The Rhodes Hot Forging Line effectively integrates de-palletising and transfer robots with three hydraulic presses and all ancillary heating and handling equipment.
Each Robot is equipped with end of arm tooling (grippers) whose construction and protection is appropriate to a hot forging production environment. The automated handling ensures labour cost savings, eradicates any human error, and ensures safer working practices.
A down stroke hydraulic upsetting press forms a billet from cut bar up to 155 mm in diameter. The press produces a defined dimensional billet to the correct length and diameter. A down-stroke hydraulic piecing press takes the upset billet, and forms a cup shaped ‘bottle’. Finally an upstroking hydraulic draw press takes the pierced billet and ‘draws’ it to its final length and diameter.
The induction heaters offer 2 MW of power to heat the cut to length billets to 1300 degrees centigrade. The induction heaters utilise a twin opposed Heavy-Duty pinch wheel drive system complete with rugged gear box and variable speed drive mechanism and are able to heat one billet per minute.
