Originally Posted by grampi
Okay, now I'm confused. When exactly is the bar code sticker placed on the tire that it would interfere with the tread mold? What difference does it make where it's placed on the tire? If it's where it can be seen, then why not just remove it?
The bar code is placed on the tire at the tire building machine. The tag has to be placed somewhere that will eventually be flat(ish), So the tread, the inside, and most of the sidewall (where the lettering is) are out. That leaves the bead area, parts of the tread area and parts of the sidewall.
The bar code records which machine, the date and time, which builder, and all the components that went into making the tire. From there, the bar code gets scanned at the curing press (Machine number, date and time, etc), then at all the other stations after (Uniformity machine, balance machine, repair station, warehousing location) and finally at the dock just before it is shipped.
But what is also recorded is all the information about the components that made up the tire - and depending on how far back it goes, that might even mean - for example - the specific tree that the rubber was harvested from.
If the tire ever gets returned, the bar code can be scanned and recorded as to why it came back, when it came back, where it came back from, what was found, etc. Then some engineer (raises hand!) has to crunch the numbers to figure out if anything can be learned. Is there a pattern that can be discerned, and possibly fixed? Thank goodness for Pivot Tables!
So it would be best if the bar code could survive the entire trip. Someone mentioned FRID chips and that is certainly an option. If I remember correctly, the problem was getting the chip to survive curing reliably. We're talking a 99.9% survival rate (perhaps higher), in order to be useful.