Hydro Aluminum enhances Ohio plant

April 1, 2008
Hydro Aluminum's Extrusion Americas unit has added sheet processing capabilities to its Sidney OH facility

Hydro Aluminum's Extrusion Americas unit has added sheet processing capabilities to its Sidney OH facility with the installation of two new high-tech machines — a TruBend 5130 press brake and a TruPunch 2020 turret press — both manufactured by TRUMPF. The additional capabilities will create up to seven new jobs at the 130,000-square-foot facility.

Hydro can now provide processed sheet aluminum for its customers in the heavy-truck, automotive, and consumer durable goods markets, as well as service industries it has not yet tapped.

The TruBend 5130 is equipped with four cylinders for faster and more accurate bends, as well as advanced drives that reduce cycle times by up to 30 percent. The TruPunch 2020 offers tool rotation up to 360 degrees on the C axis, simplifying the process by eliminating tool rotation questions. Tool change times range from less than 0.9 seconds for multitool configuration to less than 3.5 seconds for a single tool. It has a working sheet range of 100 inches × 50 inches, with a punching speed up to 420 times per minute.