, a parent company of Rays Co., Ltd. is a high-end Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese wheel

Wheel

A wheel is a device that allows heavy objects to be moved easily through rotating on an axle through its center, facilitating movement or transportation while supporting a load, or performing labor in machines. Common examples found in transport applications. A wheel, together with an axle,...

 manufacturer for both motorsport

Motorsport

Motorsport or motorsports is the group of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles, whether for racing or non-racing competition...

 and street use, mostly notable for its Volk Racing flagship brand of wheels.
It is a common misconception that "Volk Racing" is the parent company of Rays Engineering, purely as it is its most associated with brand name. Their wheels feature high-tech forging and casting processes that are exclusive to Rays Engineering.

They are the current wheel suppliers to winning factory race teams of Nissan, Honda

Honda

is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...

, Toyota, and Mazda

Mazda

is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...

 in racing series such as Super GT

Super GT

The Super GT series, formerly known as the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship or JGTC , is a grand touring car race series promoted by the GT-Association...

, Japanese Touring Car Championship

Japanese Touring Car Championship

The Japanese Touring Car Championship , is a former touring car racing series held in Japan...

 (JTCC), British Touring Car Championship

British Touring Car Championship

The British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...

 (BTCC), Formula Nippon

Formula Nippon

Formula Nippon is a type of formula racing and the top level of single-seater racing in Japan.Formula Nippon evolved from the Japanese Formula 2000 series begun in 1973 by way of the Japanese Formula Two and Japanese Formula 3000 championships...

, and Formula One

Formula One

Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...

.

Their Volk Racing wheels are popular with owners of sport compact

Sport compact

A sport compact is a high-performance version of a compact car or a subcompact car. They are typically are front engined, front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive coupés, sedans, or hatchbacks driven by a straight-4 gasoline engine. Performance-oriented sport compacts generally focus on improving...

 and import cars on the race and show circuits.

Rays Engineering also manufactures wheels for car manufacturers' in-house tuning teams such as Nismo

Nismo

Nismo is the motorsports and performance division of Nissan Motor Company. Formed in 1984 as a result of a merger of two motorsport departments, Nismo cars have participated in JSPC, Formula Nippon, JTCC, 24 Hours of Le Mans and 24 Hours of Daytona...

, Ralliart

Ralliart

Ralliart was the high-performance and motorsports division of Mitsubishi Motors. It was responsible for development and preparation of the company's rally racing and off-road racing vehicles, as well as the development of high-performance models and parts available to the public...

, STi

Subaru Tecnica International

, or STi, is Fuji Heavy Industries' motorsports division. STi, along with Prodrive of the UK specializes in the preparation of a variety of vehicles for the Subaru World Rally Team which competed in the World Rally Championship...

, Mazdaspeed

Mazdaspeed

Mazdaspeed is Mazda's in-house race and street car tuning arm. It began in 1968 as "Mazda Sports Corner", a tuning and racing operation run by Takayoshi Ohashi, who also ran Mazda's Tokyo distributor...

 and Toyota Racing Development

Toyota Racing Development

Toyota Racing Development or TRD is the in-house tuning shop for all Toyota, Lexus, and Scion cars. TRD is responsible both for improving street cars for more performance and supporting Toyota's racing interests around the world. TRD produces various tuning products and accessories, including...

 and also supply wheels to Williams Formula One

WilliamsF1

Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading as AT&T Williams, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head...

 team as well as the cars of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is a 2006 street racing action film directed by Justin Lin. It is the third installment in the The Fast and the Furious film series and currently the sixth in terms of series chronology...

.

History

Year	Event
1973	RAYS established.
1977	RAYS Co., Ltd. established.
1979	RAYS ENGINEERING Co., Ltd. established.
1980	Tokyo sales office established.
1981	Fukuoka & Takamatsu sales offices established. The Racing Division organized.
1982	RAYS Creative Co., Ltd. established. The Motorcycle Division organized.
1983	Design room BANANA MOON established. Parts Bank Co., Ltd. & Twin Co., Ltd. established. Sendai sales office established.
1984	Construction of the RAYS Engineering Yao factory completed.
1986	Nishinomiya Distribution Center established. Introduced 5,500 ton forge press machine.
1988	Hiroshima sales office established. Casting section :Vesta Co., Ltd. established.
1989	Extension of the RAYS Engineering Yao factory completed. Introduced second 3,500 ton forge press machine.
1990	Resu Co., Ltd. established.
1991	Sapporo sales office established. Introduced third 3,500 ton forge press machine.
1992	Nagoya sales office established. RAYS R&D Co., Ltd. established. RAYBROS established.
1993	Hokuriku sales offices established.
1994	Started automatic warehouse operations in the distribution center. Casting section : Pacific Alloy Logistics Co., Ltd. established.
1995	RAYS Second sales division established. Introduced RM8000 forge machine. Construction of the RAYS Engineering Nara factory completed.
1997	RAYS Overseas Division established. Merged Resu Co., Ltd. and Parts Bank Co., Ltd.
1999	Introduced RM8000 forge machine. Tsubaki Seimitsu Kanafata Co., Ltd. established.
2000	Company name changed from Vesta Co., Ltd. to RAYS FOUNDRY Co., Ltd. and HQ relocated.
2001	Tokyo Sales Division address moved.
2003	Fuji Pacific Alloy Co., Ltd. established.
2004	RAYS U.S.A. Inc. established.
2005	Casting manufacturing related companies integrated into RAYS C.W.P. Co., Ltd. Introduced 10,000 ton forge press machine.
2006	Merged RAYS Co., Ltd. and Resu Co., Ltd. and Twin Co., Ltd.
2008	RAYS Co., Ltd. head office relocated

Wheel Construction

Rays Engineering wheels are manufactured through two different processes: forging and casting. After each wheel is manufactured, the wheel goes through strenuous inspection before being packaged and shipped out. The following is a video showing each manufacturing process of a Rays Engineering wheel: Rays Engineering Manufacturing Process.

Forging

The forging process for a Rays Wheel consists of seven steps:

1. Hot Forging - Takes an billet and creates metal lines through volume distribution with a hot press.
2. RM Forging - Forging method exclusively developed Rays Engineering. Finishing of designed parts on the wheel is completed during this process.
3. Cold Spinning - Width of wheel is constructed during this process with a high-speed spinning machine.
4. Heat Treatment - Wheel is quickly heated then immediately cooled down with a solution to form a strong structure for the wheel.
5. Machine Work - Special cutting device used to improve roundness of the wheel.
6. Shot Blast - This process smooths the surface of the wheel to prepare of aesthetic finishing.
7. Surface Finishing - Various chemicals are used to prevent corrosion and protect the surface of the wheel

Types of Forged Wheels

• Forged 1 Piece Magnesium
• Forged 1 Piece Aluminum
• Forged (Seamless) Rim 2 Piece Wheel Aluminum

Casting

The casting process for a Rays Wheel consists of four steps:

1. Fusion - Aluminum metal is heated up into molten liquid.
2. Molten Metal Treating - Process of removing impurities from molten aluminum. Molten aluminum with no impurities are moved into a holding furnace.
3. Casting - Molten aluminum is poured into a die to form the wheel.
4. Machine Work - Various chemicals are used to prevent corrosion and protect the surface of the wheel

Types of Cast Wheels

• Cast 1 Piece Aluminum
• Cast 2 Piece Aluminum
• RCF (Rays Cast Flow Forming) Casting 1 Piece Aluminum

Product Lineup

• Volk Racing - Flagship forged sport wheels brand name of Rays Engineering.
• Gram Lights - Lightweight wheels manufactured through casting process.
• Eco Drive Gear - Lightweight wheels focused on being eco friendly.
• 57 Motor Sport - Cast racing wheels used in World Touring Car Championship
  World Touring Car Championship
  For the video game, known as World Touring Car Championship in Japan, see TOCA World Touring CarsThe FIA World Touring Car Championship is an international Touring Car championship sanctioned by the FIA.-History:...
  
   and British Touring Car Championship
  British Touring Car Championship
  The British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...
  
  .
• Versus - Fashion brand of wheels with influences from European styling.
• G-Games - Wheels used in the JDM scene with influences from American styling.
• Daytona - Performance wheels produced for Japanese Kei car
  Kei car
  Kei cars, K-cars, or , are a Japanese category of small vehicles, including passenger cars, vans, and pickup trucks. They are designed to comply with Japanese government tax and insurance regulations, and in most rural areas are exempted from the requirement to certify that adequate parking is...
  
  .
• Black Fleet - Japan's dress-up culture for the sedan scene brings the newest design with a tuner taste.
• Garcia - Wheels bringing in the latest design trends for vans and Kei car
  Kei car
  Kei cars, K-cars, or , are a Japanese category of small vehicles, including passenger cars, vans, and pickup trucks. They are designed to comply with Japanese government tax and insurance regulations, and in most rural areas are exempted from the requirement to certify that adequate parking is...
  
  .
• A/X RePLA/Y - The Arthur Exchange brand is revamped from 2010 with fresh new design wheels.
• Vesta
• Sebring - also the Japanese distributor for its exhaust pipes