DE202022102642U1 - Valve opening device, laser cleaning device and mold processing assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

Device (100) for opening a valve (102) of a ventilation opening (104) of a mold segment (106) for molding and/or vulcanizing rubber, the ventilation opening (104) being formed by a part (108) of the mold segment (106) is limited,
wherein the device (100) is configured to irradiate the valve (102) with laser radiation (110) to open the valve (102), and
wherein the laser radiation (110) is a cw laser radiation or a pulsed laser radiation with a pulse duration greater than 200 ns.

Description

TECHNICAL AREA

The present disclosure relates to the field of treating molds for rubber, particularly tire molds.

BACKGROUND

Molds for the molding and vulcanization of rubber, such as tire molds, require regular maintenance to ensure the mold functions as desired, thereby ensuring the desired production of a rubber article (e.g., a tire).

the DE 10 2013 220 066 B3 discloses a method of cleaning a surface of a cavity in a tire mold or in a tire.

SUMMARY

Mold segments of a mold for molding and/or vulcanizing rubber can have valves, in particular valves which ensure the entry of gases (e.g. air) into the mold and/or the exit of gases from the mold while preventing the exit of rubber or to reduce.

After the mold segment has been used (for example after several molding processes and/or several vulcanization processes), these valves can be sluggish or immobile and thus no longer provide the desired function. After the valve is closed during the molding and/or vulcanization process of a rubber molding, the valves may not open after the molding is removed from the mold.

In view of the situation described above, there is a need for a technique that allows opening a valve of a vent opening of a mold segment while substantially avoiding one or more of the problems identified above.

This need is met by the independent claims. Some advantageous embodiments are specified in the dependent claims.

According to a first aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein, an apparatus for opening a valve of a vent opening of a mold segment is provided.

According to an embodiment of the first aspect, there is provided a device for opening a valve of an air vent of a mold segment for molding and/or vulcanizing rubber, the air vent being delimited by a part of the mold segment adjacent to the valve, the device being configured to Opening the valve to irradiate the valve with a laser beam, and wherein the laser beam is a cw laser beam or a pulsed laser beam with a pulse duration greater than 200 ns.

According to a second aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein, a laser cleaning device is provided.

According to an embodiment of the second aspect there is provided a laser cleaning device comprising a device according to the first aspect or at least one embodiment thereof, wherein the laser cleaning device is configured to clean the mold segment.

According to a third aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein, a mold processing assembly is provided.

According to an embodiment of the third aspect, there is provided a mold processing assembly, the mold processing assembly comprising: a mold segment for molding and/or vulcanizing rubber, the mold segment having a vent and a valve for the vent; and a device according to the first aspect or at least one embodiment thereof.

According to a fourth aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein, a method is provided.

According to an embodiment of the fourth aspect, there is provided a method for opening a valve of a vent opening of a mold segment for molding and/or vulcanizing rubber, the vent opening being delimited by a part of the mold segment adjacent to the valve, the method comprising: irradiating the valve with laser radiation to thereby open the valve;
the laser radiation being cw laser radiation (cw=continuous wave, ie continuous laser radiation) or pulsed laser radiation with a pulse duration greater than 200 ns.

According to a fifth aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein, there is provided a computer program product.

According to an embodiment of the fifth aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising a program element, which program element, when executed on a processor device, controls a method according to the fourth aspect or at least one embodiment thereof.

According to a sixth aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein, there is provided a mold segment.

According to an embodiment of the sixth aspect, there is provided a mold segment adapted for molding and/or vulcanizing rubber, the mold segment comprising: a valve; and a vent opening defined by a portion of the mold segment adjacent the valve; wherein the valve has a temper color corresponding to a temperature of at least 250 °C.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

While certain disadvantages of prior technologies are noted herein, the claimed subject matter should not be limited to implementations that address some or all of the noted disadvantages of prior technologies. Furthermore, while certain advantages of the subject matter disclosed herein are mentioned or implied in the present disclosure, the claimed subject matter is not intended to be limited to implementations having some or all of those advantages.

Embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein relate to an apparatus for opening a valve of a vent opening of a mold segment. According to one embodiment, the device is configured to irradiate the valve with laser radiation in order to open the valve.

In one embodiment, the vent opening is defined by a portion of the mold segment adjacent the valve. As used herein, the term "adjacent" includes at least the meanings of "adjacent" and "contiguous".

Embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein further relate to a laser cleaning apparatus having a valve opening apparatus as described herein. According to one embodiment, the laser cleaning device is further configured to clean the mold segment.

Embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein further relate to a mold processing assembly comprising a mold segment for molding and/or vulcanizing rubber, the mold segment having a vent and a valve for the vent; and a device for opening the valve according to one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein.

Embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein further relate to a method of opening a valve of a vent opening of a mold segment. In one embodiment, the vent opening is defined by a portion of the mold segment adjacent the valve. According to a further embodiment, the method comprises irradiating the valve with laser radiation in order to thereby open the valve.

Embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein further relate to a mold segment. According to one embodiment, the mold segment has a valve and a vent opening defined by a portion of the mold segment adjacent to the valve. According to a further embodiment, the valve has a tempering color that corresponds to a temperature of at least 250°C. In other words, according to one embodiment, the tempering color of the valve proves that the valve has been heated to a temperature of at least 250°C. In other words, according to one embodiment, the valve having the temper color was opened with an apparatus or method according to corresponding embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein.

According to one embodiment, the laser radiation is cw laser radiation or pulsed laser radiation with a pulse duration greater than 200 ns.

According to one embodiment, the mold segment is provided for molding and/or vulcanizing rubber. According to a further embodiment, the mold segment is part of a mold which is intended for the molding and/or vulcanization of rubber. According to one embodiment, the mold segment is part of a tire mold which is provided for molding and/or vulcanizing a tire, in particular a rubber tire.

At least some of the aspects and embodiments of the subject matters disclosed herein are based on the idea that a valve of a ventilation opening of a mold segment can be opened by irradiation with a suitable laser radiation.

According to one embodiment, the valve is designed for gases (e.g. air) to enter the mold segment through the ventilation opening. According to a further embodiment, the valve is designed for the escape of gases (for example air) through the ventilation opening from the mold segment. According to a further embodiment, the valve is designed to prevent or reduce the escape of rubber through the ventilation opening from the mold segment.

According to one embodiment, the valve is configured such that the valve is mechanically closed by the rubber (e.g. tire rubber) and opened by a biasing element (e.g. spring) upon removal of the rubber. The spring is also referred to herein as an engineering spring and, according to one embodiment, is configured to deform elastically upon application of a force and to provide a restoring force that opposes the applied force.

According to one embodiment, the opening movement of the valve, which is to be opened by means of the device, is prevented or restricted by a contaminant, for example a contaminant made of rubber.

According to one embodiment, the mold segment forms at least part of a tire mold. For example, according to one embodiment, a tire mold is formed from multiple mold segments.

According to one embodiment, the device is configured to create a temperature difference between the valve and the adjacent part of the mold segment. For example, according to one embodiment, the apparatus is configured to heat the valve to a first temperature upon exposure to the laser radiation and to heat the adjacent portion of the mold segment to a second temperature upon exposure to the laser radiation. According to one embodiment, the first temperature is higher than the second temperature.

According to one embodiment, the device is configured to heat the valve to at least 250°C. For example, according to one embodiment, the device is configured to provide laser irradiation of the valve that heats the valve to a temperature of at least 250°C. According to a further embodiment, the device is configured to achieve a temperature difference between the first temperature and the second temperature of at least 100°C.

According to one embodiment, the device is configured to direct the laser radiation onto the valve and/or the adjacent part of the mold segment, whereby the valve heats up more than the part of the mold segment adjacent to the valve. According to one embodiment, the valve heats up to a temperature that is more than 100 Kelvin higher than a temperature of the adjacent part of the mold segment. In other words, according to one embodiment, the first temperature is more than 100°C higher than the second temperature.

According to one embodiment, the device is configured to perform the irradiation of the valve and the adjacent part of the mold segment with the same laser parameters. In other words, according to one embodiment, the irradiation of the mold segment with the laser radiation takes place independently of whether the laser radiation is directed onto the valve or onto the adjoining part of the mold segment.

• - unterschiedliche Absorption der Laserstrahlung durch das Ventil und durch den an das Ventil angrenzenden Teil des Formsegments;
• - Unterschiedliche spezifische Wärmekapazität des Ventils und des angrenzenden Teils des Formsegments;
• - unterschiedliche absolute Wärmekapazität des Ventils und des angrenzenden Teils des Formsegments.

According to one embodiment, the increased heating of the valve over the heating of the adjacent portion of the mold segment is based on at least one of the following principles:

• - different absorption of the laser radiation by the valve and by the part of the mold segment adjacent to the valve;
• - Different specific heat capacity of the valve and the adjacent part of the mold segment;
• - different absolute heat capacity of the valve and the adjacent part of the mold segment.

According to one embodiment, the mold segment, and in particular the valve and adjacent portion of the mold segment, is configured to allow differential heating of the valve and adjacent portion of the mold segment using the principles set forth above. For example, according to one embodiment, the valve has a first absorption coefficient for the laser radiation and the adjacent part of the mold segment has a second absorption coefficient for the laser radiation, the first absorption coefficient being greater than the second absorption coefficient.

Further in accordance with one embodiment, the valve has a first specific heat and the adjacent portion of the mold segment has a second specific heat, the first specific heat being less than the second specific heat. For example, according to one embodiment, this is Valve formed from steel and the adjacent mold segment from aluminium.

Further in accordance with one embodiment, the valve has a first absolute heat capacity and the adjacent portion of the mold segment has a second absolute heat capacity, the first absolute heat capacity being less than the second absolute heat capacity. For example, according to one embodiment, the valve has a first material gauge (i.e., a first caliper) and the adjacent portion of the warped mold segment has a second material caliper (i.e., a second caliper), the first material caliper being less than the second material caliper.

According to one embodiment, the irradiation with the laser radiation is configured (i.e. the irradiation with the laser radiation is performed in such a way) as to heat the valve homogeneously, while the heating of the mold segment is carried out inhomogeneously.

It is noted that according to one embodiment, the irradiation of the valve and the adjacent part of the mold segment does not create a thermodynamic equilibrium state, at least not in the mold segment. Thus, according to one embodiment, the greater heating of the valve versus the heating of the adjacent portion of the mold segment is due to the different dynamics of heating. For example, in the case of very short laser pulses, the penetration depth of the heat could be so small that the material thickness of the valve and the mold segment plays only a minor role in heating the valve and the mold segment.

According to one embodiment, the device is configured to carry out the irradiation locally on the valve with different laser parameters than on the adjacent part of the mold segment. According to a further embodiment, the device is configured to locally irradiate the valves with the laser radiation. For example, the local irradiation of the valves can take place in such a way that the adjoining part of the mold segment is not irradiated with the laser radiation or only to a small extent. In other words, according to one embodiment, the valve is selectively irradiated with the laser radiation.

• - eine Wellenlänge in einem Bereich zwischen 0,5 µm und 10 µm (beispielsweise zwischen 1 und 1,2 µm, beispielsweise 1 µm), beispielsweise 1030 nm oder 1064 nm (µm = Mikrometer; nm = Nanometer);
• - eine Rayleighlänge in einem Bereich zwischen 10 mm und 200 mm (beispielsweise 10 mm bis 100 mm (mm = Millimeter) - gemäß einer weiteren Ausführungsform liegt die Rayleighlänge in einem Bereich zwischen 20 mm bis 60 mm, beispielsweise bei 40 mm;
• - eine Flächenleistung in einem Bereich zwischen 2 und 50 kW/cm²;
• - ein Strahlprofil der Laserstrahlung ist ein Tophat Profil.

According to one embodiment, the laser radiation for opening the valve has at least one of the following laser parameters:

• - a wavelength in a range between 0.5 µm and 10 µm (for example between 1 and 1.2 µm, for example 1 µm), for example 1030 nm or 1064 nm (µm = micrometer; nm = nanometer);
• - a Rayleigh length in a range between 10 mm and 200 mm (for example 10 mm to 100 mm (mm=millimeters)) - according to a further embodiment the Rayleigh length is in a range between 20 mm and 60 mm, for example 40 mm;
• - a surface performance in a range between 2 and 50 kW/cm ² ;
• - a beam profile of the laser radiation is a top hat profile.

According to one embodiment, the laser for generating the laser radiation is a laser with pulse durations in the millisecond range (1 ms to 1000 ms), for example with a wavelength λ of less than 5 micrometers (λ<5 μm). According to one embodiment, the laser is configured to generate quasi-continuous laser radiation, for example laser radiation with a pulse duration d of more than 100 milliseconds (d>100 ms). According to one embodiment, the laser is a fiber-guided laser (guided over an optical fiber). According to another embodiment, the laser is a solid state laser, or a neodymium (Nd) or ytterbium (Yb) doped yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) laser.

According to one embodiment, the device is configured to identify an unopened valve, wherein the valve that is opened by the device is the identified valve. For example, according to one embodiment, the device is configured to identify all unopened valves of the mold segment, wherein the device is further configured to open the unopened valves by exposure to the laser radiation. At this point it is pointed out that according to one embodiment the mold can have several thousand valves. According to an embodiment, the opening of the unopened valves can be done automatically based on the identification of the unopened valves. According to one embodiment, the unopened valves can be irradiated selectively only by irradiating the unopened valves. According to a further embodiment, the device can be configured to irradiate the adjacent part of the mold segment in addition to the unopened valve. In this way, the laser radiation can be positioned on the unopened valve with greater positioning inaccuracies, but at the expense of a smaller temperature difference between the valve and the adjacent part of the mold segment.

According to a further embodiment, the identification and a corresponding Device can be dispensed with by irradiating the entire mold segment or only those parts of the mold segment for which there is a higher probability that there are unopened valves, such as in parts of the mold segment in which, when the mold is closed, the unvulcanized tire falls laterally over the Form segment surface is pushed.

According to one embodiment, the device is configured to generate the temperature difference independent of a state of the valve. For example, according to one embodiment, the device is configured to generate the temperature difference regardless of whether the valve is in an open or a closed state. The mold segment has a plurality of valves and the device is configured to generate, for each valve of the plurality of valves, the temperature difference between the valve and its adjacent part of the mold segment independently of a state of the valve. According to one embodiment, this can be done, for example, by irradiating all valves with the laser radiation, regardless of a state of the valves.

According to one embodiment, the device (for opening a valve) is part of a laser cleaning device. For example, according to one embodiment, the generation of the temperature difference can advantageously be combined with the cleaning of the mold (or the mold segment). For example, a laser cleaning device may be configured to be operable with laser parameters according to embodiments disclosed herein to thereby open closed valves. For this purpose, the laser cleaning device can have the device for opening the valve as a separate device. According to a further embodiment, the laser cleaning device can be configured as a device for opening the valve. For example, according to one embodiment, the laser cleaning device is configurable (e.g., in terms of laser parameters) to emit laser radiation onto the mold segment according to embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein.

According to one embodiment, the laser radiation is irradiated over an entire area of the mold segment that has valves. This has the advantage that it is not necessary to identify the valves or even to identify the closed valves, rather the mold segment (or the mold as a whole) is irradiated with the laser radiation and constant laser parameters and the closed valves are opened.

In one embodiment, the mold is a tire mold and the mold segment is a mold segment of a tire mold. According to one embodiment, the laser cleaning device is configured to clean an entire tire mold. In other words, according to one embodiment, the cleaning device is configured to clean the mold segment while it is assembled with at least one other mold segment to form the tire mold.

• - das Öffnen des Ventils und die Reinigung des Formsegmentes erfolgen zeitlich nacheinander, beispielsweise erfolgt das Öffnen des Ventils zeitlich nach der Reinigung des Formsegmentes;
• - mindestens eines von Laserquelle, Laserstrahlweg, Galvoscanner, Prozesskopf (hierin auch als Laserkopf bezeichnet) wird sowohl zur Reinigung des Formsegmentes als zum Öffnen des Ventils verwendet;
• - beim Öffnen des Ventils wird die Pulsdauer gegenüber dem Reinigen des Formsegmentes um mindestens einen Faktor 2 erhöht (beispielsweise mindestens um den Faktor 5 oder, gemäß anderer Ausführungsform mindestens um den Faktor 10);
• - von gepulstem Laserbetrieb beim Reinigen des Formsegments wird auf ungepulsten Laserbetrieb beim Öffnen des Ventils umgeschaltet;
• - beim Öffnen des Ventils ist der Flächeninhalt des von der Laserstrahlung gleichzeitig bestrahlten Teils der Oberfläche des Formsegmentes gegenüber dem Reinigen des Formsegmentes um einen Faktor von mindestens 2 vergrößert, beispielsweise um einen Faktor von mindestens 5, beispielsweise um einen Faktor von mindestens 10. Diese Vergrößerung der von der Laserstrahlung gleichzeitig bestrahlten Fläche wird gemäß einer Ausführungsform dadurch erreicht, dass für das Öffnen der Ventile die Laserstrahlung (der Laserstrahl) außerhalb des Fokus betrieben wird. Mit anderen Worten wird gemäß einer Ausführungsform zum Öffnen der Ventile der Fokus der Laserstrahlung mit Abstand von der Oberfläche des Formsegments, in welcher die Ventile angeordnet sind, positioniert. Das Positionieren des Fokus der Laserstrahlung relativ zu der Oberfläche des Formsegments kann beispielsweise durch Positionieren von mindestens einem von Prozesskopfes, Fokusposition längs eines Abstrahlweges der Laserstrahlung und Formsegment erfolgen. Gemäß einer Ausführungsform kann zum Öffnen der Ventile eine Strahltaille der Laserstrahlung vergrößert werden.

According to one embodiment, the laser cleaning device is configured to effect at least one of the following:

• - The opening of the valve and the cleaning of the mold segment take place one after the other, for example the opening of the valve takes place after the cleaning of the mold segment;
• - at least one of laser source, laser beam path, galvo scanner, process head (also referred to herein as laser head) is used both for cleaning the mold segment and for opening the valve;
• When the valve is opened, the pulse duration is increased by at least a factor of 2 compared to cleaning the mold segment (for example at least by a factor of 5 or, according to another embodiment, at least by a factor of 10);
• - Switching from pulsed laser operation when cleaning the mold segment to non-pulsed laser operation when opening the valve;
• When the valve is opened, the surface area of the part of the surface of the mold segment that is simultaneously irradiated by the laser radiation is increased by a factor of at least 2 compared to cleaning the mold segment, for example by a factor of at least 5, for example by a factor of at least 10. This increase according to one embodiment, the area simultaneously irradiated by the laser radiation is achieved in that the laser radiation (the laser beam) is operated outside the focus for opening the valves. In other words, according to one embodiment, to open the valves, the focus of the laser radiation is positioned at a distance from the surface of the mold segment in which the valves are arranged. The focus of the laser radiation can be positioned relative to the surface of the mold segment, for example, by positioning at least one of the process head, focus position along an emission path of the laser radiation, and mold segment. According to one execution shape, a beam waist of the laser radiation can be enlarged to open the valves.

According to one embodiment, the path of the laser radiation over the mold segment for opening the valves is at least partially automatically determined with the laser cleaning device from the path of movement of the cleaning radiation over the mold segment for cleaning the mold segment. For example, the same way as for cleaning the mold segment could be used to open the valves, whereby, according to one embodiment, to open the valves, a switch is made from pulsed to non-pulsed laser operation, for example, the pulse duration is increased in pulsed laser operation and/or the area of the Laser radiation simultaneously irradiated area is increased.

Such an increase in area could be effected, for example, by increasing the beam waist of the laser beam. Alternatively, the location of the focus along the emission path of the laser radiation could also be shifted in order to allow the laser radiation to impinge on the mold segment outside of its focus.

According to another embodiment, the laser cleaning device is configured to detect closed valves after cleaning the mold segment, wherein the valve (which is opened by the laser radiation) is one of the closed valves.

According to another embodiment, the laser cleaning device is configured to signal an operator that at least one closed valve has been detected. According to a further embodiment, the position of the closed valve is displayed to the operator.

According to embodiments of the first aspect, the device is configured to provide the functionality of one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein and/or to provide the functionality as required for one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein, in particular the embodiments of the first aspect, the the second aspect, the third aspect, the fourth aspect, the fifth aspect and/or the sixth aspect.

According to embodiments of the second aspect, the laser cleaning device is configured to provide the functionality of one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein and/or to provide the functionality as required for one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein, in particular the embodiments of the first aspect, the the second aspect, the third aspect, the fourth aspect, the fifth aspect and/or the sixth aspect.

According to embodiments of the third aspect, the mold processing arrangement is configured to provide the functionality of one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein and/or to provide the functionality as required for one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein, in particular the embodiments of the first aspect, the the second aspect, the third aspect, the fourth aspect, the fifth aspect and/or the sixth aspect.

According to embodiments of the fourth aspect, the method is configured to provide the functionality of one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein and/or to provide the functionality as required for one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein, in particular the embodiments of the first aspect, the the second aspect, the third aspect, the fourth aspect, the fifth aspect and/or the sixth aspect.

According to embodiments of the fifth aspect, the computer program product is configured to provide the functionality of one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein and/or to provide the functionality as required for one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein, in particular the embodiments of the first aspect of the the second aspect, the third aspect, the fourth aspect, the fifth aspect and/or the sixth aspect.

According to embodiments of the sixth aspect, the shape segment is configured to provide the functionality of one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein and/or to provide the functionality as required for one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein, in particular the embodiments of the first aspect, the the second aspect, the third aspect, the fourth aspect, the fifth aspect and/or the sixth aspect.

1. 1. Vorrichtung zum Öffnen eines Ventils einer Lüftungsöffnung eines Formsegmentes zur Formung und/oder Vulkanisation von Gummi, wobei die Lüftungsöffnung durch einen an das Ventil angrenzenden Teil des Formsegments begrenzt ist, wobei die Vorrichtung konfiguriert ist, um zum Öffnen des Ventils das Ventil mit einer Laserstrahlung zu bestrahlen, und wobei die Laserstrahlung eine cw Laserstrahlung oder eine gepulste Laserstrahlung mit einer Pulsdauer größer 200 ns ist.
2. 2. Vorrichtung nach Ausführungsform 1, wobei das Formsegment mindestens einen Teil einer Reifenform bildet.
3. 3. Vorrichtung nach einer der Ausführungsformen 1 oder 2, wobei die Vorrichtung konfiguriert ist, um eine Temperaturdifferenz zwischen dem Ventil und dem angrenzenden Teil des Formsegments zu erzeugen.
4. 4. Vorrichtung nach einer der Ausführungsformen 1 bis 3 wobei die Vorrichtung konfiguriert ist, um die Laserstrahlung auf das Ventil und/oder den angrenzenden Teil des Formsegmentes zu richten, wobei sich das Ventil stärker erwärmt als der an das Ventil angrenzende Teil des Formsegmentes; insbesondere wobei sich das Ventil auf eine Temperatur erwärmt, die um mehr als 100° K höher ist als eine Temperatur des angrenzenden Teils des Formsegmentes.
5. 5. Vorrichtung nach einer der vorhergehenden Ausführungsformen, wobei die Vorrichtung konfiguriert ist, um die Bestrahlung des Ventils und des angrenzenden Teils des Formsegmentes mit denselben Laserparametern durchzuführen.
6. 6. Vorrichtung nach einer der Ausführungsformen 1 bis 4, wobei die Vorrichtung konfiguriert ist, um lokal auf dem Ventil die Bestrahlung mit anderen Laserparametern durchzuführen als auf dem angrenzenden Teil des Formsegmentes.
7. 7. Vorrichtung nach einer der vorhergehenden Ausführungsformen, wobei die Vorrichtung konfiguriert ist, um eine Laserbestrahlung des Ventils zu liefern, welche das Ventil auf eine Temperatur von mindestens 250 °C erwärmt.
8. 8. Vorrichtung nach einer der vorhergehenden Ausführungsformen, wobei die Vorrichtung konfiguriert ist zum Identifizieren eines ungeöffneten Ventils; und wobei das Ventil das identifizierte Ventil ist.
9. 9. Vorrichtung nach einer der Ausführungsformen 3 bis 8, wobei die Vorrichtung konfiguriert ist, um die Temperaturdifferenz zu erzeugen unabhängig von einem Zustand des Ventils.
10. 10. Vorrichtung nach einer der vorhergehenden Ausführungsformen, wobei die Vorrichtung Bestandteil einer Laserreinigungsvorrichtung zur Reinigung eines Formsegmentes ist.
11. 11. Vorrichtung nach einer der vorhergehenden Ausführungsformen, wobei die Laserstrahlung ferner mindestens einen der folgenden Laserparameter aufweist:
    • eine Wellenlänge in einem Bereich zwischen 0,5 µm und 10 µm;
    • eine Rayleighlänge in einem Bereich zwischen 10 mm und 200 mm;
    • eine Flächenleistung in einem Bereich zwischen 2 und 50 kW/cm² ein Strahlprofil der Laserstrahlung ist ein Tophat Profil.
12. 12. Laserreinigungsvorrichtung aufweisend eine Vorrichtung nach einer der Ausführungsformen 1 bis 11, wobei die Laserreinigungsvorrichtung konfiguriert ist, um das Formsegment zu reinigen.
13. 13. Laserreinigungsvorrichtung nach Ausführungsform 12, wobei die Laserreinigungsvorrichtung konfiguriert ist, um mindestens eines von dem folgenden zu bewirken:
    • - das Öffnen des Ventils und die Reinigung des Formsegmentes erfolgen zeitlich nacheinander;
    • - mindestens eines von Laserquelle, Laserstrahlweg, Galvoscanner, Prozesskopf wird sowohl zur Reinigung des Formsegmentes als zum Öffnen des Ventils verwendet;
    • - beim Öffnen des Ventils wird die Pulsdauer gegenüber dem Reinigen des Formsegmentes um mindestens einen Faktor 2 erhöht;
    • - von gepulstem Laserbetrieb beim Reinigen des Formsegments wird auf ungepulsten Laserbetrieb beim Öffnen des Ventils umgeschaltet;
    • - beim Öffnen des Ventils ist der Flächeninhalt des von der Laserstrahlung gleichzeitig bestrahlten Teils der Oberfläche des Formsegmentes gegenüber dem Reinigen des Formsegmentes um einen Faktor von mindestens 2 vergrößert.
14. 14. Laserreinigungsvorrichtung nach einer der Ausführungsformen 12 oder 13, wobei die Laserreinigungsvorrichtung konfiguriert ist zum Ermitteln von geschlossenen Ventilen nach der Reinigung des Formsegments; und wobei das Ventil eines der geschlossenen Ventile ist.
15. 15. Laserreinigungsvorrichtung nach Ausführungsform 14, wobei die Laserreinigungsvorrichtung konfiguriert ist, um einem Bediener zu signalisieren, dass mindestens ein geschlossenes Ventil ermittelt wurde.
16. 16. Formenbearbeitungsanordnung aufweisend ein Formsegment zur Formung und/oder Vulkanisation von Gummi, wobei das Formsegment eine Lüftungsöffnung und ein Ventil für die Lüftungsöffnung aufweist; und eine Vorrichtung gemäß einer der Ausführungsformen 1 bis 11 zum Öffnen des Ventils.
17. 17. Verfahren zum Öffnen eines Ventils einer Lüftungsöffnung eines Formsegmentes zur Formung und/oder Vulkanisation von Gummi, wobei die Lüftungsöffnung durch einen an das Ventil angrenzenden Teil des Formsegments begrenzt ist, das Verfahren aufweisend:
    • Bestrahlen des Ventils mit einer Laserstrahlung, um dadurch das Ventil zu öffnen;
    • wobei die Laserstrahlung eine cw Laserstrahlung oder eine gepulste Laserstrahlung mit einer Pulsdauer größer 200 ns ist.
18. 18. Computerprogrammprodukt aufweisend ein Programmelement welches, wenn es auf einer Prozessorvorrichtung ausgeführt wird, ein Verfahren gemäß Ausführungsform 17 steuert.
19. 19. Formsegment, welches zur Formung und/oder Vulkanisation von Gummi ausgebildet ist, das Formsegment aufweisend:
    • ein Ventil;
    • eine Lüftungsöffnung, welche durch einen an das Ventil angrenzenden Teil des Formsegments begrenzt ist; und
    wobei das Ventil eine Anlauffarbe aufweist, die einer Temperatur von mindestens 250 °C entspricht.

Exemplary implementations of the subject matter disclosed herein include, in particular, the embodiments and combinations of embodiments described below:

1. English A device for opening a valve of an air vent of a mold segment for molding and/or vulcanizing rubber, the vent opening through a part of the mold segment adjacent to the valve is limited, wherein the device is configured to irradiate the valve with a laser radiation to open the valve, and wherein the laser radiation is a cw laser radiation or a pulsed laser radiation with a pulse duration greater than 200 ns.
2. 2. The apparatus of embodiment 1, wherein the mold segment forms at least part of a tire mold.
3. 3. The device according to any one of embodiments 1 or 2, wherein the device is configured to create a temperature difference between the valve and the adjacent part of the mold segment.
4. 4. The device according to any one of embodiments 1 to 3, wherein the device is configured to direct the laser radiation onto the valve and/or the adjacent part of the mold segment, whereby the valve heats up more than the part of the mold segment adjacent to the valve; in particular wherein the valve heats up to a temperature more than 100°K higher than a temperature of the adjacent part of the mold segment.
5. 5. Device according to one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the device is configured to perform the irradiation of the valve and the adjacent part of the mold segment with the same laser parameters.
6. 6. Device according to one of the embodiments 1 to 4, wherein the device is configured to carry out the irradiation locally on the valve with different laser parameters than on the adjoining part of the mold segment.
7. 7. The device of any preceding embodiment, wherein the device is configured to provide laser irradiation of the valve that heats the valve to a temperature of at least 250°C.
8. 8. The device of any preceding embodiment, wherein the device is configured to identify an unopened valve; and wherein the valve is the identified valve.
9. 9. The device according to any one of embodiments 3 to 8, wherein the device is configured to generate the temperature difference independent of a state of the valve.
10. 10. Device according to one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the device is part of a laser cleaning device for cleaning a mold segment.
11. 11. The device according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the laser radiation also has at least one of the following laser parameters:
    • a wavelength in a range between 0.5 µm and 10 µm;
    • a Rayleigh length in a range between 10 mm and 200 mm;
    • a surface power in a range between 2 and 50 kW/cm ² a beam profile of the laser radiation is a top hat profile.
12. 12. A laser cleaning apparatus comprising an apparatus according to any one of embodiments 1 to 11, wherein the laser cleaning apparatus is configured to clean the mold segment.
13. 13. The laser cleaning device of embodiment 12, wherein the laser cleaning device is configured to effect at least one of the following:
    • - the opening of the valve and the cleaning of the mold segment take place one after the other;
    • - at least one of the laser source, laser beam path, galvo scanner, process head is used both for cleaning the mold segment and for opening the valve;
    • - When opening the valve, the pulse duration is increased by at least a factor of 2 compared to cleaning the mold segment;
    • - Switching from pulsed laser operation when cleaning the mold segment to non-pulsed laser operation when opening the valve;
    • When the valve is opened, the surface area of the part of the surface of the mold segment that is simultaneously irradiated by the laser radiation is increased by a factor of at least 2 compared to cleaning the mold segment.
14. 14. The laser cleaning device according to any one of embodiments 12 or 13, wherein the laser cleaning device is configured to detect closed valves after cleaning the mold segment; and wherein the valve is one of the closed valves.
15. 15. The laser cleaning device of embodiment 14, wherein the laser cleaning device is configured to signal an operator that at least one closed valve has been detected.
16. 16 mold processing arrangement comprising a mold segment for molding and / or vulcanization of rubber, wherein the mold segment having a vent and a valve for the vent; and a device according to any one of embodiments 1 to 11 for opening the valve.
17. 17. A method of opening a valve of a vent opening of a mold segment for molding and/or vulcanizing rubber, wherein the vent opening is delimited by a part of the mold segment adjacent to the valve, the method comprising:
    • irradiating the valve with laser radiation to thereby open the valve;
    • wherein the laser radiation is a cw laser radiation or a pulsed laser radiation with a pulse duration greater than 200 ns.
18. 18. A computer program product comprising a program element which, when executed on a processor device, controls a method according to embodiment 17.
19. 19 mold segment, which is designed for molding and / or vulcanization of rubber, having the mold segment:
    • a valve;
    • a vent opening defined by a portion of the mold segment adjacent the valve; and
    wherein the valve has a temper color corresponding to a temperature of at least 250 °C.

According to one embodiment, the program element is a non-transient program element. According to a further embodiment, the computer program product is a non-transient computer program product.

As used herein, reference to a computer program product is considered equivalent to reference to a computer program having a program element and/or a computer-readable medium having a program element. According to one embodiment, a program element comprises instructions for controlling a processor device (having one or more microprocessors, for example a computer system) for effecting and/or coordinating the execution of a method described herein.

The (non-transient) program element may be implemented as computer-readable instruction code using any suitable programming language, such as JAVA, C#, Python, etc., and may be stored on a computer-readable medium (removable disk, volatile or non-volatile memory, embedded memory/processor , etc.) must be saved. According to one embodiment, the instruction code is executable to program a computer or any other programmable processor device to perform the intended functions. The computer program can be available on a network, for example the World Wide Web, from which it can be downloaded, for example.

Suitable components disclosed herein (for example the functionality of the control device) can be implemented using a computer program product (program element) or software. However, the components can also be implemented by one or more specific electronic circuits or hardware. Furthermore, these components can also be in hybrid form, i. H. Realized in a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

Unless otherwise stated, numerical values include a ±5% window, i.e. H. for example, an indication of a pulse duration of 200 ns includes, according to one embodiment, a pulse duration within an interval of (200±5%) ns=[190 ns; 210 ns] and a percentage of 50% includes, according to one embodiment, a percentage within an interval of 50% ± 5% = [47.5%; 52.5%]. According to a further embodiment, numerical values are to be understood as including a ±10% window.

Exemplary embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein are described below, with reference to, for example, a valve opening apparatus, a laser cleaning apparatus, a mold processing assembly, a method, a computer program product, and a mold segment. It should be emphasized that any combination of features of different aspects, embodiments and examples is of course possible. In particular, some embodiments are described with reference to a method, while other embodiments are described with reference to an opening device or a laser cleaning device. Still other embodiments are described with reference to a computer program product, while other embodiments are described with reference to a control device for interacting with elements of the opening device and/or the laser cleaning device. However, those skilled in the art will understand from the foregoing and the following description, claims and drawings that, unless otherwise stated, features of different aspects, embodiments and examples can be combined and such combinations of features are considered by disclosed in this application. For example, even a feature that relates to a method can be combined with a feature that relates to a device, and vice versa.

Additional advantages and features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following exemplary description of currently preferred embodiments, to which, however, the claimed invention is not limited. The individual figures of the drawings in this document are to be regarded as schematic only and are not drawn to scale.

character list

• 1 10 shows an apparatus 100 for opening a valve 102 of a vent opening 104 of a mold segment 106 in accordance with embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein.
• 2 12 shows a top view of the mold segment 106 from FIG 1 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is noted that in different figures similar or identical elements or components are provided with the same reference numbers, or with reference numbers that differ only in the first digit. Such features or components which are the same or at least functionally equivalent to the corresponding features or components in another figure are described in detail only when they first appear in the following text and the description is superseded on subsequent appearances of these features and components (or the corresponding reference numerals) are not repeated.

1 10 shows a mold segment 106 of a mold 107 for molding and vulcanizing rubber. The mold segment 106 has a ventilation opening 104 and a valve 102 for closing the ventilation opening 104 . 1 FIG. 10 further shows a device 100 for opening the valve 102 of the ventilation opening 104 of the mold segment 106, the ventilation opening 104 being limited by a part 108 of the mold segment 106 adjacent to the valve. According to one embodiment, the ventilation opening 104 is formed in a mold segment body 109 of the mold segment 106, for example as in FIG 1 shown. In one embodiment, mold 107 is a tire mold, such as a tire mold for molding and curing a pneumatic vehicle tire. According to one embodiment, the device 100 is configured to emit a laser radiation 110, the laser radiation being a cw laser radiation or a pulsed laser radiation with a pulse duration greater than 200 ns. For example, according to one embodiment, the apparatus 100 includes a radiation source 111 that provides the laser radiation 110 according to embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein and forms a laser spot 113 on the mold segment 106 . The device 100 is further configured to open the valve 102 by exposure to the laser radiation 110 . According to one embodiment, the radiation source 111 is a separate component which is optically connected to a laser head 115, for example via an optical fiber 117, for example as in FIG 1 shown. According to one embodiment (not shown), the radiation source 111 is part of the laser head. According to another embodiment, the radiation source 111 is arranged separately from a laser head.

According to one embodiment, the device 100 is configured to heat the valve 102 more than the adjacent portion 108 of the mold segment 106.

According to one embodiment, the ventilation opening 104 has a bearing surface 112 which, starting from an opening edge 114, tapers into the ventilation opening, for example as in FIG 1 shown. In this manner, as the valve 102 expands relative to the vent opening 104, it is urged in a direction 116 away from the adjacent portion 108 of the mold segment 106. This can make it easier for the laser radiation 110 to open the valve.

According to one embodiment, the bearing surface 112 is conical and closed in the shape of a ring, for example as in FIG 1 shown.

According to one embodiment, the mold segment 106 has a biasing element 118, which biases the valve 102 in an open position, for example in the direction 116, for example as in FIG 1 shown. In other words, a force 120 must be exerted on the valve in order to close the valve 102, for example counter to the direction 116. The prestressing element 118 can be formed, for example, by a spring, for example as schematically in FIG 1 shown.

During use of the tire mold 107 to mold and cure a tire, such as a pneumatic vehicle tire, the force 120 is applied through the tire rubber. If tire rubber then gets between the valve 102 and the mold segment 106 during the vulcanization process, the valve 102 can stick in the ventilation opening 104 . Previously, in such a case, the valve was released mechanically. Through the device 100, it is now possible a closed nes valve 102, in particular a closed valve 102, which is biased by a biasing element in the open position to open by the irradiation with the laser radiation 110.

According to one embodiment, the valve 102 heats up during the irradiation with the laser radiation 110 to a temperature at which the material of the valve 102 tarnishes (for example through the formation of a thin oxide layer) and thus changes color. The tempering color of the valve therefore provides information on a maximum temperature up to which the valve was heated. According to one embodiment, the valve is heated to a temperature of at least 250 degrees with the laser radiation. Consequently, according to another embodiment, a tempering color of the valve corresponds to a temperature of at least 250°C. According to one embodiment, the valve heats up to a temperature that is more than 100° C. higher than the temperature of the adjacent part 108 of the mold segment 106. For example, according to one embodiment, a temperature gradient can develop across the valve, with an edge area 122 of the valve 102, which is opposite the mold segment 106 (e.g. the bearing surface 112 of the mold segment 106), has a lower temperature than a center of the valve 102.

According to one embodiment, the valve 102 is made of steel, while the mold segment 106 (or the mold segment body 109) is made of aluminum. According to another embodiment, the mold segment 106 (or the mold segment body) can also be made of steel. According to one embodiment, the specific laser parameters that are suitable for opening the valve may depend, for example, on the material of the valve, on the material thickness, i. H. the thickness 124 of the valve and/or the absorption coefficient of the valve. Experiments have shown that, in particular, a pulse duration of >200 ns enables the valve to be opened with the laser radiation 110 .

If the apparatus 100 is configured to generate a laser spot 113 which extends beyond the valve 102 and thus also directly heats the adjacent portion 108 of the mold segment 106, the appropriate laser parameters may also depend on the material of the adjacent portion 108 of the mold segment 106, from the material thickness of the adjoining part 108 and/or the absorption coefficient of the adjoining part 108.

According to one embodiment, the device 100 has a control device 126 for controlling the laser radiation 110 (for example for controlling the radiation source 111). According to one embodiment, the controller 126 is further configured to control at least one actuator 128 . According to one embodiment, the at least one actuator 128 is configured to move the device 100 and the mold segment 106 relative to one another, for example to move the laser radiation 110 (or the corresponding laser spot 113) and the mold segment 106 relative to one another, for example as in 1 shown. According to one embodiment, the at least one actuator 128 may include one or more laser head 115 actuators configured to move the laser head 115 relative to the mold segment 106 . According to one embodiment, the at least one actuator comprises an actuator configured to act on at least one optical element of an optical arrangement configured to generate the laser radiation 110 .

According to one embodiment, the device 100 is part of a tire mold cleaning device. For example, according to one embodiment, the device 100 and the controller 126 can be configured to generate a first laser radiation as the laser radiation 110 for opening the valves and to generate a second laser radiation for cleaning the mold segment 106 . In other words, the device 100 may be operable to open the valve 102 by means of the laser radiation 110 and may further be operable to clean the mold 107. In other words, the device 100 can be a cleaning device for cleaning tire molds, which is operable to open the valve 102, or vice versa. It should be understood that generally herein the term “open the valve 102” is equivalent to the term “move the valve 102 from a closed condition to an open condition”. According to one embodiment, the closed state is a state in which the edge region 122 of the valve 102 rests on the bearing surface 112 . According to one embodiment, the open state is a state in which the edge region 122 of the valve 102 is spaced from the bearing surface 112, for example as in FIG 1 shown.

According to one embodiment, it can be provided that the mold 107 or the mold segment 106 is cleaned and the valve 102 is opened after the mold segment 106 has been cleaned. This procedure can be advantageous in particular in an embodiment according to which only closed valves are irradiated with the laser radiation 110 .

According to an embodiment, the laser cleaning device 200 can be configured to detect closed valves. at For example, the laser cleaning device 200 can have a suitable sensor device 129 for this purpose, for example at least one of a camera (for example for imaging the valve 102 and the adjacent part 108 of the mold segment 106) and a light section sensor (for example for creating a height profile of the valve 102 and the adjacent part 108 of the mold segment 106).

According to one embodiment, the laser cleaning device 200 is configured to detect closed valves after cleaning the mold segment 106. According to one embodiment, the laser cleaning device 200 can include a display device 130, wherein the laser cleaning device 200 (e.g., via the controller 126) is configured to display the closed valves displayed to an operator on the display device 130 . According to one embodiment, it can be provided that the operator can start an opening process depending on the closed valves (for example depending on the number, the arrangement, etc. of the closed valves) (for example a corresponding option is displayed to the operator on the display device 130) , in which the closed valves are opened according to embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein.

According to one embodiment, the controller device 126 includes a processor device 132 and a memory device 134. According to one embodiment, the memory device 134 includes a program element according to embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein, wherein the program element is configured, when executed on the processor device 132, to: to control a method according to embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein.

According to one embodiment, the control device is connected in terms of signal transmission to other components of device 100 (e.g. to laser head 115, radiation source 111, to the at least one actuator 128 and/or to display device 130), for example as in 1 indicated at 127. According to one embodiment, components of the device 100 can be controlled by the signal transmission connection 127 . According to a further embodiment, sensor data can be supplied to the control device 126 via the signal transmission connection 127, for example from the sensor device 129.

2 12 shows a top view of the mold segment 106 from FIG 1 .

According to one embodiment, a lateral extent 136 of a laser spot 113 is greater than a lateral extent 138 of the valve 102, for example as in FIG 2 shown. According to another embodiment, the lateral extent 136 of the laser spot 113 is less than or equal to the lateral extent 138 of the valve (in 2 not shown). The lateral extent of the laser spot 113, ie the light spot that the laser radiation generates on the mold segment 106 and the valves 102, is also referred to herein as the size of the simultaneously irradiated area.

A larger area that is irradiated at the same time has the advantage during cleaning that the mold segment 106 can be cleaned more efficiently, since a larger area of the mold segment 106 can be cleaned with a laser pulse than with a smaller spot size. However, when cleaning, the size of the simultaneously irradiated area is limited by the power required to clean the mold segment 106 . On the other hand, a surface output of the laser radiation 110 can be brought into a desired range, for example by means of a larger simultaneously irradiated surface when the valve 102 is opened. According to one embodiment, the area coverage when opening the valve 102 is lower than when cleaning the mold segment 106.

According to one embodiment, the laser spot 113 has a round shape, for example as in FIG 2 shown. According to a further embodiment, the shape of the laser spot 113 can deviate from a round shape and can be approximately rectangular or square, for example.

According to one embodiment, the valves are irradiated with the laser radiation 110 in a targeted manner. In this context, “targeted irradiation” means that individual valves are identified and approached (for example using the at least one actuator 128). In this context, according to one embodiment, approaching means that the relative position of the device 100 and the mold segment 106 is changed in such a way that the laser radiation 110 emitted by the device 100 falls on an area which the valve and optionally, according to one embodiment, at least partially the adjacent portion 108 of the mold segment 106 includes. In other words, according to one embodiment, local irradiation of the valve does not preclude the adjoining part 108 of the mold segment 106 from being irradiated with the laser radiation 110 as well. For example, according to one embodiment (also in the case of a targeted (local) irradiation of the valve), the laser spot 113 extends over the valve 102 and, optionally, at least partially over the valve as well adjoining part 108 of the mold segment 106, for example as in 2 shown.

According to one embodiment, the ventilation opening 104 and thus also the opening edge 114 is circular in shape and the valve 102 is also circular in shape, for example as in FIG 2 shown.

Although some embodiments refer to a tire mold, these embodiments are generally applicable to a mold for molding and/or vulcanizing rubber and are hereby implicitly disclosed for such a more general case.

It is noted that each entity disclosed herein (e.g., components, units, and devices) is not limited to a dedicated entity as described in some embodiments. Rather, the subject matter described herein may be provided in various ways with various granularities at the device level and/or at the software module level while still providing the functionality indicated.

Furthermore, it should be noted that according to embodiments, a separate entity (e.g., components, units, and devices) may be provided for each of the functions disclosed herein. According to other embodiments, an entity (e.g., components, units, and devices) may be configured to provide two or more functions as described herein. According to still other embodiments, two or more entities (e.g., components, units, and devices) may be configured to collectively provide a function as described herein.

According to one embodiment, the control device contains a processor device, which has at least one processor for executing at least one program element, which can correspond to a corresponding software module.

A definition of an optical arrangement or an optical geometry with reference to a laser radiation can of course also be defined analogously with reference to a radiation path of the laser radiation, and vice versa. In this respect, any reference herein to a laser radiation analogously discloses a reference to a radiation path of the laser radiation.

It is pointed out that the embodiments described herein only represent a limited selection of possible embodiments of the present disclosure. It is thus possible to combine the features of different embodiments with one another in a suitable manner, so that a large number of combinations of different embodiments can be regarded as disclosed for the person skilled in the art with the embodiments explicitly disclosed here. It should also be noted that terms such as "a" or "an" do not exclude the plural. Terms such as "containing" or "having" do not exclude other features or process steps. Thus, according to one embodiment, the term "comprising" or "including" means "comprising, inter alia". According to a further embodiment, the term "comprising" or "including" stands for "consisting of". According to one embodiment, the term "configured for" includes the meaning "arranged and/or configured to," among other things.

It should also be noted that any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims. Furthermore, it should be noted that any reference signs in the description and the description's reference to the drawings should not be construed as limiting the scope of the description. Rather, the drawings illustrate only one example implementation of a particular combination of multiple embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein, any other combination of embodiments being equally possible and contemplated as disclosed with this application.

In summary, it remains to be stated:

Described is a device for opening a valve of a ventilation opening of a mold segment for molding and/or vulcanizing rubber, the ventilation opening being delimited by a part of the mold segment adjacent to the valve, the device being configured to open the valve with the valve to irradiate a laser radiation, and wherein the laser radiation is a cw laser radiation or a pulsed laser radiation with a pulse duration greater than 200 ns.

QUOTES INCLUDED IN DESCRIPTION

This list of documents cited by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Patent Literature Cited

• DE 102013220066 B3 [0003]

Claims (17)

Device (100) for opening a valve (102) of a ventilation opening (104) of a mold segment (106) for molding and/or vulcanizing rubber, the ventilation opening (104) being formed by a part (108) of the mold segment (106) is limited, wherein the device (100) is configured to irradiate the valve (102) with laser radiation (110) to open the valve (102), and wherein the laser radiation (110) is a cw laser radiation or a pulsed laser radiation with a pulse duration greater than 200 ns. device after claim 1 wherein the mold segment (106) forms at least part of a tire mold. Device according to one of Claims 1 or 2 wherein the device (100) is configured to create a temperature differential between the valve (102) and the adjacent portion (108) of the mold segment (106). Device according to one of Claims 1 until 3 wherein the device (100) is configured to direct the laser radiation (110) at the valve (102) and/or the adjacent part (108) of the mold segment (106), whereby the valve (102) heats up more than the at the valve (102) adjacent portion (108) of the mold segment (106); in particular wherein the valve (102) heats to a temperature greater than 100°K higher than a temperature of the adjacent portion (108) of the mold segment (106). Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the apparatus (100) is configured to perform the irradiation of the valve (102) and the adjacent portion (108) of the mold segment (106) with the same laser parameters. Device according to one of Claims 1 until 4 , wherein the device (100) is configured to carry out the irradiation locally on the valve (102) with different laser parameters than on the adjacent part (108) of the mold segment (106). Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the apparatus (100) is configured to provide laser irradiation of the valve (102) which heats the valve to a temperature of at least 250°C. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the device (100) is configured to identify an unopened valve (102); and wherein the valve (102) is the identified valve (102). Device according to one of claims 3 until 8th , wherein the device (100) is configured to generate the temperature difference independent of a state of the valve (102). Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the device (100) is part of a laser cleaning device (200) for cleaning the mold segment (106). Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the laser radiation (110) further has at least one of the following laser parameters: a wavelength in a range between 0.5 µm and 10 µm; a Rayleigh length in a range between 10 mm and 200 mm; a surface power in a range between 2 and 50 kW/cm ² a beam profile of the laser radiation is a top hat profile. Laser cleaning device (200) comprising a device (100) according to one of Claims 1 until 11 , wherein the laser cleaning device (200) is configured to clean the mold segment (106). laser cleaning device claim 12 wherein the laser cleaning device (200) is configured to effect at least one of the following: - the opening of the valve (102) and the cleaning of the mold segment (106) occur sequentially in time; - at least one of the laser source (111), laser beam path, galvo scanner, process head is used both for cleaning the mold segment (106) and for opening the valve (102); - When the valve (102) is opened, the pulse duration is increased by at least a factor of 2 compared to cleaning the mold segment (106); - From pulsed laser operation when cleaning the mold segment (106) is switched to non-pulsed laser operation when opening the valve (102); - When the valve (102) is opened, the surface area of the part of the surface of the mold segment (106) that is simultaneously irradiated by the laser radiation (110) is increased by a factor of at least 2 compared to cleaning the mold segment (102). Laser cleaning device according to one of Claims 12 or 13 wherein the laser cleaning device (200) is configured to detect closed valves (102) after cleaning the mold segment (106); and wherein the valve (102) is one of the closed valves (102). laser cleaning device Claim 14 , wherein the laser cleaning device is configured to signal an operator that at least one closed valve (102) has been detected. Mold processing arrangement comprising a mold segment (106) for molding and/or vulcanizing rubber, the mold segment having a ventilation opening (104) and a valve (102) for the ventilation opening (104); and an apparatus (100) according to any one of Claims 1 until 11 to open the valve. Mold segment (106) which is designed for molding and/or vulcanizing rubber, the mold segment (106) having: a valve (102); a vent opening (104) defined by a portion (108) of the mold segment (106) adjacent the valve (102); and wherein the valve (102) has a temper color corresponding to a temperature of at least 250°C.

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