TIRE MOLD

A tire mold (1) is disclosed comprising a tread mold portion (3) which is divided in a tire circumferential direction into a plurality of mold segments (15), each mold segment (15) having transverse edges (19, 21) and being movable in a respective operation direction (OD) between (i) an opened position, in which the mold segments (15) are spaced from each other, and (ii) a closed position, in which two neighboring mold segments (15) are in contact with each other by one of their transverse edges (19, 21), with each of the mold segments (15) comprising a plurality of blades for molding laterally extending sipes on a tire tread surface. At least a first one of said mold segments (15) has laterally extending blades (31) located at a first transverse edge (19), and at least a second one of said mold segments (15) neighboring said first one of said mold segments (15) has laterally extending blades (33) located at a second transverse edge (21) adjacent to the first transverse edge (19) of the first one of said mold segments (15). The laterally extending blades located at the first transverse edge (19) of the first one of said mold segments (15) interlock between the laterally extending blades located at the second transverse edge (21) of the second one of said mold segments (15) when the mold segments (15) are in the closed position.