The press, one of a pair manufactured by Rhodes Interform for a major customer in the North West of England, is designed to operate continuously at 1000°C, forming highly complex titanium aerostructures. This is the first major refit of the machine since its installation 10 years ago and is one of the largest projects of its type conducted in the UK in recent years.
The refurbishment by Rhodes Interform will focus on the replacement of all the high temperature components including press platens, platen fixings, supporting insulations and heatshield trims.
“This is a large project which involves careful project management to ensure it can be completed on time, so the customer can return to a full production in a planned, controlled manner,” stated Rhodes Interform’s technical director Peter Anderton. “We have a highly experienced team of service engineers who have expertise in running contracts which reduce plant downtime and maximise operational efficiency through planned maintenance schedules.”
To reduce downtime to a minimum, Rhodes Interform’s team of specialist service engineers will provide a seven day per week service for a period of six weeks.
