Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Company has placed an order with SMS Meer for the supply of a wedge press with forging roll. The machines are intended for the new forging works in Guangzhou. The plant will enable Dongfeng Nissan to produce various con rod sizes for passenger cars flexibly and fully automatically in a minimum of time.

The wedge press is an AKP 2500 with a forging force of 25 MN which can withstand large eccentric loads. The wedge drive of the ram ensures consistently close forging tolerances. The ARWS 1 forging roll performs the material to be forged. It also reduces the starting material input and hence the material costs.

Dongfeng Nissan will produce con rods only for its own car production on the plant. The production of the con rods on forging roll and wedge press is fully automatic. The parts are transported in the wedge press by a servo electric automatic walking beam system. A die holder quick changing facility is also integrated into the plant.

Mr Dieter Blom project manager sales in the Closed Die Forging Presses product unit at SMS Meer said that "That guarantees high productivity for Dongfeng Nissan. At the same time the plant is flexible to allow different con rod sizes to be produced in a minimum of time."

The plant forges two con rods simultaneously in a cycle time of 4.8 seconds. Nissan already successfully operates two identical plants from SMS Meer at its works in Yokohama.

Commissioning of the new forging line is scheduled for the beginning of 2013.