Commercializing innovative laser prototyping technology

The laser ablation technology developed by Jenoptik answers a key trend in the tire industry.  With an increasing product diversity and shorter product development cycles, the production of design samples and pre-production tires is essential. The production of dedicated molds by CNC milling or 3D printing usually takes place at a later stage of development. Therefore, for unique products in the early development phase, functional samples are often produced in quantities below five. However, carving with hot knives is a cost-intensive and time-consuming manual process with technical limits.

The new prototyping machines from 4JET with integrated JenScan Tire technology from Jenoptik allow both treads and sidewalls to be machined true to size and almost fully automatically from CAD data. Pulsed laser processing removes material precisely and with minimal heat impact on the tire. Both non-contact processing and powerful extraction require no post-processing. The novel laser machines can produce several hundred prototypes per year, meeting the growing needs of typical tire manufacturers’ development centers. Optional upgrades allow prototypes to be marked with QR codes or other tracking information. In a further expansion stage, the system can be supplemented with optics for laser-induced ‘shark skins’.

The collaboration between the two companies includes worldwide marketing of the technology through the 4JET Group’s global sales organization. This does not affect Jenoptik’s existing customers, who will continue to be served by their familiar contacts.

Florian Schreiber, Vice President Sales for Tire Machines at 4JET Group comments, “Jenoptik’s technology is the perfect complement to our portfolio for laser-based tire manufacturing systems. As a supplier to almost all leading tire manufacturers, we can make this technology available worldwide and support it through our regional sales and service structures.”

“We are glad to have a strong partner at our side. Through this cooperation, our division gains access to key contacts and decision makers in the tire industry through 4JET’s existing network. In particular, we are involved in prototype production for the pre-development of future tires, where, for example, the development process for CO2 reduction and rolling resistance reduction as well as other parameters can be significantly accelerated. This partnership is a win-win situation for both our companies and complements 4JET’s range of laser applications,” said Julio Javier Frank, Vice President Sales at Jenoptik’s Light & Production division.