Patent ID: 7431787

Claim:
A method for building a tyre for a vehicle wheel, comprising: positioning a pair of sidewalls on a shaping drum; positioning a casing sleeve on the shaping drum, wherein the sidewalls are positioned with axially inner edges of the sidewalls in axially inner positions with respect to beads of the casing sleeve; securing the casing sleeve on the shaping drum; toroidally shaping the casing sleeve; applying the pair of sidewalls to lateral surfaces of the shaped casing sleeve; turning the axially inner edges of the sidewalls onto axially inner surfaces of the beads of the casing sleeve; and applying an outer sleeve to a radially outer surface of the casing sleeve; wherein during at least one of toroidally shaping the casing sleeve, applying the pair of sidewalls, and applying the outer sleeve, the casing sleeve is kept in an essentially centered position on the shaping drum by axial forces directed against axially inner surfaces of the casing sleeve, and wherein during at least one of positioning the casing sleeve and securing the casing sleeve, the casing sleeve is kept in an essentially centered position on the shaping drum by radial forces directed against a radially inner surface of the casing sleeve.