Rolling air spring pre-forming machine

An inflatable rolling air spring is not wound to its final shape. It has to be pre-formed first, so that the material sits where the mold expects it when the cure starts. Skipping or rushing this step shows up later as wall thickness variation, and wall thickness variation is a fatigue problem.

This machine performs that pre-forming step under automation control, using pneumatic and mechanical drives to bring the part to shape ahead of vulcanization. It covers products up to 300 mm diameter with one to three convolutions.

Because the cycle is controlled rather than hand-judged, the press downstream receives the same starting geometry every time — which is what makes the cure result repeatable rather than something a plant has to inspect its way out of.