China’s Zhong Yuan Special Steel Co. Ltd. commissioned a two-column, push-down open-die forging press earlier this summer. The Type OF2-45/50 MN delivers a press force of up to 45 MN and an upsetting force of 50 MN.
Zhong Yuan Special Steel, at Jiyuan City, in Henan Province, is using the press to process normal and high-alloy steels as intermediates for various industrial applications.
SMS Meer supplied the key components of the press and the complete hydraulic and electrical package. The hydraulic controls are located in a separate room, allowing optimal sound insulation during forging. Zhong Yuan Special Steel and other suppliers provided castings and various other mechanical parts for the press, manufactured to specifications set by SMS Meer.
The commissioning, including the integration of the forging manipulator, was carried out completely by SMS Meer technicians. From the start of construction to first trial runs, the project took just five months to complete.
According to SMS, the press is among the first of a new generation of presses that operate at up to 140 strokes/minute; previous designs typically achieve only around 85 strokes/minute. This results in shorter forging process times, especially for planishing long bars, which reduces the time (and energy) required to heat the billlets. SMS says Zhong Yuan Special Steel aims to reduce costs and improve its performance for processing difficult-to-forge materials.