Erie Press Systems Ships New Extrusion Press to China
ERIE, PA - September 2006 - Erie Press Systems shipped its latest Carbon Graphite Extrusion Press to Qinghai Aluminum Company, Ltd., Qinghai Province, China. Qinghai Aluminum is one of several aluminum smelting plants in the Chalco/Chinalco Group. The 3,000 metric ton, 4-story-tall press features ERIE-designed and built hydraulic and electric controls with an integrated software program. The press extrudes carbon blocks that are further processed into cathodes used in the aluminum smelting process. This press is the critical component in a new plant where more than $45 million is being invested for cathode production. The system is capable of producing over thirty thousand tons of cathode blocks per year on a continuous basis.
ERIE's newest press extrudes large rectangular, carbon blocks measuring from one to over three meters in length. The cathodes made from these blocks have greater consistency, greater bulk density, lower specific electrical resistance, improved flexural strength, increased thermal conductivity, and lower coefficient of thermal expansion than achievable with other systems. These characteristics increase pot life, reduce power consumption and, thereby, the cost of smelting aluminum.
ERIE is supplying a vertical tamp/horizontal extrusion, tilt-type press that includes a shearing system with an adjustable run out conveyor as well as a supply of various dies. The press features include: a two position loading chute, a large capacity mud cylinder to receive carbon paste mix, a high tonnage vertical tamping ram, a vacuum/tamp arrangement, an air break mechanism, a tilt mechanism to rotate the mud cylinder, vertical and horizontal locking devices, a horizontal main extrusion ram, clamp ring, extrusion dies, ring and die change hoists, various tooling heaters, and interconnecting piping and wiring.
ERIE's carbon extrusion press is complete with oil hydraulic pumps, motors, valves, and a proprietary control system. Monitoring and diagnostic features include a recorder for extrusion and tamping ram pressures, tamp vacuum chart, and a recorder for mud cylinder, extrusion ram head, reducer ring and die temperatures.
ERIE's unique combination shear and run out conveyor includes an independent rolling frame with adjustable height and speed, and a mechanism that features a first part, scrap, and last carbon block removal device. The run out conveyor measures, weighs, cuts to length, and stamps each carbon block as it is extruded.
Erie Press Systems has been building Carbon Extrusion Presses for more than sixty years. These presses can also extrude carbon electrodes for electric arc furnaces by changing extrusion dies from rectangular to round. Today, ERIE markets these presses world wide both to cathode manufacturers for aluminum smelting and electrode manufacturers for steel melting.
Erie Press Systems (http://www.eriepress.com) is a leading designer and builder of custom hydraulic and mechanical presses and machinery for a broad range of metal and non metal forming applications including open and closed die forging, sheet and extrusion stretch forming, carbon extrusion and compacting, super plastic forming, cold extrusion, powder metal compacting, composite molding, and other custom applications. Press capacities typically range from 500 to 15,000 metric tonnes (5 - 147 MN) and are designed to meet the unique needs of each customer's forming process requirements.
