020, Vipal's enve- lopes have a new com- pound, making it possible to stretch longer in both cold and hot cures. This provides better handling, more elas-
ticity and reduces the risk of tyre tearing and bursting. The envelopes now have rubber rein- forcements that added resistance to previously more vulnerable areas, bring- ing greater stability and performance over time.
The new control system starts when the new envelope is used - sponding to the bar code in their ERP. In this way, the reading of the individual code is enabled in the system. When enveloping the tyre, before entering the curing chamber, the code is read and the use of the envelope is recorded. With each new retread- ing process, the ERP scan would determine how many cycles the part has already been subjected to. To ensure control ac- curacy, the retreader could customise the system and block the process from running if the envelope barcode is not scanned.
According to Rodemir Conte, Vipal Rubber Product and Process Engineering Manager, the innovation would generate several facilitates and improves control over the number of times the real durability of them.
"Adding this innovation to the excellent performance of our cur- rent envelope, it is possible to generate savings and better cost control for our retreaders", concludes Conte.
Cycle Control
