Company Announcement - Yasuda Metal Industries, based in Osaka, Japan, has placed an order with SMS Meer www.sms-meer.com for an extrusion press of type HybrEx 14. Yasuda intends to use the press, which can attain a maximum force of 14.5 MN, to produce light-metal sections for windows and facades. It is capable of processing billets of up to 800 millimeters in length and has a capacity of around 5,000 tons per year. Thanks to the drive technology used in the HybrEx 14, energy savings of up to 55 percent can be achieved compared to conventional presses.

The HybrEx press developed by SMS Meer uses its hydraulic system solely to generate the forming forces required for manufacturing semi-finished long products, with only the auxiliary movements of the extrusion press produced by dynamic, electric servo drives. Compared to the drives used in conventional presses, these drive systems can reach twice the speed, i.e. 1,000 millimeters per second. A reduced non-productive time of just one second means production can be increased by up to 100 tons per year.

In terms of its hydraulic drive, the HybrEx also offers significant operating cost savings. Key factors here include, in particular, the new press cylinder with integrated prefill chamber as well as the air-tight tank with degassing unit. The press is equipped with the new OxiStop technology. The air portion in the oil is thus reduced from ten percent to around one percent, which in turn has a positive influence on the service life of the pumps, valves and other wearing parts. Compared to conventional presses the tank volume is up to 90 percent smaller.

Speaking of the investment in this new extrusion press, Tatsuaki Yasuda, President and Owner of Yasuda Metal Industries, commented: “What convinced me was the basic idea of not just achieving energy savings of up to 55 percent, but also of increasing productivity by up to 20 percent. With this new HybrEx 14 we are keeping our business consistently focused on the future.”

The press is to be brought into service in the third quarter of 2016. HybrEx is the latest generation of extrusion presses from SMS Meer. In photo: The HybrEx 25. Yasuda Metals has ordered the machine in the version with 14.5 MN maximum press force.