Method for mounting a pneumatic tire

A method for mounting a pneumatic tire on a well base rim of a motor vehicle wheel comprising the steps of:

• providing a robotic manipulator having an articulated arm movable in at least three spatial directions and a gripper mounted to the arm so as to be rotatable about at least two axes, the gripper comprising a support and a plurality of gripper fingers mounted on the support;
• controlling the movement of said gripper;
• providing a mounting station placed in the working range of said robotic manipulator;
• conveying a well base rim to said mounting station and fixing said rim in said mounting station by a clamping device;
• conveying a pneumatic tire associated with said rim into the working range of said robotic manipulator, the pneumatic tire having a first tire bead and a second tire bead;
• grasping said pneumatic tire at its outer tread using said gripper;
• and
• wherein the tire is held at the outer tread by said gripper accomplishing only by controlled movement of said gripper holding said pneumatic tire the steps of moving said gripper to said mounting station and swiveling said gripper relative to the articulated arm thereby moving said pneumatic tire into an oblique position inclined relative to said rim, advancing said gripper to said rim fixed in said mounting station, and lowering said pneumatic tire onto the rim so that one rim flange penetrates partly into an opening of at least the first tire bead facing said rim, swiveling said gripper so as to reduce the inclination of the tire relative to said rim and further advancing said gripper to said rim thereby slipping at least the first tire bead completely over the one rim flange;
• and
• mounting the second tire bead over the one rim flange.