Gestamp adds extension to Japan plant

Gestamp Hotstamping Japan is expanding with a new plant building on its premises in Matsusaka. This decision is part of Gestamp´s expansion in Asia, which is key for the global strategy of the company. Following the plant opening in 2018, the expansion meets increasing demand for parts from Japanese manufacturers in the automotive sector.

The relationship of the company with Japan, already long and fruitful, is deeply rooted in the country with this plant and two sales offices. One is Gestamp Tokyo, also home of the group´s R&D centre, inaugurated in 2017. In addition, the company´s subsidiary Edscha, specialised in mechanisms, has a sales office located in Yokohama. The new expansion of the Matsusaka plant is scheduled to be operational by June 2023.

As Gestamp’s first Japanese base, Gestamp Hotstamping Japan has been supplying parts to domestic and overseas automakers and will introduce a next-generation hot-stamping line that combines a large press with an environmentally friendly electric furnace that avoids burning gas to heat the blanks. This capability will enable Gestamp Hotstamping Japan to supply automotive manufacturers with one-piece, high-strength, lightweight parts, contributing to the Japanese automotive industry’s accelerating shift to EVs.

To kick-start the project, a ceremony took place at the Mayor’s office in Matsusaka City Hall. Masato Takegami (Mayor of Matsusaka city) and Toshiya Hara (general manager of Gestamp Hotstamping Japan) signed the location agreement for a new plant building expansion.

“This expansion project will not only be a simple capacity increase, but will also provide solutions for the demand of next-generation vehicles such as EVs by installing a new hot-stamping line with bigger press and high energy-efficiency furnace.”
For further information www.gestamp.com

Partnership takes press hardening to new level

Together with GEDIA, AP&T has created what is probably the world’s most advanced production line for manufacturing press-hardened automotive components.

AP&T’s latest press-hardening production solution lays the groundwork for providing car manufacturers with lighter, safer and more flexible designs that are cost- and energy-efficient. The solution includes AP&T’s proprietary servo-hydraulic press, boasting up to 70% lower energy consumption than conventional hydraulic presses, and TemperBox, which enables the combination of soft and hard zones in the same finished component.

The first commercial production line containing both innovations became operational at GEDIA in Germany in the fall of 2019, with subsequent installation of the same equipment at the company’s facilities in Spain and the US. It is no coincidence that GEDIA and AP&T are pioneering the future of press hardening in the industry: it is a result of a deeply rooted collaboration between the two companies that has lasted a decade.

Jörgen Theander, AP&T’s person responsible for the project, says: “Together with GEDIA, we have now developed what is probably the world’s most advanced production line for manufacturing press-hardened automotive components. By collaborating, we not only solve technological challenges and gain valuable experiences, we also manage to meet high expectations.”

So how does the end result compare to earlier AP&T press-hardening lines? First and foremost, the new lines are considerably more energy-efficient, much due to the fact that the servo-hydraulic press consumes up to 70% less energy than conventional hydraulic presses. The latest generation of multi-layer furnaces, consuming 40% less energy than its predecessors, also delivers an important contribution. In addition, the new lines make it possible to shorten manufacturing cycle times of certain products by up to 20%, freeing up time for more production.
For further information www.aptgroup.com

New aerospace contract for Rhodes Interform

Rhodes Interform, part of Group Rhodes, continues its success in mechanical and hydraulic press manufacture and refurbishment with another major project win in the aerospace industry. The contract, recently completed successfully, is phase one of two for the refit of a 1989 vintage 3000 Ton ‘Chester Hydraulics’ SPF press, at BAE Systems, Samlesbury. The press is a critical piece of equipment that manufactures major parts for the Typhoon (Eurofighter) aircraft.

Rhodes Interform’s technical director Peter Anderton says: “This is a specialist repair to the ‘hotbox’ ensuring the stringent temperature accuracies required during the manufacturing process are maintained. We won the contract based on our vast expertise in the manufacture, design and repair of SPF presses in the aerospace sector. The lockdown was obviously a difficult time for the industry, but over the past few months we’ve won a number of contracts for both new machinery and equipment refurbishment. We’re very optimistic for the continued recovery of the UK aerospace sector.”

Rhodes Interform’s machine refurbishments offer customers a cost-effective solution to improve equipment life and increase productivity. The company provides a complete one-stop refurbishment service, from arranging transport to the company’s maintenance facility in Wakefield, through to retrofitting new components and re-commissioning on site.

Parent company Group Rhodes, based in West Yorkshire, boasts a 200 year metal-forming history and has also been manufacturing presses to form composite materials from as early as the 1930s. The company has won Queen’s Awards for both Innovation and International Trade in recent years, particularly for its work in the aerospace sector.
For further information www.grouprhodes.co.uk

Investment in two Aida servo presses

Small Parts Incorporated, a precision metal stampings provider based in Logansport, Indiana, recently purchased two unitised-frame, two-point, direct drive, model DSF-N2 Aida servo presses. The presses have quickly realised several benefits on jobs moved from the company’s mechanical presses to its new servo presses, including increased strokes per minute (SPM) and up-time per run.

After modifying an existing automotive progressive die to run on Small Parts Inc’s new 110 ton Aida servo press, the company achieved burr reduction and less part distortion, which it attributes to complete programmability throughout the entire stroke of the servo press, decreasing parts failing post-sort. Moving this die from a mechanical to a servo press also shortened the feed length. These combined advantages resulted in a scrap reduction of approximately 30% on this automotive part.

Small Parts is also achieving die-life improvements. The sharp edge profiles on a non-automotive die were breaking or wearing down multiple times while stamping an order on a mechanical press. Switching this die to the DSF-N2 Aida servo press has already reduced die maintenance by 50%, which the company expects will increase to 60-70% when further tooling improvements are complete. As another example, making new cutting inserts to reduce the cutting clearance for an existing automotive die immediately yielded a 55% increase in die life when moved from a mechanical press to the new servo press.

The addition of the two Aida servo presses has also expanded Small Parts’ quote capabilities. Having seen the improvement and what is actually achievable first-hand, the company now has the confidence to quote servo-press jobs that would have been troublesome to stamp on mechanical presses.
For further information www.aida-global.com

Sustainable thinking – innovative action

Many manufacturing companies are aiming to ensure their production processes are environmentally conscious and, ultimately, climate-neutral. With its latest sustainability strategy, the Chiron Group and its UK partner, the Engineering Technology Group (ETG) are both playing a role in these efforts. The Chiron Group will soon be carbon-neutral, aided by a number of initiatives. For instance, the German machine tool manufacturer will expand its existing capacity for machine refurbishments and use additive manufacturing to broaden its range of applications in the automated repair of forging dies. All of this technology is now available from ETG.

Among the objectives of the Chiron Group sustainability strategy is to improve energy efficiency at all levels on a continuous basis. With long-term investments in heat recovery and photovoltaic systems, and the commitment to cover any additional electricity requirements exclusively from renewable sources, the Chiron Group’s manufacturing and assembly processes will be climate-neutral by the end of 2022.
For further information www.engtechgroup.com