Utah Patent of the Month – September 2021
The rubber used in tires can never be properly broken down, but it can be chopped up and reused in other situations. Most commonly, the material is reused to make playground surfaces, athletic fields, or for landscaping purposes. Tires are chopped up using industrial machines with rotary shredders and require the tire to be positioned precisely relative to the cutters. This means every time a tire is cut, it must be manually adjusted for the next cut. ECO Green Equipment, LLC has designed a system for cutting up tires that requires less manual labor.
Their machine is capable of cutting a whole tire into strips which can be further chopped into chips if desired. The machine uses a cutting device, chipper, bead stripper, and conveyor to effectively process the tire. It also has an automated positioning system to orient the tire between all positions relative to the cutting device. A support tower has a blade at one end. The tower is lowered by a hydraulic system to lift the tire into the first cutting position. The blade can then begin cutting the tire into strips. The tire can be repositioned as needed using support rollers, so that an operator does not need to manually reposition it each time. The tire only needs to be manually positioned onto the support tower the first time and can be automatically repositioned from there on. The support rollers, along with gravity, force the tire into the blades where it is cut into strips. The machine also includes a bead stripper with two knives. A tension arm, controlled by a hydraulic cylinder, provides tension to the bead wire. The bead wire ends up pressed between a set of drive rollers and forces it towards the bead bead stripper knives. The two knives work together to remove the bead wire effectively. The machine is capable of processing a tire, cutting it down as effectively as any other similar device, all with less manual labor needed.
Are you developing new technology for an existing application? Did you know your development work could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? Even if your development isn’t successful your work may still qualify for R&D credits (i.e. you don’t need to have a patent to qualify). To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.
Who We Are:
Swanson Reed is one of the U.S.’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firms. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program, from claim preparation and audit compliance to claim disputes.
Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPAs. For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.