Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - 18

* JULY 2017

Michelin 3-D-printed airless tire adapts to Canada's seasons
Made of recyclable
biomaterials,
concept is bound
for passengervehicle use
By JIL MCINTOSH
TORONTO CORRESPONDENT

MONTREAL - Bio-sourced
materials and 3-D printing
could potentially be the future
of tires, following the debut of
Michelin's new Vision airless
tire concept.
The tire made its global introduction June 14 at
Michelin's Movin'On, an international symposium on sustainable mobility that was
being held in Canada for the
first time.
The Vision builds on the
company's original Tweel airless tire construction, with the
rim and tire created as a single unit.
But unlike the Tweel, which
uses numerous pairs of narrow spokes to support the integrated tread, the Vision concept has only five large spokes.
These form the wheel, with the
tread applied to the outer edge.
Made of bio-sourced and
biodegradable materials, the
Vision is created on a 3-D

printer, including the tread,
which can be optimized for
specific road and weather conditions.
The tire's "open-weave"
architecture is solid in the centre and flexible on the outside,
and cannot blow out. Michelin
says the thinner tread initially
uses less material, and when it
wears out or when driving conditions change, it can be reapplied with a printer, including adding winter-appropriate
compound and tread. Being a
concept, the wheel needs further development to keep mud
and snow from building up
inside.
The concept tire is equipped
with sensors that can provide
real-time information about

Michelin CEO JeanDominique Senard says the
Vision tire's tread can be
reapplied with a 3-D printer,
using compounds and tread
patterns to match specific
road and weather conditions.
(PHOTO: MICHELIN)

The Michelin Tweel is used
only on industrial equipment,
but it proves that tires don't
need to be pnuematic to work.
(PHOTO: MICHELIN)

Michelin says that the 3-D printed Vision tire is designed for
use as a passenger tire. ( P H O T O : M I C H E L I N )

its condition, and when necessary, it can connect to a dealer through a mobile app to
schedule an appointment for
re-treading.
While it was first proposed
that the Tweel concept could
be used for road vehicles when
it was introduced in 2005, the
production Tweel is currently
limited to lawn mowers, skidsteer loaders and golf carts.
However, Michelin says that
while the Vision will not be
used for commercial tires, it
is ultimately aimed for use on
passenger vehicles.
"We are a tire company, but

we are also incredibly specialized and knowledgeable in raw
materials and their transformation," said Jean-Dominique
Senard, CEO of Michelin. "The
Tweel is no longer a tire, but a
wheel made of special materials, and [the Vision] is exactly that, with 3-D printing, biomaterial and recyclable material."
Senard said it took several years to bring the Tweel to
market "because we were keen
on making sure we could bring
a product that was affordable
and made sense." He suggests
that the Vision could possi-

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bly be available as a commercial product in a shorter time
frame. "[Tweel] was created
at a time when [innovation]
moved less-fast than today,"
Senard said. "Things that
could take 10 years some time
ago might take three or four
years now."
Senard brought the
Movin'On summit - formerly
known as Challenge Bibendum
- to Montreal after a chance
meeting with Montreal mayor
Denis Coderre at conference in
Washington, D.C., where the
mayor extended an invitation
to hold the program in Quebec.
At the close of the 2017
symposium June 15, Senard
announced that due to the
event's success and the city's
"dynamic and innovative character," Movin'On will return
to Montreal in 2018. - ANC

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News Canada - July 2017