Hadley Group is delighted to announce that it has further enhanced its UK production capabilities with the addition of a new heavy-duty flying cut-off press at its Downing Street headquarters in Smethwick.
As a company, Hadley Group is known for its world-class capabilities in the production of high-strength, weight saving components and profiles using cold rollforming technology, and its award-winning UltraSTEEL® process. More than anything however, the company has built its success on an unrelenting desire to continually improve upon its processes and systems. It recently reaffirmed this commitment with the addition of a new heavy-duty flying cut-off press at its Downing Street headquarters; designed, developed and delivered by the Hadley Machine Build team.
The new addition means Hadley Group can process a wider range of metal products than ever before. The previous model was a crank press with the capacity to deliver a 125 tonne blow at the bottom of its stroke, whereas the new model is a hydraulic press that delivers 250 tonnes of force throughout its stroke, as well as having an infinitely variable stroke within its 300mm range.
With six servo axes of control the new machine has automated height adjustment, tilt and rotation, enabling its 42 tonne mass to be easily manipulated for work on demanding applications such as swept sections. The capacity to work with larger, heavier-duty products of greater sectional complexity and gauge thickness is enabling Hadley Group to take on jobs that they haven’t been able to quote for previously meaning the company can deliver even more innovative solutions to customers across a diverse range of industries.
The new heavy-duty cut-off press will be accompanied by a fully rebuilt and extended heavy-duty rolling mill, benefiting from five gearmotors delivering a total power of 275kw and developing a maximum total torque of 54,735Nm. This enables the mill to form material gauges of up to 8mm with a maximum strip width of 635mm into complex sections with demanding geometries. With a footprint of 22m x 3.5m and a total mass of 83 tonnes, the heavy-duty rolling mill contains 33 driven forming passes at 600mm centres. The rebuilt mill also uses cutting edge drive technology; delivering this increased capacity with greater energy efficiency. The addition of a 15 metre long section handling system also enables the highest levels of productivity to be achieved on the line, while ensuring the safety of the operator and those working in the vicinity.
All of Hadley Group’s manufacturing capabilities are complemented by an extensive range of sheet metal and assembly services, allowing the company to offer a fully integrated solution involving multiple operations, backed by advice, expertise and R&D support. With more than 50 full time engineers and technicians working across a variety of disciplines in the dedicated Technical Centre of Excellence, Hadley Group is in a better position than ever to support its customers in delivering market-leading products.
