Germany’s Otto Fuchs ordered a hydraulic closed-die forging press from the SMS group in an effort to expand its portfolio of extra-large, premium-grade forgings. The pit-mounted press, designed for hot and cold forging and a press force of 54,000 tons, will produce extra-large forgings made of nickel- and titanium-based alloys for the aerospace industry. Otto Fuchs will install the equipment at its U.S. subsidiary, Los Angeles-based Weber Metals, by the end of 2017. The press will also feature a 6,000 x 3,000 mm (236 x 118 inches) die clamping area and a stroke of 2,000 mm (79 inches).

The steel castings for the press will weigh up to 350 tons. The four-column press will be pre-stressed by means of four forged tie rods. The load-balancing feature integrated in the press will allow forging to extremely tight tolerances.

Otto Fuchs supplies aluminum-, titanium- and nickel-based forgings for highly loadable components used in aircrafts. The forgings are used as fuselage, wing and landing-gear components, as well as in engines that are rated for a power equivalent to 100,000 HP.