Creating original parts and solutions is always a delicate process for any market. After all, it is necessary to develop and refine the projects to the fullest and execute detailed simulations before getting the idea off the drawing board and putting it to the test in practical uses. Such care is even more present when these materials are designed for the automotive sector, since both safety and well-being of the driver (and his passengers) must come in first.
However, from the perspective of the industries and automakers that seek and invest in this type of innovation for the market, all the obstacles involved in the production of original solutions serve precisely to reinforce the importance of working with partners and suppliers who share the same guidelines — extremely high standards of quality in the production of parts, vast expertise and know-how in automotive engineering and, of course, cutting-edge technology at your disposal.
And it is not hard to imagine, since these elements also occupy a prominent place in debates about the concept of Industry 4.0, considered as the most recent and significant evolutionary stage of large-scale manufacturing processes, with the massive use of transformation technologies digitally based. In other words: establishing high criteria for choosing your partners is also a way of ensuring that your industry is one step ahead when the future arrives.
Technique and innovation at the service of quality in original solutions
It is no secret that investment in innovation is one of the most important pillars for maintaining high quality standards in a production line. Corporations have increasingly dedicated part of their capital to the adoption of new technologies, cutting-edge infrastructure, training, new mechanisms and, of course, new work models.
And here at RIO, this process has been carefully refined in order to put into practice a practical and solid innovation project. After all, we have been creating notion in the world for over 70 years, with solutions designed to simplify routines and ensure that our customers and partners go further. The result of this effort is reflected in a modern, agile and reliable structure for the creation of original solutions – and we share a bit of this universe with you here!
- Prototype factory & additive manufacturing
With an eye on supporting the success and productivity of our partners, RIO has developed its own Prototype Factory: a complete experimentation laboratory with the objective of fostering new opportunities for the OEM market through the production of new solutions, such as low demand parts, cast and machined, even faster and less costly through the additive manufacturing process, delivering functional prototypes and with dimensional and structural fidelity.
This operation makes it possible to reduce the time and cost of manufacturing, enabling the development of a prototype more agile, assertive and flexible, since it is possible to make design changes and adjustments quickly and efficiently, even during its development. In addition, the virtualization of simulations allows the processes related to prototype tests — which, as a rule, represent about half of the efforts spent in a conventional machine production unit — to be carried out in software-controlled environments.
In other words, the parts are already born identified and tested, and the possibilities of failures in production engineering become practically non-existent. Not to mention that, if the project needs to be altered or, in the end, it needs changes, there is the possibility of a new part being printed quickly, even before the metallurgy stage, which contributes to avoid waste of resources and, of course, time!
- Automation and machining
RIO is well aware that the concept of Industry 4.0 goes hand in hand with technology and process automation. That is why, here, automation helps to ensure more consistency in the production flow with our machining machines for cylinders. This new technology features automatic feeding, ensuring the autonomy of the equipment and further refining the quality process.
These machines are fully automated and perform the entire machining process without any interference. The novelty, however, is that they also do 100% of the movement of the parts inside the equipment, all that with the intermediation of an advanced cartesian robot that operationalizes this movement with precision and ensures more agility and, of course, safety for the process.
- Machining and casting simulations
Another reflection of RIO’s commitment to innovation is the investment in technologies for machining and casting simulations. With the aid of solutions such as MAGMA and EdgeCAM, our engineering teams have powerful simulation tools that help to optimize process conditions and substantially reduce costs and production time, besides ensuring quality to the products.
With MAGMA, for example, RIO is able to better understand the behavior of the molten metal inside the sand mold and the thermal changes that occur in the process — critical information to optimize the design of the casting tooling.
With the aid of EdgeCAM, on its turn, our teams are able to simulate the machining processes necessary for a given part to have the desired geometry. With this software, the programmer can simulate the machining processes remotely, indicating ideal tools for each operation and anticipating possible collisions between the machining tool and the part. In other words: more assertiveness and agility in the casting and machining processes for original parts and even more safety for the development of current items!
- Cutting-edge engineering and expertise
Finally, it is pertinent to point out that even the most advanced technologies need committed and dedicated people to yield good results — and, well, we understand it! Here, innovation is way more than a simple concept: our production chain has optimized processes, ready to meet the needs of the largest automakers in the world. With dedicated and trained technical engineering teams, the extensive investment in technology and process innovation is already part of our internal culture.
Our teams, for example, adopt several programs to encourage innovation and develop internal initiatives that contribute to increase productivity, eliminate production bottlenecks and enhance the quality and assertiveness indexes in the production line. A strong know-how that is always available to our customers and partners, whether to guide and assist in the development of original solutions, or to join forces and explore new and audacious projects!
So that’s why you should count on RIO while getting your idea off the drawing board. Only then you can make sure to be working with qualified professionals whose flame of innovation is already part of the way of being and doing! Pay a visit to our website, meet our portfolio and find out how we can help you create motion today!
