Apparatus and process for building tyres for vehicle wheels

An apparatus for building tyres for vehicle wheels, comprising:

• a shaping drum comprising two half-drums and two supports, wherein each half-drum comprises support elements engaging beads of a carcass sleeve;
• and each support is operatively associated with one of the half-drums and carries a plurality of application levers with free ends facing towards the respective half-drum,
• wherein the application levers of each support are movable among:
• a contracted configuration, in which the application levers lie substantially parallel to a rotation axis (X) of the shaping drum,
• an intermediate configuration, in which the application levers are in a partially radially open position, and
• an expanded configuration, in which the application levers are radially open,
• wherein the free ends of the application levers comprise a radially outer surface,
• wherein each support carries a respective sidewall arranged as a ring directly against the radially outer surfaces of the application levers, making an axial appendage of the sidewall protrude axially beyond the free ends of the respective application levers;
• and
• wherein each support is axially movable with respect to the respective half-drum for bringing the free ends of the application levers and the axial appendage in proximity to the support elements of the respective half-drum while the application levers are fixed in the intermediate configuration to engage the axial appendage with the carcass sleeve.

An apparatus for building tyres for vehicle wheels, comprising:

• a shaping drum comprising two half-drums and two supports, wherein each half-drum comprises support elements engaging beads of a carcass sleeve;
• and each support is operatively associated with one of the half-drums and carries a plurality of application levers with free ends facing towards the respective half-drum,
• wherein the application levers of each support are movable among:
• a contracted configuration, in which the application levers lie substantially parallel to a rotation axis (X) of the shaping drum,
• an intermediate configuration, in which the application levers are in a partially radially open position, and
• an expanded configuration, in which the application levers are radially open,
• wherein the free ends of the application levers comprise a radially outer support surface and a pair of application rollers carrying a respective sidewall arranged as a ring directly against the support surfaces of the application levers with an axial appendage of the sidewall protruding axially beyond the free ends of the respective application levers;
• and
• wherein each support is axially movable with respect to the respective half-drum for bringing the free ends of the application levers and the axial appendage in proximity to the support elements of the respective half-drum while the application levers are fixed in the intermediate configuration to engage the axial appendage with the carcass sleeve.