TPT January 2019

I NDUS T RY

Thöni orders 55-MN aluminium extrusion press line from SMS group

The MIDIS (management information diagnostic indication system) technology package will allow for the administration of all product-relevant data. An IBA measuring and analysing system integrated into the control system will allow remote diagnosis. Directly downstream of the extrusion press, an advanced run-out will be installed by OMAV, another company in which SMS group holds a stake. Two high-performance cooling systems using spray water and air will cool the extruded profiles from an outlet temperature of about 520°C down to approximately 100°C. A special challenge here is to adapt the cooling rates to the product extruded in order to prevent profile warping. All cooling parameters will be recorded and managed by MIDIS. This makes sure that identical material properties such as strengths can be reproduced in follow-up orders − a must for the automotive industry. One double puller, one flying saw, one stretcher, one final cutting saw and an automation system complete the run-out area. Commissioning is scheduled to take place in the summer, and extrusion of the first billet is planned for 15 July.

group has invested in advanced extrusion press technology. Billet heating will be performed in a patented induction furnace – a combination of induction furnaces from IAS, a subsidiary of SMS group, and a gas-fired furnace from Extrutec GmbH. Aluminium bars will be stored in a warehouse, then heated to approximately 480°C in an inline furnace, sawn to a maximum length of 1,600mm and transported to the billet loader. The 55-MN front-loading extrusion press will be built to SMS group’s latest design and will be equipped with a precise linear guidance system for all moving main components, servo drive technology for all auxiliary functions, and the EcoDraulic concept to reduce energy consumption. The press will also have a modular process control system, part of which will be CADEX/3 (computer aided direct extrusion) for isothermal and isobaric extruding.

THÖNI group, headquartered in Austria, has placed an order with SMS group covering a press line for the extrusion of aluminium. The line includes a 55-MN front-loading extrusion press to process billets that have a maximum diameter of 304.8mm (12") and a maximum length of 1,600mm. This extrusion press will be the fifth that SMS will have installed for Thöni. The line is to be established in a new works at a recently developed location, and will produce profiles of aluminium and aluminium alloys for application in automotive and other markets. “From the end of 2019, the new line will produce about 8,000 tons per year of high-quality aluminium profiles for the European automotive industry,” said Helmut Thöni, CEO and shareholder of Thöni group. “Through subsequent processing we will refine these products ready for installation.” To satisfy its customer base, Thöni

SMS group GmbH – Germany Website: www.sms-group.com

Thöni’s future works, where the new extrusion press from SMS group will be installed

TOLexpo in Lyon, France, for the first time THE next edition of TOLexpo will take place in Lyon, France, for the first time. The event will be held at the Eurexpo convention centre from 5 to 8 March 2019. As with the previous events, held in Paris, leading companies will be exhibiting.

satisfied with their visit, and 80 per cent of those planning investment projects were able to finalise them on the spot. TOLexpo 2019 will be an opportunity to follow the latest developments in the rapidly changing sheet metal sector, such as increasingly powerful 2D fibre laser cutting; the automatic configuration of press brakes in bending; advances in process automation and robotisation driven forward by developments in programming tools; additive manufacturing with metals; and the digitisation of production processes.

Areas covered by the event will in- clude assembly/welding, blanking/ stamping/forming, sheet blanking sys- tems, manufacturing lines and FMS, additive manufacturing, robotised ap- plications, finishing/monitoring, controls/ measurement, quality control, tooling, portable tools, storage/automated han- dling, protection/safety, consumables, second-hand machinery, raw materi- als, services, and machines for working tubes, wires and sections. With over 200 exhibitors, manufactur- ers and distributors, and with over half of them being international, the show will feature exhibits for every industry. Ac- cording to the organisers, 94 per cent of visitors in 2018 declared that they were

Billed as the only event that is totally dedicated to production equipment and technologies for working sheets, coils, tubes and sections, it will form part of Global Industrie, France’s industry mega-event. As a result, the organisers say that it is more than ever a must-visit show for any professional searching for specific innovations, know-how and technologies.

TOLexpo – France Email: tolexpo@gl-events.com Website: www.tolexpo.com

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JANUARY 2019