World's Largest Isothermal Forging Press Built to Produce Jet Engine Components
Doug Currie, president of Erie Press Systems (Erie, PA), reports that production of the world's largest Isothermal Forging Press is complete for Ladish Co., Inc. (Cudahy, WI). The unique design of the press, rated at 12,500 tons, will allow it…
Posted: June 7, 2010
Doug Currie, president of Erie Press Systems (Erie, PA), reports that production of the world's largest Isothermal Forging Press is complete for Ladish Co., Inc. (Cudahy, WI). The unique design of the press, rated at 12,500 tons, will allow it to forge larger-diameter, close-tolerance forgings required for today's high-efficiency jet engines. The unit will provide Ladish with increased operational flexibility and capacity, giving the company significant production advantages now and in the future.
"Our challenge was to produce a strain-rate-controlled, high-tonnage press to forge critical aerospace materials," Currie said.
The press weighs over 1,200 tons, stands 33 ft above the floor and 27 ft below it. Four massive tie rods, each weighing more than 100,000 lb, support the structure. Two main rams drive the crown, and rugged press guiding maintains tooling parallelism. Two push-back cylinders return the press to the open position. This pull-down-design press is equipped with the latest in hydraulic and electrical/electronic controls and integrated with a vacuum chamber, stock heating, and part-handling system.
"The hydraulic controls are a combination of servo-controlled pumps driven by four 100 hp motors," Currie added. "Using energy-efficient servo controls, the maximum input to drive the press will be less than 400 hp. Forging speed is adjustable for precise strain-rate-velocity control, while increasing to a maximum force of 12,500 tons. The hydraulic power unit utilizes manifold-mounted-cartridge valves to minimize space requirements and simplify piping and maintenance. The modular hydraulic system is preassembled and tested at Erie to facilitate installation on site."
The electrical controls provide ease of operation, as well as high-level diagnostic capabilities for quick fault detection. Press-performance data for each part forged is collected, recorded, and sent to a database for traceability by serial number. Ethernet communication provides high-speed data transfers. An Intelligent Motor Control Center is used to view and log all motor-data parameters. The press I/O is designed into functional groups and connected to remote I/O modules to reduce wiring. Redundant circuits are used throughout the electrical design for safety and reliability.
The operator interface screens include animated hydraulic schematics, which display real-time hydraulic pump and valve commands. The operator manual, drawings and device data sheets are available on-line via links on the operator interface and maintenance screens. The operator interface PC contains two identical hard drives (Raid 1) to prevent machine shutdown in the event of a single hard drive failure. An Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) is used to power the control system. This device protects the controller from electrical power fluctuations and 10- to 30-minute power outages.
Through the use of a secure remote connection, the Ethernet-based press-control system can be remotely monitored and minor program adjustments made by Erie. Additionally, this connection allows Erie to view the operator interface screens as the machine is working at Ladish.
According to Currie, "Given Ladish's production schedule, not only was it imperative that we met or exceeded rigorous quality and performance requirements for design, manufacture and installation, but equally important, that Erie controlled delivery performance of critical-path components through on-going, project-scheduling review, technical liaison, and inter-company communications vital in a project of this magnitude."
According to Don Griep, Ladish project manager, "We are in the process of running qualification parts and test cycles, which allow me to train operators on the full cycle. The part and unit qualification process is proceeding well. The unit is meeting expectations and design criteria."
"We have spent considerable time thinking through the demands that will be placed on this press and we know we are building a resource that will serve jet-engine manufacturers for decades to come," Gene Bunge, vice president of engineering at Ladish, said. "We are excited to be working with Erie to create the world's largest isothermal press?one that can meet all the component technology and production demands our customers require."
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