Kobe Steel Librota-GS tyre uniformity machine
The Librota-GS is a more advanced version of its predecessor, the Librota, which was launched in 2013
Machine offers new ‘world’s fastest cycle time and highest repeated measurement accuracy’
Kobe Steel, Ltd. has launched a new tyre testing machine, a tyre uniformity machine called the Librota-GS. According to the company, the new model has the world’s fastest cycle time of 18 seconds per tyre and the world’s highest repeated measurement accuracy.
Kobe Steel is regarded as a top manufacturer in the field of uniformity machines, with an estimated 30 per cent global market share. Kobe Steel plans to supply the new model to tyre makers in North America, Europe and regions throughout the world, aiming to capture further share of the market.
The Librota-GS is a more advanced version of its predecessor, the Librota, which was launched in 2013. Kobe Steel has received high acclaim from customers for the Librota, supplying about 70 units mainly to China and Southeast Asia.
In the Librota-GS, Kobe Steel has succeeded in shortening the cycle time to 18 seconds, from 20 seconds in the previous Librota model, by incorporating a newly developed control system and optimizing measurement conditions. This enables tyre makers to achieve a 10-per cent increase in productivity, compared with conventional tire uniformity machines. In addition, options such as a sheet-of-light laser geometry system and a shoulder grinder can be installed to meet a variety of needs.
Kobe Steel reports that world tyre production has been steadily increasing in recent years, reachiog an estimated 15.86 million tons in 2015, according to the “Tire Industry of Japan 2016” published by the Japan Automobile Tyre Manufacturers Association. Kobe Steel forecasts that tyre production will rise to 18.39 million tons in 2020.
Kobe Steel has been manufacturing and selling tyre uniformity machines since 1967. Kobe Steel also has an extensive record of supplying rubber mixers to major tyre makers with an estimated 40-per cent share of the world market. Expanding overseas, Kobe Steel’s tyre and rubber machinery business has manufacturing and sales bases in four world locations: Japan, the United States, China and India.
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