New Bridgestone technology brings colour to tyre sidewalls

Tyres have traditionally been round and black, but Bridgestone is set to change this. The Japanese manufacturer announced on 13 January that it has developed a new printing technology for tyres – a technology Bridgestone calls revolutionary and says differs from any tyre printing or colouring process presently on the market.

Current technology centres on the application of white rubber to tyre sidewalls to produce white ribbon or white letter tyres. This process, says Bridgestone, requires the use of large amounts of white rubber to prevent discoloration and to maintain durability. It can also add weight to the tyre. Bridgestone’s tyre printing technology utilises newly developed inks; these are protected against discolouration from the tyre by a protective layer and from external damage on the surface by another protective layer. Through this new technology, Bridgestone says it can “realise the more creative showcase of tyres while also considering environmental concerns such as fuel efficiency.” By this, the tyre maker means the process does not burden tyres with any additional weight.

Bridgestone plans to quickly bring this tyre printing technology to market and states it will “continue to explore the many opportunities associated with this new tyre printing technology.” An example of this mentioned by Bridgestone is the application of original customer designs or photographs to tyre sidewalls. These would be able to be later changed or removed if and when the customer chooses.