Act flexibly thanks to in-house production
Reliability and short delivery times are indispensable in drive technology - especially in difficult times like these, when supply bottlenecks for rotary and linear components should be counteracted. It's good to have a partner at your side who can act flexibly thanks to its own production capacities, which have now been expanded even further: Rodriguez GmbH has a comprehensive range of machinery for linear technology and precision bearings.
Currently, the share of in-house production is about 50 %, and the trend is rising. The need for space is also increasing due to the continuous expansion of the machine park, so that Rodriguez has started the construction of a new production center at the beginning of 2023, which will expand the production areas by approx. 2900 sqm. Thanks to its own production, but also because of the short decision-making paths between sales, development and design, Rodriguez can act far more flexibly than its competitors. This is not least due to the fact that all process steps can be covered within the company - from development and production to assembly and quality assurance.
Design individually, act cost-efficiently
The company's own production capacities in the field of precision rolling bearings and linear technology are used, among other things, for the production of customer-specific system solutions, in which Rodriguez has specialized over the years: Based on many years of engineering know-how as well as special knowledge and experience in mechanics, Rodriguez develops and realizes the so-called Value Added Products (VAP). They are based on high-quality rolling bearings and linear technology components, combined with comprehensive all-round service.
The individually designed products meet all customer requirements and enable the saving of conversion parts, the reduction of tolerances and the reduction of assembly times. At the same time, costs for development, procurement and administration can be significantly reduced. The customized system solutions help customers save valuable resources and concentrate fully on their core competencies.
In-house production at Rodriguez
A look back: Rodriguez added linear technology products to its product portfolio at the beginning of the 1990s. The starting signal for in-house production in this area was given at about the same time and was necessary in order to be more flexible and capable of acting with regard to customer-specific solutions. Initially, the company limited itself to the production of hardened and ground shafts. Soon, however, linear housings, shaft blocks, shaft supports and round guides were also manufactured in-house. Today, thanks to modern CNC lathes and milling machines, Rodriguez can process shafts with an outside diameter of up to 100 mm, among other things. The machinery, including the measuring center and quality assurance, as well as the know-how of the employees are completely geared to hard turning workpieces.
About 15 years ago, the company invested in its own machining centers and also expanded its machinery so that the machining and production of rolling bearings became possible. Today, it is possible to manufacture ball slewing rings with outside diameters of up to 1,400 mm or even the smaller-diameter slewing units that are increasingly in demand. Innovative fixtures and advanced tooling ensure that the production facilities are always at the cutting edge of technology. Among other things, a cleanroom system of cleanroom class 4 according to DIN EN ISO 14644-1 is available - an important prerequisite for the assembly and production of components in semiconductor technology.
State of the art technology
The company's own machinery for linear technology and precision bearings is continuously modernized and expanded. In 2021, for example, a new Biglia B750 YS lathe replaced an older machine from the same manufacturer in order to increase efficiency thanks to faster machining times. In addition, further machines and fixtures were purchased, including a high-performance DMG Mori NZX2000 CNC lathe and a precision surface and profile grinding machine from the manufacturer Stöckel, which Rodriguez can use to perform simple grinding tasks itself. A fully automatic cutting system (SilverCut RSP 400N) handles the finishing of guide rails, spindles, tubes and other bar materials using the wet cut-off process. Lightweight robots from the manufacturer Universal Robots provide additional capacity through higher plant utilization.
Measuring room: Tested quality - for even more accuracy
The measuring room is another example of the continuous improvement of equipment in the service of the customer: It was created to be able to inspect the required tolerances of precision bearings and linear technology in the µ range. To this end, Rodriguez has invested, among other things, in a new 3D measuring machine that can inspect rolling bearings with outside diameters of up to 1,500 millimeters. A tactile system can be used to measure the contour and roughness of ball raceways. Last but not least, a test rig and mobile devices for testing hardness are in use, as well as a high-resolution length measuring bench and roundness testers in the μm range. Since 2021, a Wenzel SF 55 3D measuring machine has been providing capacity expansion in Rodriguez's measuring room, where it is used to inspect series products from in-house production. The new Keyence VHX microscope, which enables detailed residual dirt analyses and roughness measurements, is also used in quality inspection.
These means enable the Eschweil-based specialist to check the dimensional accuracy of machined shafts and ball screws, for example, but also of milled parts such as bearing housings and shaft supports. Apart from individual components, complex parts can also be inspected: Among other things, this is important for customer-specific system solutions.
Rodriguez's vision is to further expand the vertical range of manufacture of its own production and thus to be able to respond even better and more flexibly to customer requirements. In 2023, the company came a big step closer to this vision: with the investment in a new production center, long-considered expansion plans were realized. In this way, the continuous additions to the machinery and the expansion of in-house production ensure that customers will continue to benefit from high quality and short delivery times in the future.
Author: Nicole Dahlen, Managing Director Sales, Marketing and Organization
In-house production
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52249 Eschweiler
GERMANY
rodriguez.de