20th International Forgemasters Meeting - IFM 2017

Ellwood Crankshaft Group (ECG), one of the world’s largest producers of industrial crankshafts, has invested in a modern horizontal multi-directional press to complement the CGF Loewy Press originally built in 1960. This new facility will produce monolithic medium speed engine crankshafts, industrial crankshafts, and a multitude of none crankshaft geometries. The new 310MN press operations extends the product capability range through the largest medium speed four stroke monolithic crankshafts. The project execution marks the fulfilment of extensive technology and market research beginning as early as 2005. All modern competitive solutions and internal capabilities were examined, including TR, RR and modified technology. In the end, ECG’s technical team and partner engineered the world’s largest horizontal multi-direction press center exploiting our internal capabilities of the Loewy equipment and adding state-of-the-art process technology. The new facility is located in Sharon, Pennsylvania, USA and houses combustion furnaces for forging, the forging press itself, water and poly quench capabilities, material testing laboratory, rough and semi finishing up to 16 meters x 2 meter swing x 60 tonne work piece inside nearly 40,000 square meter facility. The new ingot’s at Ellwood Quality Steel, including 70Mton and 90Mton ingots and North American Forgemaster’s new 90MN open die press will be utilized to provide high quality forged bar for conversion into crankshafts and other product. The investment is scheduled for production 1Q2017. The facility will allow for the conversion of traditional open die crankshafts and other new shapes to be produced in a near net geometry and can include turbine shafts, hollows, elbows, etc. to meet broad market requirements including marine, industrial, oil and gas, aerospace, and defense requirements with material grades including but not limited to alloy and stainless steels.