Apparatus for making reinforcement ply material

An apparatus for making reinforcement ply material wherein reinforcement elements are grouped in untwisted sets and adjacent reinforcement elements in the same set are spaced apart a distance less than the distance between adjacent sets. The apparatus includes an extruder and a die head into which the extruder extrudes an elastomeric material. The die head defines a die throat and includes a guide insert which guides the reinforcement elements into the die throat. The guide insert has passages through which the reinforcement elements pass and which are arranged in a pattern corresponding to the arrangement of the reinforcement elements in the reinforced ply material.