Tire Mold Maintenance: Wheel Efficiency Back to the Mold Shop.
- Silvio Ruiu

- Sep 6, 2023
- 1 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Mold (or Mould) cleaning is a mandatory task in tire production, split into two phases:
On-Press Refresh: Quick cycles between vulcanizing to keep production moving.
Deep Maintenance (Mold Shop): Full-cycle cleaning as part of a scheduled maintenance program to ensure long-term mold integrity.

The Evolution: Wheel Blasting vs. Modern Design.
In the past, wheel blasters (turbine systems) were the gold standard due to their consistency and efficiency. However, as mold designs evolved—introducing spring vents and complex air escape systems—traditional wheel blasting was largely pushed out of the business, as the process could not cope with these delicate features.
The Media is the Tool A blaster is merely the propeller and control system; the media is the real tool. In the last decade, abrasive media technology has seen a massive evolution. This shift changes the technical boundaries of what can be achieved in the mold shop by an efficient wheelblaster.

The Wheel Blaster:
Wheel blaster provides two objective characteristics:
Consistency: which allows for fully standardizable processes.
Low OPEX: significantly reducing the cost per cleaned unit.
The direct consequence of low OPEX is a more favorable TCO compared with other technologies, impacting EBITDA. However, due to the large amount of variables involved—from local liabilities with chemicals to specific mold designs—a dedicated technical analysis is mandatory to calculate real numbers. Napkin math is not enough.
If you wanna make some real calculus contact here.


