It’s at Wyman Gordon in Grafton MA actually. We do no open die in this press we do all the open die stuff in a smaller press. I’m pretty sure the big one in Alcoa is only 35K tons, I’m also pretty sure it only works in Al.
It would take 1 hit to do what you’re asking. It only takes 1 hit to turn a 10”x10”x160” piece of titanium into an 8” diameter landing gear section. Or a 6” thick piece of Ti into a 2” thick wing beam is also 1 hit. Nothing we make in this press takes more than one hit, the forge operator says if you can’t get it in one hit, the press is not strong enough to accomplish it. You haft to relies the press forms with pressure not impact. The interesting part is the piece goes into the die and comes out of the die both at near white hot, there is really not that much heat loss.
Yes, I have been thinking a pair of plane die blocks and a car would make an interesting piece of Damascus. I would love to make a general blade die for the press and then work the blade once it has been given general shape/welded that way, the grain in the blade would be amazing I would think.
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