Cap strip – the alternative to calenders

Benefits of producing strips with a cap strip system:

• Fewer joints/imbalances than with tires produced with fabric.
• The strips are produced without splicing (when processing rolls in a mini slitter, the rolls are joined with a splice after approximately 600 m, which results in inconsistencies such as overlapping, imbalances and joints).
• The cap strip system combines three processes in a single system.
• Free capacity on the calender for e.g. steel cord – reduced conversion time and costs (steel – nylon).
• More flexible production.
• The Cap Strip produces without side-cut cords. When cutting in the Mini-Slitter it is not always possible to cut between the cords. The consequence would be that the cords would be cut left and/or right. As a result, the stripes on the left and/or right are not covered in rubber, which leads to problems when unwinding.
• When using the calender-slitter process, coating problems can arise in all three machines. During calendering, the coated fabric is wound up with fabric liners. The fabric is then unwound in the maxi slitter and rewound (without liners) onto a roll 120 mm wide. Unwinding these rolls in the mini slitter can frequently result in sticking (penetration) or detached layers, which can cause further problems when cutting and even winding up the strips.