Rodolfo

Jul 07, 2023

AKRON—A maker of machinery utilized in the tire, rubber and plastics industries is celebrating its 140th anniversary by doing something to help ensure its future—marketing a new patented technology for calendering equipment used in tire production.

Rodolfo Comerio s.r.l.—based in Solbiate Olana, Italy—is the oldest company in the world manufacturing calendering equipment for rubber, according to Nicola Fedele, the firm's sales and marketing manager.

And while the machinery maker has planned a gathering at its factory for workers before Christmas and held a special event at an exhibition in Milan with customers and suppliers, he said the new calendering technology is an even more appropriate way to mark the milestone.

The new calendering technology reduces the thickness of the sheet and provides stronger penetration of the rubber into the textile and steel material, reducing cost by cutting down scrap, according to Fedele. He discussed the project and the company during the recent International Tire Exhibition & Conference, held recently in Akron.

Gasparino Locarno, Rodolfo's sales manager for the rubber industry, said the patented know-how facilitates shifting of the roll in the calender. It provides for a smooth approach to place the roll in the best position for the highest accuracy.

The Italian firm said the new technology—under development for about the past 1½ years and already in use by some customers—will be applied in all calenders for the production of material in tire processing where the best accuracy and highest repeatability are required. The machine has a first adjustment device that comprises a position control system and is able to displace a movable working roll, according to an adjustment direction, Fedele said. The roll can be moved from or toward the other working roll to adjust the gap.

Consequently the thrust between the counter-roll and the working roll is regulated to obtain the desired plasticization and calendering of the elastomer. It is aimed at manufacturing elastomer-coated laminated products such as rubberized fabric and steel cord.

Fedele said the technology already is in use in several calenders that have resulted in successful production for the customer. He said there has been good feedback on the product, and some customers even have asked if the technology can be retrofitted into existing calenders, but he said that's not possible as it's necessary to design in the needed space.

This evolution of Rodolfo's technology may open up some new markets for the Italian firm as well, as there is work underway to design a two-roll mill with a different method for shifting the rolls. Fedele said it will be ready for testing within the next several months, and will be for use with tires and compounds in general.

While business in the tire market has been rising, Rodolfo also has significant business in non-tire areas as well. It produces a calendering line for polyvinyl chloride, and has a patent to produce a calendering and lamination machine to produce flooring, according to Fedele.

He added the firm is working at designing a new technology in the rubber industry related not to calendering, but to pre- and post-calender operation, something that may be ready sometime in 2019.

Locarno said the equipment maker also has applications for conveyor belting, where the technology allows production of multiple layers of belting, and the material for the belt is put completely in-line to go for curing. Rodolfo also has products for use in manufacturing of printing blankets, life rafts, folding bellows and air springs. He said many can be produced with rubber only, or rubber laminated with fabric.

As Rodolfo Comerio moves ahead with its future growth plans, it continues to bring new generations of the family into the fold. Carlo Comerio is managing director and Rico Comerio is president. Carlo is among the fourth generation of the family in the business, and he is Fedele's step-father, making him fifth generation.

The equipment firm is located near the Milan airport, and Fedele said the company last year renovated the factory and offices, refurbishing the workshop, machinery, flooring and other areas to provide a better working environment for staff.

It also has purchased land adjacent to its current factory to allow for design and construction of a second production unit to support new projects. He said the firm postponed the project a bit because the firm was too busy, but may start to build next year. The company had published the project would cover more than 250,000 square feet at an investment of more than $11 million.

Revenue for Rodolfo Comerio has roughly tripled over the last five years, with 2017 checking in at about $52.6 million, according to company data.

"We have opened new markets in flooring and we have expanded our markets in tires and rubber, so the customers appreciate our technology and our behavior," Fedele said, "so when the technology is good, you are rewarded by the customer."

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