DEVICE FOR FEEDING HOT EXTRUDED TIRE TREAD PORTIONS DIRECTLY TO AN AUTOMOTIVE TIRE BUILDING MACHINE

A method and device for feeding hot portions (4) of extruded tire tread (3) directly to a tire building machine (5), whereby tread portions (4) of given length, obtained by cutting a tread (3) produced continuously by an extruder (2) at a first speed (V1), are fed successively to the tire building machine (5), with no distortion or stretching and at a second speed (V2) differing from the first (V1), by means of a feed device (1) having an input conveyor (11) for receiving the continuous tread (3) at the first speed (V1) and feeding it through a cutting station (12) to an output conveyor (17) at least equal in length to the tread portion (4). During each cycle for feeding each tread portion (4) to the tire building machine (5), the output conveyor (17) undergoes at least four variations in speed, so as to assume, at least once, a speed substantially equal to zero, and three different traveling speeds (V1, V2, V3), of which two (V1, V2) are equal to the first (V1) and second (V2) speed respectively.