Siempelkamp supplies open-die forging press for aircraft structural parts

Krefeld, January 15, 2009    Siempelkamp received an order for a 25 / 30 MN open-die forging press for the open-die forging and bending of special aluminum alloys used in the aircraft industry. 

The new 2-column open-die forging press will manufacture finished forgings or semi-finished forgings to be used in subsequent closed-die forging processes. The press has a press capacity of 25 MN for forging and 30 MN for upset forging. The maximum press stroke is 2,400 mm. The 6 m long press table can be moved horizontally up to 6.5 m. This stroke is necessary for the forming of large structural parts.

 

The new press replaces an older one which was originally supposed to be refurbished. In-house evaluations, however, led to the conclusion that a new investment would result in a cost advantage. Furthermore, the new press achieves a higher throughput, an improved quality of the forgings and, at the same time, provides higher reliability.

A technical highlight is that the central press cylinder is integrated into the upper cross beam and the piston is mortised into the cross beam. In connection with a guiding system in the x-axis, this design guarantees exact guidance of the cross beam over the entire press stroke even at high eccentric loads. The weight of this cross beam is less than that of a rotating cross beam, which is beneficial for the high forging frequency. Furthermore, this design is cost-effective during manufacture. Siempelkamp presses of this design have proven themselves worldwide for more than 30 years.

For the customer this press design stands for a short delivery time because Siempelkamp manufactures large parts in the company-owned foundry and provides a solution from one source. There is only 14 months between the order and the delivery date. This was a decisive factor for the placement of the order. 

Accordingly, the time frame to the production start of the plant is tight: The delivery of the press is forecasted for late 2009, the startup for early 2010.

Siempelkamp, Oilgear Towler and Glama have formed a consortium and work together on this project.  Siempelkamp will engineer and manufacture the entire press mechanics and the die changing devices. A special challenge in the design process of the press was that the height of the press had to be less than 10 m because of an overhead crane runway. Integrated into the cross beam is an automatic die rotating and clamping device. The die change takes place via a transversally moving saddle with three positions and a saddle magazine with four positions.

Oilgear Towler, France, supplies the hydraulic direct drive which is designed for a maximum operating pressure of 420 bar as well as the electrical control. Glama supplies a rail-bound manipulator and a stationary lifting and turn-table for the material handling.