Process and apparatus for manufacturing tyres for vehicle wheels

An apparatus for deposition of an annular reinforcing structure in a building step of a carcass structure of a tyre for vehicle wheels, the carcass structure comprising a carcass ply with associated annular anchoring structures, one at each axially opposite end, said carcass ply laying on a forming support, comprising:

• a device for feeding a continuous reinforced band-like element;
• a cutting unit of the continuous reinforced band-like element;
• a device for picking up reinforcing elements cut to size from the continuous reinforced band-like element, the pick up device being configured to alternately move clockwise and counterclockwise around a pick up axis and comprising a first arm and a second arm, the first arm being configured to move a first reinforcing element from the cutting unit toward a first end edge of the carcass ply when the pick up device moves clockwise around the pick up axis, and the second arm configured to move a second reinforcing element from the cutting unit toward a second end edge of the carcass ply axially opposite said first end edge when the pick up device moves counterclockwise around the pick up axis;
• a first positioning member pivotably movable between the pick up device and the first end edge of the carcass ply around a first-positioning axis parallel to the pick up axis, the first positioning member being adapted to take the first reinforcing element from the pick up device, pivot around the first-positioning axis, and deposit the first reinforcing element on the first end edge of the carcass ply;
• and
• a second positioning member pivotably movable between the pick up device and the second end edge of the carcass ply around a second-positioning axis parallel to the pick up axis, the second positioning member being adapted to take the second reinforcing element from the pick up device, pivot around the second-positioning axis, and deposit the second reinforcing element on the second end edge of the carcass ply.