Tap-Rap and the art of tyre repair

A small family business in southern Italy is achieving excellence in the tyre repair niche. Founded in 1980 by Giuseppe Ferrara’s family, the company is named RFP, but the brand is better known in the industry as Tap-Rap; a name that is synonymous with specialist and advanced know-how in repairs. What distinguishes Tap-Rap is not only its specialised product, but also its patented technology, which Ferrara calls "a real transplant surgery."

Giuseppe Ferrara, entrepreneur for 55 years in the field of tyre reconstruction and repair, has spent most of his time and career at the factory at the side of his workers. Early in the business’ life, he notes with regret that around 15 per cent of tyres coming into the factory were discarded. Some carcasses were deemed defective at an early stage of verification; others – about eight per cent – after having already performed the first and second stages of processing. This meant, in addition to the time wasted, a significant increase in costs. So Ferrara had the idea of producing materials for the repair and reinforcement of tyres.

After many tests, performed on different types of failures, and after about ten years of activity, Ferrara opened a department dedicated to re-belting , which consisted of the replacement of one or two layers of metal stabiliser belt in radial tyres. The first results were good and allowed for the recovery of many carcasses otherwise destined for disposal. It also increased the company’s experience in dealing with patches embedding steel cords, which were used successfully for various types of failures: on the belt, on the sidewall, on the shoulder and on the bead. Ferrara continued to devote himself to rebuilding, forming Tap-Rap to produce and distribute various types of materials for repair of tyres, parallel to RFP Srl.

Over the years the company developed new technologies that would allow it not to alter the flexibility of the radial tyre on the sidewall and belt, both with the use of steel and rayon cords for small repairs. For this reason Tap-Rap thought to give the various layers that form the patch “inclinations”. These allow for elongation when rolling, and greater freedom of movement for the casing in the area where the patch is applied. Because of this feature, Tap-Rap products are distinguished from traditional textile (rayon, polyester and nylon) products in which the strings lie parallel to one another. The crossed structure that gives the patch greater flexibility also helps to prevent the tyre from overheating. This results in the repair’s greater reliability and durability. It also means it is unnecessary to remove the patch in the second or third retreading. 

The features and quality of Tap-Rap’s repair materials have subsequently been verified and certified by the Polytechnic of Bari and TÜV, and covered by a patent defined by the son of the founder, engineer, shareholder and director of RFP, Sergio Ferrara as “a real transplant surgery.” This precise technique, by which the material is integrated into the tyre – a kind of transplantation of steel cord – makes all the difference. Tap-Rap comes from a need expressed by the market, since the more common repairs did not guarantee sufficient longevity. “We did a lot of tests especially on the breaks broader,” says Sergio Ferrara, “but any patch always created a bulge.”

In tests patches reinforced with a layer of steel strings have been used where the original strings were still in place. However, this led to too much sidewall stiffness, which reduces the reliability and balance of the rubber unsatisfactorily. After several attempts, studies and tests, the company finally found a way to avoid the appearance of bulges when applying the repair: “When the sidewall radial cords are broken, Tap-Rap technology involves removing only those broken cords from the flexible part of the sidewall, (opening a “window”) leaving the original body carcass cords in the bead and belt, and inserting new cords from the bead to the centre of the belt,” says Ferrara. “[This is] a real transplant, which rebuild the sidewall and provides its original flexibility.”

Even truck tyres, in which up to 18 steel cords are found, are not impossible to patch: “After numerous tests, we have developed an uncured repair unit, made of rubber embedding steel cords arranged fanwise (trapezoidal) to conserve the original radial cord configuration of the tire itself,” says Ferrara. “In this way, it solves the problem of the strings not being straight, because the raw patch is deformable and therefore adaptable to the direction of the cords of the tyre. The repair is finished with a protective vulcanized rubber liner, which gives an appearance [similar] to that of a common repair, hiding the transplant operation.”

To perform this sort of repair job, a period of “training” is essential; that is, RFP takes its distributors or customers through the process, after which a certificate is issued. The Tap-Rap process is recommended only to those with experience in tyre repair. In fact, RFP delivers specialised training courses, lasting five days, in the workplace of the customer.

The most recently developed segment for RFP is giant mining tyres. Since higher costs are involved, they have an enhanced need for effective repair systems. Business for RFP in this niche began in 2000, when the Puglia company was contacted by Canadian customers needing to repair tyres with a diameter of four meters. “We were successful,” says Ferrara “and today our system is the only one that guarantees effective repairs in [these sorts of] large tyres. The Tap-Rap brand is now well known in the industry and is a guarantee of long life.”

RFP achieves 90 per cent of its turnover abroad: in North America, South America, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand and Russia. In France, the company has a good market share, but in Europe the product is applied mostly as smaller patches for trucks and cars.

“We grew up in small steps and we are proud of our customer satisfaction,” says Ferrara. “Our skills learnt in retreading tyres gave us the extra edge to move from the role of the nurse to the surgeon. Today we have achieved excellence in our niche and we feel satisfaction when, by transferring our know-how to customers, we give them an edge on the market. We believe that those who work with passion in the field of repair are bound to have great satisfaction.”

Tap-Rap products:

1) Three types of rubber material, in 50-100cm wide rolls of polyethylene in various colours, to be applied directly or with the extruder. These can be used:

a) to repair damaged areas on the belt and exposed areas on any part of the tyre;

b) to fill and level the sidewalls;

c) to be applied to level the tread and internal surfaces after applying cords.

2) Document steel cord:

a) on the belt to reinforce weakened parts, especially in reconstruction;

b) on the interior, in the belt area for the welding of the cord’s radial routes before applying the patch.

3) Protective rubber patches to replace the liner, ensuring the safety and the success of the process.

The original Italian language version of this article will be published on Tyrepress.com’s sister website PneusNews.it.