Italmatic buys Zeiss Intact shearography business
Italmatic has announced the acquisition of the Zeiss Intact shearography business, which includes drawings, software, trademark and IP rights.
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World’s fastest: Zeiss launches ’55 second’ tyre inspection machine
Zeiss says its latest shearographic tyre inspection system is the “fastest single machine in the world” for inspecting new and retreaded tyres. The optics and optoelectronics specialist introduced the Zeiss Intact 1360-X in April with the promise of a fast return on investment for purchasers thanks to its “drastic savings for labour costs.” The 1360-X can inspect a complete tyre from bead to bead for separations and air bubbles as well as foreign objects in just 55 seconds, including loading and unloading.
Goodyear invites transportation industry to rethink retreading
In the current environment, rethinking retreading is something Goodyear considers “even more relevant than before.” Not only is Europe’s Fit-for-55 package of proposed climate legislation urging the region to become increasingly greener, but the transportation industry also faces the impact of increasing costs.
Carl Zeiss and TRM sign cooperation agreement
TRM Srl. and Carl Zeiss Optotechnik GmbH have signed a co-operation agreement.
As a result of the agreement, TRM will add Zeiss Shearography Systems to its portfolio and will be an authorized dealer for this product line. Furthermore, Zeiss will train the technical staff of TRM on Intact machines. This will allow TRM to offer qualified and authorized after sales service to Shearography customers. For Zeiss this will increase the availability of technical service throughout the markets.
Shearography mooted as solution to Ghana’s used tyre problem
Shearography is often used to inspect tyre casings for damage prior to retreading, and this technology may soon be employed to check the quality of used tyres imported into Ghana. Official news agency the GNA reports that the Ministry of Transport in Ghana is considering shearographic screening of part-worns as a means of weeding out sub-standard tyres.
Zeiss acquiring majority interest in Steinbichler Optotechnik
The company behind the ‘Intact’ shearographic tyre testing equipment range will soon have a new majority owner. Steinbichler Optotechnik GmbH announced on 12 June that the Zeiss Industrial Metrology Business Group intends to take a majority interest in the company. The transaction is subject to approval from the relevant authorities and due to be finalised in mid-summer 2015. Steinbichler’s headquarters will remain in Neubeuern, Germany following the majority share acquisition, and Dr Marcus Steinbichler will head the new company as its managing director over the long term.
Steinbichler begins US distribution agreement
The Tire Repair & Information Bureau reports that US-based company Tesco Italmatic LLC has signed an exclusive agreement with Germany’s Steinbichler to sell and service the company’s passenger car, light commercial vehicle, truck, aviation and OTR shearography machinery in the Americas. Tesco Italmatic is said to be “excited” to supply the retreading industry with the Steinbichler range.
Bandag treading new ground with Northern Ireland announcement
After an absence of more than quarter of a century, the Bandag retreading franchise will return to Northern Ireland. Following a management buyout, Portadown-based specialist ADCO Retreads has opted to become a Bandag franchisee; the company aims to consolidate and further grow its business through this step. “ADCO is keen to embrace the Bandag brand […]
OTR Shearography up to 63” with Steinbichler Intact 4300
Steinbichler Optotechnik is a worldwide leading supplier of optical measuring and sensor technology. The ‘Intact’ tyre shearographic inspection systems by Steinbichler are used at numerous major names within the industry for the non-destructive testing of passenger car, truck, aircraft, OTR as well as Formula 1 racing tyres, and have proven their functionality around the world.
SDS: Shearography remains the gold standard
With more than 400 tyre testing systems delivered in the last decade or so, SDS Systemtechnik has become closely associated with non-destructive tyre testing. While new testing technologies are being developed and try to establish themselves on the market, according to the company, shearography has proven to be something of a gold standard in the retreading and the new tyre industries.
L-Ray goes smaller for third DVS-1220 tyre analyser
Michigan-based business L-Ray has been manufacturing non-destructive tyre testing equipment for almost 40 years – previously under the names IHI (International Holographics, Inc) and Grant Engineering. While a small business, it operates on the global stage in manufacturing and retreading segments – in total, the company says it provides over 250 machines in more than 24 countries – first producing holography machines and then shearography machines. In 2007 L-Ray introduced its new Differometric Technology, which president Lee Petrimoulx says is “much faster and provides high quality digital images for checking tyres or retread casings”.
Intact 4300 enables up to 63-inch shearography
The latest EM/OTR sector product from Steinbichler Optotechnik is the Intact 4300 tyre shearography machine. This unit machine is designed for the non-destructive testing of giant OTR tyres with an inner diameter between 45 and 63-inches, a width of 550 to 1550 mm and a maximum weight of 7500 kilograms. This most recent addition to the Intact series can clearly detect non-visible separation in the bead, sidewall and tread area within 20 minutes, enabling the easy identification of areas where belt separation has occurred. The first Intact 4300 is already in service with Togliatti, Russia-based company Povolzhskaya Shinnaya Kompaniya, the German manufacturer reports.
Bandvulc Invests £300,000 in ‘World Class’ Production Process
Perhaps in an effort to practice what it preaches, Bandvulc recently demonstrated some examples of innovation in in-house design and engineering. As a result, the company has now changed the way it handles over 18,000 truck tyre casings per month and has named this new process Avalon (a reference to the company’s King Arthur-themed production process).
As with the Avalon of King Arthur, where the magical sword Excalibur was forged, company representatives are keeping the Avalon of Bandvulc something of a mystery. However, according to the company, the fact that it was designed, manufactured and installed using internal expertise means the £300,000 investment has gone a lot further than it would have done if outside consultants and engineers were used.
From Shearography to Pressure Testing
During the last decade Germany’s SDS has contribute to tyre quality via its Interferometric Tire Tester (ITT) range. The product line extends from applications for motorcycle, race, car, truck, bus and aircraft tyres through to special applications for OTR tyres with an outer diameter of up to 4.2 metres. But what exactly takes place during the SDS sheography process?
The ITT series’ state of the art technology employs “Speckle Shearing” through the use of a single or multiple closed measuring set-up that contains an interferometer with CCD camera and multiple laser diodes with integrated optics.
SDS Systemtechnik Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary
One of the leading manufacturers of systems for non-destructive tyre testing based on Interferometric Shearography, SDS Systemtechnik of Calw, Germany is celebrating 10 years in business this year. Since its foundation in 1998, the company has grown steadily. Starting with a staff of 10, Stefan Dengler’s original tyre-testing mechanism – built in the early 1990s – was used as the basis for serial-built machines of greater complexity. At the end of 2007, the number of installations had increased to over 300 with 20 employees, representatives across the globe and a new production hall in Calw.
In addition to the 10-year growth of the company, SDS has taken great pains to remain at the technological forefront of the industry. The organisation has optimised existing installations, bringing the latest technology to tyre testing machinery, providing up-to-date conditions in which tyres can be put through their paces. The company has developed its computer and laser technology, successfully applying for a range of patents and pushing forwards the quality and performance of its machinery.
