Patent ID: 8158050
Filing Date: 2012-04-17
Classification: B29D

Abstract:
1. A process for producing a pneumatic tire comprising the steps of: forming a green tire by stacking a tire component on a film which is placed on an outer circumferential surface of a cylindrical rigid inner die, wherein said die is formed of a plurality of split parts obtained by splitting the cylindrical rigid inner die in a circumferential direction, and further obtained by splitting cylindrical circumferential surfaces of the split parts into two surfaces in a width direction, each of the split parts being operatively attached to a peripheral edge portion of a corresponding one of two opposed support plates via a respective rotational mechanism, and wherein said film is made of any one of a thermoplastic resin and a thermoplastic elastomer composition produced by blending an elastomer with a thermoplastic resin; placing the green tire in a vulcanizing mold together with the rigid inner die, the vulcanizing mold provided in a vulcanizing apparatus; thereafter, heating the rigid inner die and the vulcanizing mold to a given temperature; vulcanizing the green tire after inflating the film with application of a pressure to the film from an inner circumferential side while tightly bonding the film to an inner circumferential surface of the tire, wherein air is suctioned from inside of the vulcanizing mold to the outside thereof during the vulcanizing step, and wherein the green tire is vulcanized in a negative pressure state; subsequently, removing the vulcanized tire from the vulcanizing apparatus; and removing the rigid inner die from the vulcanized tire.