20th International Forgemasters Meeting - IFM 2017

The SMX hydraulic radial forging machine from the SMS group is a market success world-wide. SMX hydraulic radial forging machines are to be found on practically every continent. The characteristics of a hydraulic radial forging machine are the high productivity combined with very close tolerances, irrespective of the material grade and dimensions of the feed stock and finished product. In many cases the high productivity allows forging operations to be carried out in just one heat. SMS is continuously developing the SMX hydraulic radial forging machine in order to further increase productivity. One aspect is the development of an automatic tool shifting device integrated into the SMX. Another aspect is the development of an energy saving concept resulting in a significantly reduced energy consumption of the hydraulic radial forging machine. The automatic tool shifting device allows forging of a wide diameter range without time-consuming tool changes. The reduction in energy consumption is achieved through a new press cylinder design. The developments are described and presented in detail in the paper.