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voestalpine Forging Plant for Bohler Edelstahl Begins Production
09/27/2010 - The new ProForge hall at the Böhler Edelstahl site in Kapfenberg was officially opened on September 22. The production facility houses the world’s largest GFM longitudinal forging machine RF100 with a forging force of 2000 tonnes, according to voestalpine.
The new ProForge hall, the largest-ever investment project at the Böhler Edelstahl site in Kapfenberg, was officially opened on September 22. The production facility houses the world’s largest GFM longitudinal forging machine RF100 with a forging force of 2000 tonnes, according to voestalpine.
This project was possible due to the 130 Euro investment package “ProForge.” The new forging plant will enable Böhler Edelstahl in Kapfenberg to produce steel bars up to 15 meters long, with a diameter of up to around 550 mm and a unit weight of up to 8 tonnes.
The steel plant and finishing capacity were adjusted to handle the increased forging and heat handling capacity. A new gag press, peeling machine, grinder and cold-cutting unit will be housed in the existing hall 2 of the finishing area and a combined inner and outer surface checking facility has been installed in a new parallel hall.
The products are temporarily stored in an automatic high-bay warehouse. The capacity of the mechanical workshop was also extended with a new heavy-duty lathe and a vertical turret lathe to make use of the new forging opportunities for freeform products.
“We approved the 2008 project during an extremely difficult economic situation because we were and still are convinced that only investments in technology, quality, and service will secure the long-term success of our company. Today, at the beginning of the economic recovery, we know that we took the right approach. We are now ideally prepared to meet our clients’ new requirements and handle their orders,” said CEO Dr. Wolfgang Eder.
Further projects are planned in Kapfenberg, with a total investment of around 21 million Euros expected. Highlights are two projects planned for the roll forming line with a total budget of approximately 10 million Euros, the completion of which is scheduled for 2013.
