Improving equipment and parts for the mining industry is one of the main objectives of the partnership that Máquinas Furlan has with the State University of Campinas (Unicamp).

On July 5th, three new projects from this partnership were presented by students from the Production and Manufacturing Engineering courses at the Faculty of Applied Sciences (FCA/Unicamp).

The presentation took place in the Furlan auditorium. Improvements in casting processes and equipment – ​​such as calciners and sieves – were part of the Course Conclusion Work (TCC).

Most of the students are in the 9th semester. Unicamp professors and Furlan managers attended the presentations.

The client is one of the main beneficiaries of the partnership

This type of partnership is part of Furlan's DNA, which carries out several actions with the community. We tell you about some of these actions in this post .

The FCA/Unicamp campus is located in Limeira (SP), as is the Furlan industrial park. The development of the work also counts on the participation of the Limeira regional office of the Center of Industries of the State of São Paulo (Ciesp).

The CEO of Máquinas Furlan, Valter Furlan, is one of the enthusiasts of the initiative. “Innovation has to be a practice that involves the entire company. We also seek partnerships that value innovation. The excellent results presented by the students show that this idea stimulates people, both inside and outside the company, including our customers”, says Valter Furlan.

The evaluations show that one of the main beneficiaries of this action is Furlan’s customers. “By working on real company problems, students have the opportunity to develop innovative, efficient and practical solutions that improve or may result in new products and optimized processes, advanced technologies, quality and improved services that better meet customer needs. At the same time, they can provide faster deliveries”, says Talita Oliveira, Manufacturing Engineer and Project Analyst at Furlan.

The union with the academic area allowed Furlan to diversify the set of practices in search of improvements to its more than 150 pieces of equipment for mining and quarrying companies, in addition to castings and the Services area.

“New ideas and approaches allow the company to solve complex problems more quickly, benefiting customers with more effective solutions,” reinforces Talita. According to her, “partnerships like these keep the company up to date with the latest trends and technological advances, which translates into products and services that meet emerging customer demands.”

Students evaluated products and processes for up to 1.5 years

One of the groups of university students analyzed, dimensioned and optimized the body of one of the Furlan rotary calciner models. The various stages took about a year and a half of activities, carried out using the Finite Element method and the implementation of programming algorithms.

“It was quite challenging. We were faced with a piece of equipment that measured more than 60 meters in length and weighed 80 tons in the body alone, without considering the internal lining,” says Ana Carolina dos Santos, a Manufacturing Engineering student at FCA.

However, there is more to it than just numbers. “One of the challenges was developing teamwork and communication between people so that the objectives could be achieved,” says the student.

João Augusto Dantas Santos, who is studying Production Engineering, was part of the group that evaluated improvements to the calciner. “The main benefit was the possibility of applying our analytical skills and then proposing solutions,” he says.

André Ramos Zanchetta, from Manufacturing Engineering, highlights that the use of digital tools present in the parts and equipment market was one of the main differentiators.

Another TCC proposed the optimization of the selection of elements for the formation of alloys, in an autonomous environment, through the Python programming language. For the students, the challenge also served to understand improvements based on the software currently used by the industry.

“We concluded that automating the alloy selection process generates potential cost reduction for the company,” says Guilherme Miranda, who worked on this TCC. “This partnership allows the student to propose improvements based on the factory context,” highlights Felipe de Godoi Miguel, from the same group.

Guilherme Lippel, who worked in the group, calls the action a “unique opportunity, which allowed us to grow as professionals entering the job market”.

Methodologies for the development of innovative products applied to improvements in vibrating screens was the theme developed by the group of Augusto Chebel Machado, Juliana Rodrigues Visconde and Nathan Czelusniak de Siqueira.

“We thank Furlan for investing time in a practice that helps our training. I take with me the experience of the challenges I faced throughout the work”, says Augusto.

A “professional mentorship” for future engineers

Talita was a student at FCA and now works at Furlan. “In this TCC format, students are encouraged to work in groups and develop themselves. They also learn how to deal with challenges, how to plan and present results.”

For her, contact with the Furlan team is enriching. “The student receives highly qualified professional mentoring, even before graduating. The experience creates a differentiated resume, important for them and for the job market.”

The college accesses content that meets the demands of the job market. “Real problems brought by companies can also be used as a basis for applied research, generating useful and relevant knowledge,” says Talita.

Companies that participate in projects of this type strengthen their image as a socially responsible organization committed to education.

“This partnership creates an environment of mutual learning and development, where everyone wins and benefits from the exchange of knowledge and experiences,” says Talita.