Rhodes Interform, one of the UK’s leading metalforming machinery manufacturers, has secured a multi-million-pound contract to design and manufacture three bespoke hydraulic presses for the aerospace sector, which will be used in the production of light aero structures.
The contract includes the production of two 180-tonne presses and one 500-tonne press – both will bond multi-layered composite sheets into a single composite formed component. The machines are all four-column; hot platen presses with electrically heated platens operating at temperatures of up to 220oC. The presses are PLC controlled and equipped with innovative features, including integrated structure cooling and fume extraction equipment, as well as precise speed, tonnage, and temperature control.
Rhodes Interform’s highly skilled engineers project-managed the design, build and manufacture, and commissioning of the presses in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. The process included testing of the completed presses at the factory, followed by re-assembly and final testing at the customer’s premises.
Mark Ridgway OBE, CEO of Group Rhodes, stated: ‘’This was a very prestigious contract, which involved a close working partnership between our design, technical, and production teams as well as the client, to meet their specific requirements. We have extensive experience in the aerospace sector, and the project is a testament to our expertise in the design and manufacture of bespoke presses to meet specialist composite forming and metal forming applications.”
Rhodes Interform is a division of Group Rhodes, a 200-year-old business, which has extensive metalforming and composite forming experience and has been supplying bespoke turnkey solutions to the aerospace sector for several decades.
In addition, Group Rhodes has been granted patents in Europe and China for its Superplastic Forming (SPF) and Diffusion Bonding (DB) technology. This technology is used in the production of large, complex parts and can be applied extensively to the light-weighting of components within the aerospace and automotive industries.
As well as manufacturing state-of-the-art presses, Rhodes Interform reconditions and upgrades its extensive range of existing machines at a fraction of the cost of buying new. The company can also offer full PLC or CNC control system upgrades with software designed to meet the individual requirements of each customer.
All of Rhodes Interform’s machinery is supported by a comprehensive aftermarket spares and service team that maintains the company’s equipment throughout the world.
