Method and plant for manufacturing tyres for vehicle wheels

A plant for manufacturing tyres for vehicle wheels comprising:

• a) a building station for building a substantially cylindrical carcass structure comprising at least one carcass ply operatively associated with annular anchoring structures axially spaced apart from each other;
• b) a finishing station for manufacturing a substantially cylindrical sleeve comprising a tread band applied at a radially outer position with respect to a belt structure comprising at least one belt layer, said finishing station comprising:
• b1) a first auxiliary drum;
• b2) a second auxiliary drum;
• b3) a turret-like displacing apparatus adapted to slidably support said auxiliary drums and to position said auxiliary drums at a first working position wherein said belt structure is assembled, at a second working position wherein said tread band is applied, and at a picking position of said substantially cylindrical sleeve;
• the first and said second working positions being angularly offset with respect to one another within the finishing station, wherein the turret-like displacing apparatus comprises a supporting carriage slidably mounted on a rotatable supporting platform of the turret-like displacing apparatus;
• and
• b4) at least two delivery members for delivering a first and a second continuous elongated element, respectively, of green elastomeric material, the delivery members being arranged at said second working position for operatively interacting with one of said auxiliary drums,
• wherein the turret-like displacing apparatus further comprises at least one drum translating unit adapted to carry out controlled relative displacements between one of the auxiliary drums and the delivery members to form with said first and second continuous elongated elements a plurality of contiguous circumferential coils, the translating unit further adapted to translate one of said auxiliary drums between said working positions or said picking position and a stand-by position, the stand-by position being defined between said working positions or picking position and a rotation axis of the displacing apparatus, and defined within an outer perimeter of the rotatable supporting platform;
• and
• c) at least one transfer device of the substantially cylindrical sleeve manufactured in the finishing station adapted to operatively interact with one of said auxiliary drums at said picking position for transferring said substantially cylindrical sleeve at a radially outer position with respect to a carcass structure built in the building station.