Apparatus and method for manufacturing at least one drive belt

A method for manufacturing at least one drive belt by means of an apparatus having a tubular shaping body having a first inner cavity which extends in a longitudinal direction of the shaping body over an entire or predominant length of the shaping body and is surrounded circumferentially by a wall of the shaping body, wherein an inner side of the wall of the shaping body facing the first inner cavity has a shaping surface for abutment and shaping of the drive belt to be produced during a manufacturing process, and at least one of a) an outer tube formed as a tubular body with a second inner cavity adapted to receive the tubular shaping body, or b) another outer part outside the tubular shaping body, wherein the outer part forms with the shaping body two radially inter-engaging components of the apparatus, and the shaping body is made of aluminum that has a higher coefficient of thermal expansion than a material of the outer tube or the outer part, the method comprising:

• A) providing a raw coil made from a raw material of the drive belt,
• B) inserting the raw coil into the shaping body
• C) inserting an elastic pressure bellows into the interior of the raw coil,
• D) heating the shaping body to a first temperature,
• E) pressurizing an inner space of the pressure bellows for performing a pressing operation of the raw coil against the shaping surface of the first inner cavity, wherein step E) can be carried out before or after step D) or overlapping in time with step D),
• F) removing the manufactured drive belt from the shaping body.