Circumferential measurement in tire building processes and devices

A tire manufacturing method for controlling a product profile having one or more elastomeric layers that are produced by continuously extruding an elongated element of an elastomeric material and depositing the elongated element upon a forming surface of a circumferentially rotating drum, the process comprising the following steps:

• feeding the elongated element to a reel assembly at a predetermined flow rate consistent with a rotation speed of the rotating drum, with the reel assembly positioned at a predetermined distance L above the forming surface so as to remain out of contact therewith;
• depositing the elongated element axially along at least a portion of the forming surface to produce a layer;
• providing data for the product profile that includes at least a target circumferential value of at least a portion of the layer;
• detecting, with a predetermined frequency, a value indicative of a distance traveled by the elongated element along a circumferential extent of the rotating drum;
• comparing the detected value with the target circumferential value at an elapsed time during the deposition cycle;
• and
• verifying equivalence between the detected value and the target circumferential value prior to deposition of a subsequent layer.