Alcoa 50,000 ton forging press explained
The Alcoa 50,000 ton forging press is a heavy press operated at Howmet Aerospace's Cleveland Operations. It was built as part of the Heavy Press Program by the United States Air Force. It was manufactured by Mesta Machinery of West Homestead, Pennsylvania, and began operation on May 5, 1955.[1] [2]
Alcoa ran the plant from the time of its construction, and purchased it outright in 1982. In 2008, cracks were discovered in the press, which had to be shut down for safety reasons.[3] Repairs, originally estimated at a cost of $68 million (equivalent to $ million in), cost a total of $100 million, and were completed in early 2012.[4]
This press was marked a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1981.[5]
Specifications
Source:
- Type: Push down
- Height: 87', 36' below ground level and 51' above.
- Weight: approximately 8000 tons.
- Stroke: 6 feet
- Daylight: 15 feet
- Operating hydraulic pressure: 4500 psi
- Number of rams: 8
External links
Notes and References
- News: Heffernan. Tim. Iron Giant. 14 January 2016. The Atlantic. March 2012.
- News: Heffernan. Tim. The machines that made the Jet Age. 14 January 2016. Boing Boing. 13 February 2012.
- News: Eaton . Sabrina . Crack in huge Alcoa press may move jobs from Cleveland to California . Cleveland . The Plain Dealer . 2009-01-29 . 2017-10-10.
- News: Shaw . Scott . Alcoa's 50,000-ton press ready for work; $100 million repair job ends on schedule . Cleveland . The Plain Dealer . 2012-02-13 . 2017-10-10.
- The American Society of Mechanical Engineers . September 24, 1981 . 50,000 Ton Closed Die Forging Press . The American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
