Forgemasters underway with Chinese contract
jueves, 17 diciembre 2009
Sheffield Forgemasters International (SFIL) has cast two complex pieces of a forging press for the heavy truck production market in China.
The contract, worth more than €2m, will see SFIL produce two giant pieces of a 12,500 tonne eccentric forging press for German client SMS MEER GmbH – Closed Die Forging Division of the SMS group.
The two companies have been collaborating on the project with SMS MEER designing the pieces and SFIL supporting by finding the best casting layout. On completion the pieces will be shipped to China.
The first and most complicated piece to be cast was the frame crown with a finished weight of 256 tonnes.
Originally designed in three separate pieces, the engineering skills at SFL working in conjunction with SMS Meer has meant the Brightside Lane business was able to create a monoblock one-piece solution. The vast crown now measures 6.3m in length and 4.5m x 3.5m in width.
The second casting to be produced was the frame bed with a finished weight of 172 tonnes.
Mick Holloway, senior sales manager at SFIL, said: “This order was taken on the strength of our expertise in making large-scale castings and the excellent relationship we have with SMS Meer.
“To cast components of this complexity takes an enormous amount of preparation and innovation. Producing a monoblock solution for a frame crown of this size is some feat.
“The sheer scale of the project dictated that SFIL was one of only a handful of companies across the world which had the capacity to produce these castings.”
Both machined pieces are expected to be delivered in late 2010.
By Rachel Covill - Business Correspondent. www.thebusinessdesk.com