The Tire Retread & Information Bureau issued its latest Tech Tuesday Tip for the retread industry, courtesy of Robbins, on managing envelopes within your retread plant.
Some of the common problems Robbins sees in their retread plant visits:
1. Too few envelopes in circulation
It was stressed that this was the one immediate thing most plants could do to improve their envelope performance and longevity
2. Improper cooling and storage
- Store envelopes where they can cool (not under the chamber or near other sources of heat). Don’t store in metal containers that could retain heat.
- Put infrequently used envelopes in a cool, dark place away from light and heat.
- Avoid storing envelopes directly on the floor; use bins or storage racks instead.
- Keep them as flat as possible and don’t fold envelopes for storage.
3. Sharp edges on equipment
- Inspect areas and equipment which come into contact with envelopes (J-hooks, storage bins, spreaders, etc.) and eliminate any sharp edges from these areas.
- Be sure to keep envelope area clean of staples.
4. Lack of training
- It’s important that the person on the envelope station has been properly trained.
Common problems seen are:
a) Spreader out too far.
b) Bottom of tire not pushed in can cause tire to pop off the j-hook.
When the envelope has been applied:
a) Orient the valve to the right spot.
b) Avoid shifting the tire once on the j-hook.
5. Improper repair of envelopes
- There are repair products available to fix small injuries which are easy to use and long-lasting.
- Be sure to use a dedicated repair product specific for envelopes.
According to Robbins, most retread plants can achieve a 20% improvement in envelope life with the implementation of some of these simple techniques.
