OTTO FUCHS orders 540-MN closed-die forging press from SMS group

Extra-large forgings made of nickel and titanium alloys for the aerospace industry.

OTTO FUCHS, based in Meinerzhagen,Germany, trusts in presses from SMS group (www.sms-group.com). Most recently the company ordered a GUF4-type hydraulic closed-die forging press. The pit-mounted press will be designed for a press force of 540 MN.

OTTO FUCHS will install the new press for large forgings at its U.S. subsidiary Weber Metals located in Los Angeles. At the end of 2017, the press will start producing extra-large forgings made of nickel and titanium-based alloys for the aerospace industry.

“This large-scale investment underpins our strategic alignment in the global aerospace market,” says Dr. Klaus Welschof, Manager Sales of Products for the Aerospace Industry at OTTO FUCHS.

The pit-mounted hydraulic closed-die forging press will feature a press force of 54,000 tons, a 6,000 by 3,000 millimeter die clamping area and a stroke of 2,000 millimeters. The press will be designed for hot and cold forging.

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

This new press will allow OTTO FUCHS to expand its portfolio of extra-large premium-grade forgings. The possibility of making forgings of larger dimensions will provide new design options, as it will become possible to make components lighter and more stable in the future.

OTTO FUCHS supplies aluminum, titanium and nickel-based forgings for highly loadable components used in aircrafts built by Airbus, Boeing and other major players in the aerospace industry. The forgings are used as fuselage, wing and landing gear components, and to a constantly increasing degree in engines that are rated for a power equivalent to 100,000 HP.