Where do pans, furnaces and X-rays meet?
On 2 May 2024, a team of EduBox creators went on a professional excursion to Maxion Wheels Czech s.r.o., a leading manufacturer of aluminium wheels. The eight-member team, consisting of specialists in engineering, automation and robotics together with soft-skills experts, had the opportunity to take a look under the hood of modern production.
The excursions were led by Ing. Pavel Lipina, Engineer Manager of Alukola, who took us through the entire production process with great enthusiasm. The usual terms such as pans, furnaces and X-rays took on a new dimension and an unexpected context for us.
We were introduced to pans capable of holding up to 800 kg of molten aluminium – a situation where, in your own interest, you want to avoid a forklift carrying just such a full pan is more than obvious.
We looked at the different types of furnaces, from melting to holding to annealing, and also witnessed the fascinating use of X-rays to inspect each round produced. We also visited the robotic paint shop, where today’s wheels are finished not only as aluminum, but also in color to please the eye of us customers.
This excursion was not only an opportunity to see the production lines and learn about the actual manufacturing process, but also an opportunity for our staff to gain valuable information for the further development of EduBoxes – innovative educational materials for high school teachers and their engineering students.
Finally, on behalf of the whole team I would like to thank Ing. Lipin and the entire team of Maxion Wheels Czech from Ostrava for their helpfulness and openness, which made this visit possible.Their willingness and enthusiasm for the industry is an inspiration for all of us and brings new impulses to the newly prepared educational content.
This activity is funded by the TPA project – Innovation Centre for Transformation of Education CZ.10.03.01/00/22_003/0000072.
Jan Kelar, DiS. – coordinator of key activity
