Technology and Innovation

Greenbrier Maxion bases all their processes on the top state-of-the-art technology in their segments, with own resources and also technology transfer and expertise exchange with renowned companies.
Investments in technological resources and in technical training make our team one of the most renowned worldwide, ensuring credibility and quality in their products and services.

Product Development

Freight cars and bogies

• Analysis of dynamic simulation made by means of product development tools (Vampire software) aiming to optimize the specific conditions of bogie and freight car circulation with the operational conditions of each customer.
• Development of structural designs for freight cars, bogie and coupling castings via highly efficient software in a CAD system such as FEA.
• Modeling of bogie and coupling castings in 2D and 3D, facilitating the generation of finite element meshes.
• Development of pioneer projects specific to each customer’s characteristics, with the new generation of Gondola and Hopper cars with modulated structure, with larger capacity and lower tare, in addition to bold projects for tank cars of the self-supporting type without a central continuous beam to optimize its capacity.
• Development of special bogie designs with 2 and 3 axes, which maximize the operational efficiency of railways, in any gauge, enabling a 40% increase in the carried load, without requiring any investments in the capacity of the permanent track.
• Railway Engineering Studies developed in a customized manner to meet the growth of any type of freight car fleets’ capacity, as well as their components.
• Studies for modification, extension and modernization of all types of freight cars and their components.

Vampire®

Vampire® is a software that enables the construction of a dynamic model, simulating almost all behavioral aspects of freight cars. It is used mainly for:

• Suspension improvements.
• Stability improvements.
• Adjustments according to the railway’s characteristics.
• Simulations of car balance.
• Wheel wear improvement.
• Wheel x Railroad interaction.
• Derailment investigation.

Process improvement

Freight Cars

• High performance tools, such as plasma technology and CNC presses, guillotines, machining and bending machines.
• Special tools for stamping, which follows the process with drilling, machining, lathing and milling machines
• Positioning devices, mechanizations and procedures adapted to each freight car type and size.
• Welding technologies used: submerged arc welding (SAW), gas metal arc welding (GMAW), flux-cored arc welding (FCAW) and shielded metal arc welding (SMAW).
• Dimensional controls and non-destructive tests are applied throughout the process and, upon customer request, the freight cars undergo a painting process, which ensures superficial protections of the plates.
• Special internal painting, for transporting material with high corrosion power (sulfur, phosphate rock, salt, sugar, chlorides and acids).

Technological Agreements

• Universities and Research Institutes