Tire production is a complex process with a high level of vertical integration. From the production of the rubber compound to the manufacture of the tire components and semi-finished products to the finished tire, many different materials have to be marked. However, markings and coding are not only required for production, but also for the logistics processes and for the end products in accordance with the EU Tire Regulation 2020/740.
Tires are safety-relevant vehicle components. In order to enable clear identification and global traceability across the entire process chain, it is important to clearly mark raw materials, semi-finished products and, of course, finished products when marking tires. It is precisely because of the many process steps and the different rubber compounds for different tire types that marking technology is a central part of quality assurance in tire production. The coding and marking systems and labeling solutions have to be able to be integrated into the tire industry’s digital production processes via suitable IT interfaces, thus enabling the step towards Industry 4.0.
Challenges of marking in the tire industry
- Different raw materials, materials and semi-finished products
- Marking under harsh environmental conditions
- Resistance to moisture, heat, cold and mechanical stress
- Fast application in automated rubber production lines
- Generation of machine-readable codes
