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Beckwook Press Company to make hydraulic press for ORNL

14 Jul '15

2 min read

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), a world leader in the research and development of advanced materials and economical green energy solutions, has awarded Beckwood Press Company, a leading hydraulic press manufacturer, a contract to manufacture a custom hydraulic press for the compression moulding of various composite materials.

The research and development efforts made on the press will ultimately contribute to automotive and aerospace industry lightweighting efforts, intended to produce higher performance products with improved fuel efficiency. Scheduled for completion in September 2015, the 100-ton custom press will feature a 36”x36” work area and integrated multiple zone heated platens for precision temperature control.

In addition to the custom hydraulic press, ORNL will install a Triform Model 16-5BD Fluid Cell sheet hydroforming system by Beckwood, which features 5000 PSI of maximum forming pressure and a 16” diameter forming area. The Triform 16-5BD allows for the formation of complex geometries with the use of a pressurized diaphragm, which can be programmed to apply a range of forming pressures to accommodate the various materials being formed.

The Beckwood machines will be used at ORNL by the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI). Led by the University of Tennessee and headquartered in Knoxville, the IACMI’s main goal is to develop new low-cost, high-speed, and efficient manufacturing and recycling process technologies that will promote widespread use of advanced fiber-reinforced polymer composites. Through the new IACMI Institute, a world-class team of leading industrial manufacturers - such as Beckwood, material suppliers, software developers, government and academia will focus on lowering the overall manufacturing costs of advanced composites by 50 per cent, reducing the energy used to make composites by 75 per cent, and increasing the ability to recycle composites by more than 95 percent within the next decade, according to a company press release.

ORNL is the largest US Department of Energy science and energy laboratory, conducting basic and applied research to deliver transformative solutions to compelling problems in energy and security.

The Beckwood Press Company offers quality, custom hydraulic presses for virtually every industry & application, including a line of temperature controlled presses for compression moulding, composite forming and high-temperature Hot Forming/SPF applications. (GK)

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