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High-Speed Horizontal Forging Presses and Horizontal Upsetters

High-speed horizontal forging presses are essentially horizontal mechanical presses which ram is moving horizontally and can be used for hot, cold or warm forging processes. 

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2017-09-27
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High-speed horizontal forging presses are essentially horizontal mechanical presses which ram is moving horizontally and can be used for hot, cold or warm forging processes.

Horizontal upsetters presses are another type of horizontal presses designed to upset partially heated slugs. They don’t have an automatic transfer and are suitable for low production batches.

The components forged on such high-speed presses feature optimum fiber flow and high strength.

A good high-speed horizontal forging machine is expected to have central lubrication, high tool pressure, sufficient tool length and highly rigid crankshaft. One of the best manufacturers of such machines is “Hatebur”.

The Horizontal High-Speed Presses: Power and Volume

The Hatebur AMP 50 XL High-Speed Horizontal Press

The speed range of the high-speed horizontal presses starts from 35 and can reach up to 150 strokes a minute with 5 workstations. The most powerful one at Setforge develops 2700 T (27 000 kN).  Setforge possesses 7 presses featuring strength from 800T to 2700T (8 000 to 27 000 kN), either in hot forging, or in warm and cold forging conditions, used for big production batches. Hot forged pinions, idle gears, sleeves and rings and cold forged shafts are the main components manufactured on these machines. All production teams, working on high-speed horizontal presses are successfully applying SMED.

SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Dies) is a lean tool for dramatically reducing the time it takes to complete dies and tools changeovers and eliminating wastes identified during these changeovers. The implementation of SMED requires profound analysis and understanding of the changeover process mechanism. The objective of SMED is to make as many changeover steps as possible to be performed while the machine is running and to streamiline the remaining ones.

SMED can enormously benefit the production cycle while reducing equipment down time, lowering inventory levels and improving the flexibility, consistency and quality of the manufacturing process.

The Upsetters : How to Increase Volume and Form a Shape at the End of a Bar Stock ?

Some of the horizontal presses are used as well for upsetting. The horizontal upsetting machines are very powerful and are the only forging machines able to produce components, mostly shafts with a big head on a bar and up to 5 m long as piston rods for off-highway vehicles. The upsetter horizontal forging machines work on 2 axis. This means that the kinematics of the press allow two perpendicular movements on the working tools. One is to hold, rather squeeze the slug and the another one is to upset the slug.

The biggest upsetters can weigh up to 3000T with 5 workstations. They are adaptable to different shapes and materials and can be easily automated. The biggest manufacturers are Ajax, National and Schuler.

The only problem with the upsetters is that they are not very productive but are still quite expensive. On the other hand the tools are not very expensive and for production batches of an average volume these conditions are satisfying.

All Setforge companies, part of the forging division of Farinia Group are well diversified in different sectors, which is definitely the key to success and new business opportunities. The variety of forging machines allows the manufacture of a wide range of components with different shapes and weights and from many materials.