Precision longitudinal registration of tire building drum to automated tire building system work station

A method for positioning each of three or more movable tire building drums at each of three or more work stations of an automated tire building system as the tire building drums move longitudinally forward along a working axis extending through the three or more work stations, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a work station longitudinal reference point at each of the three or more work stations;
• providing a drum reference point upon each of the three or more movable tire building drums;
• moving each of the tire building drums longitudinally forward into one of the three or more work stations;
• stopping each of the tire building drums within its respective work station after the drum reference point moves longitudinally forward past the work station longitudinal reference point;
• and
• moving each tire building drum longitudinally rearward until the drum reference point abuts against the work station longitudinal reference point to precisely position each of the tire building drums longitudinally within its respective work station;
• providing the work station longitudinal reference point of eash of the three or more work stations upon a surface of an intake server located at each of the three or more work stations for operating the tire building drums;
• and
• providing the drum reference point of each of the three or more movable tire building drums upon a surface of each of the three or more movable tire building drums;
• and
• further comprising the steps of:
• moving the three or more intake servers at each of the work stations from a normally retracted position outward across the working axis into a position to couple the intake servers to the tire building drums located at the work stations;
• and
• using the intake servers for moving the tire building drums longitudinally rearward until the drum reference point abuts against the work station longitudinal reference point.