Michelin envisions airless 3D printed tire concept

At Movin’On in Montreal on June 13-15, Michelin unveiled plans for its revolutionary tire concept. The Visionary Concept Tire has three principles: a wheel with no air, designed to last as long as the vehicle; a distinctive, replenishing tread feature; and it’s connected.

Michelin has done its homework when it comes to designing the wheel structure. The wheel offers ultra durability due to a honeycomb structure and is made up of recycled material and completely biodegradable. This allows for the tires treads to be replenished using 3D printing and adjusted for road conditions.

The company boasts, “Imagine a future in which your tire is also a wheel: puncture-proof because there is no pressure. Its ruggedness comes from its biomimetic structure, as if it had been created by Nature… A wheel made of recycled materials and which is completely recycled at the end of its life, after having covered thousands and thousands of kilometers — as long as the vehicle itself.”

In a world where, everything is connected, Michelin is providing a highly connected infrastructure to its Visionary Concept tire. The tire is able to communicate with the vehicle and the vehicle communicates with it.

Without getting out of the car or even leaving home, the driver can be informed of the wear on the tread and program a tread reprint, choosing the type of tread pattern needed at that particular time for intended tire use, or simply following the suggestion made by the embedded app, which detects requirements.

“Because we believe that mobility is essential for human development, we innovate passionately to make it safer, more efficient and more environmentally friendly,” the company adds.

www.michelin.com