61–70 of 196 posts
Progress continues. The biggest press in the world today was built in 2018, is rated for 60,000 tons, and is in Los Angeles County, California.[1][2] [1] https://www.lightmetalage.com/news/industry-news/forging/web... [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNFIMy8BuHc
For a program started in the 50s, it's impressive that "Six of the ten presses are still operational today."!
I wonder if they wore out?, something better came along?, or just no demand?
My little 20 ton shop press brake can bend 5/8" plate. Incredible to imagine what this behemoth can do...
Letterman being silly with an 80 ton press: https://youtu.be/0CqCLf4RUUY
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The second moment of area is quadratic with thickness (t^2), so 250/8" plate. But in reality 2-3x more than that, because at that scale steel gets a bit... goopy.
I understand very little about machining, expect that _all_ materials are kinda squishy if one applies enough squish.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
This has been such a frustrating culture war definitional argument.
Not necessarily a culture war thing. People who aren't familiar with the subject might take "unskilled" in the plain-english sense, as a pejorative. And who can blame them? We're english speakers before we're technical speakers. Make gracious assumptions.
I understand that this press, and the Cleveland site, is now owned by Howmet Aerospace, which is a "daughter company" of Alcoa (along with Arconic) after its 2020 separation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howmet_Aerospace The big Cleveland press has its own wiki. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoa_50,000_ton_forging_press
Most of the time they made turbine blades for jet engines, but if it was slow they would make golf club heads for PING and companies like that. In all the years he worked there, the golf club heads were the only tangible product of his work that I saw because everything else was tightly controlled in the facility.
For a program started in the 50s, it's impressive that "Six of the ten presses are still operational today."!
I got curious as what happened to the other 4. Wikipedia lists them as extrusion presses being scrapped in the 90's and 2021 in Maryland and Torrence CA. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_Press_Program I wonder if they wore out?, something better came along?, or just no demand?
I understand that this press, and the Cleveland site, is now owned by Howmet Aerospace, which is a "daughter company" of Alcoa (along with Arconic) after its 2020 separation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howmet_Aerospace The big Cleveland press has its own wiki. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoa_50,000_ton_forging_press
Howmet is an interesting company. My dad worked for them his entire life (it was called MISCO, then Howmet bought them, then Alcoa). He worked specifically in titanium injection molding--they would heat titanium until it was liquid and then force it under pressure into intricate molds they made onsite. Most of the time they made turbine blades for jet engines, but if it was slow they would make golf club heads for PI…
Pratt & Whitney appears to have developed most of the technology.
https://www.americanscientist.org/article/each-blade-a-singl...