Schuler helps railway wheels roll faster

CAF specialise in producing all types of railway wagons, from simple to underground trains, and from locomotives to high-speed trains – indeed, CAF's facility in Beasain produces virtually everything that rolls on rails. The production of railway wheels, however, plays a special role. Only about one tenth of the wheels are for CAF's own needs; the rest are exported around the world. The new hydraulic press supplied by Schuler SMG is responsible for the first stage in the production of railway wheels, pressing them to a higher degree of accuracy than previously - this significantly reduces the line's cycle time. With a press force of 10,000 tonnes, the pre-forming press compresses a round block of steel heated to around 1,200 °C kind of "cake". This is then forged into a pre-formed wheel in a second stage. A wheel rolling machine then continues to form the pre-formed product into a wheel. Finally, the wheel receives its final shape and the hub is punched in a 2,500-ton press. The new pre-forming press was integrated into a completely redesigned production environment within just 10 days. Teams of suppliers had previously been given three months to install the 10,000-ton press during production and to equip the furnace, descaling plant, press and wheel rolling machine with robots in order to link them into a fully automatic line with automatic ejector stations. The complete line was put into operation in record time during the Easter holidays 2009. The process is capable of producing railway wheels with a maximum diameter of around 1.5 m and weighing over one tonne. A fully formed wheel leaves the line every 90 seconds. In a second step, the 2,500-ton press for the final pressing and punching of the wheel hubs will be replaced in summer 2009 by a new 5,000-ton crimping press supplied by Schuler SMG.