Who follows our blog already knows that the new generation of engines will require cylinder liners even more. These parts are related to the good performance and operational efficiency of the car engine – the better and more precise the machining process, the better the throughput of the vehicle.
Moreover, cylinder liners demand extra care during the casting process as well, as this component sustains extreme mechanical stress, friction, and elevated temperatures when applied to the engine block. That is why is looking for new technologies and solutions that ensure parts that are stronger, more functional, and more resistant.
One of the most recent fruits of the care that is already part of our modus operandi was the installation of two new cylinder liner milling machines in our production lines. Modern and with great automation capacity, they are responsible for the thinning and external finishing of the components – and have been already in operation since early July!
Automation towards a consistent production line
At the first moment, the two new machines stand out for the almost immediate increase in productiveness they offer, ensuring more quality in the liner machining stage. A new feature is that the operator does not need to pick the part from the machine since the machine makes it; it thins (mills), finishes, and sends the part to the milling machine, and then to the packaging.
One of the greatest benefits, especially for the automation sector, is the consistent production flow, as the production/hour will be the same throughout the day. The machine has an automatic feed, and the operators have more time to check the quality of the parts produced.
Here at RIO, our engineering and engineering & quality technical manager Felipe Goulart was one of the people responsible for following and adapting the entire startup of the new equipment. With the new flow, he explains that the equipment refreshed the industrial part, and the results are more than satisfactory.
RIO Technology to accelerate productivity and to qualify the machining process for cylinder liners
“The machines are fully automated and make the milling with no interference. However, they perform 100% of the movement of the parts inside the equipment, by using a Cartesian robot”, Felipe says.
This is how it works: when the parts came from the previous operation, the robot intercepts the part in the conveyor and repositions it, leaving the part in the correct configuration for the thinning. When this operation ends, the machine automatically takes the part to the second position, where the finishing takes place; and it then delivers the part completed.
“The operational gain is tremendous – we estimate an increase of over 30% in productivity! We are working with a machine with very high precision and repeatability. In practice, this increases our competitiveness and production capacity as well. There is no doubt that is a great achievement of this multi-disciplinary team that worked hard to adjust all the processes and to ensure the perfect operation of this new feature”, he concludes.
