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SMS to supply Exlabesa with 71-MN press for large profiles

Exlabesa has awarded a contract to SMS group for the supply of a 71-MN short-stroke extrusion press of front loader design.

Exlabesa has awarded a contract to SMS group for the supply of a 71-MN short-stroke extrusion press of front loader design.

With this new extrusion press, the multinational producer of aluminium profiles will operate 27 extrusion lines including five SMS extrusion presses at its nine production facilities. The new press will be installed at the company’s Padron site in Spain. It will be the largest press in the Iberian Peninsula. The plant is scheduled to go on stream at the beginning of 2024.

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Doubling of production capacities for large profiles

“Lighter and, at the same time, safe structural designs, low fuel consumption, and reduced emissions for sustainable mobility are today’s drivers for using high-strength aluminium profiles. With our new, large extrusion press, we intend to double our production output for large profiles and secure the availability of the plant. Furthermore, we will be able to offer new profile cross-sections and widths that were not possible before and strengthen our position as market leader in the European aluminium industry,” says Francisco Quintá, founder of Exlabesa.

The new extrusion press will be used mainly for the production of profiles for the growing electromobility market. What’s more, the company also plans to produce extruded profiles, up to 620 mm wide, for truck superstructures as well as profiles intended for railway carriage manufacturing. Not only that, the new investment will allow Exlabesa Building Systems division to produce unique architectural solutions, enabling them to target the most demanding bespoke façade projects.

Aluminium billets are produced in-house

Billets with a diameter of 16 inches (406 mm) and a maximum length of 1,800 mm that are manufactured in-house will also be utilized. Exlabesa produces the aluminium billets required for this in its own recycling plant, using equipment supplied by Hertwich Engineering, an SMS group company.

The front-loader press will be built based on the latest SMS design. The control concept for the new extrusion press is identical to that implemented in equipment already supplied. Thanks to the EcoDraulic concept, a reduction in energy consumption of up to 10 % can be achieved. The system, with its intelligent, demand-oriented start/stop control function, switches off all hydraulic pumps that are not required during the extrusion process.

“We are proud to support Exlabesa on their expansion course. Through the consistent use of optimized plant technology and the expansion of its portfolio to include Spain’s largest extrusion press, Exlabesa is growing into one of Europe’s leading extrusion press plants,” says Hans-Uwe Rode, Sales Extrusion Presses, SMS group.

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