Rhodes Interform, the UK manufacturer of special-purpose hot and cold forming equipment for metals and composites, has completed the design, build, installation, and commissioning of a bespoke hot-forging production line for bending forklift truck forks at Cascade’s UK plant in Openshaw, Manchester.
This innovative solution replaced Cascade’s manually operated bending equipment with a fully automated cell, which has standardised product quality, increased manufacturing capacity and exceeded health and safety requirements.
The project involved Rhodes Interform producing two hydraulic presses – a 100-Tonne “Upset” press that compresses a section of material in an axial direction and a main 400-Tonne “Bend and Squeeze” press that forms the finished part profile. Robotic part transfer between the two presses and automatic tool transfer deliver a fully automated process, while HMI control systems mounted on the exterior of the guarding give operators access to thousands of stored recipes and operations.
A key engineering challenge was fitting the cell within a confined area of Cascade’s existing factory floor while retaining full ability to safely manipulate and position the product between presses. Rhodes Interform’s mechanical, electrical, software, and project engineering teams worked together on detailed design, feasibility studies, risk assessments and cost analysis, consulting the client throughout to keep the solution aligned with Cascade’s strategic objectives.
Following design sign-off, the line was manufactured and assembled in-house at the company’s Wakefield headquarters, where Cascade attended a Factory Acceptance Test. The equipment was then dismantled, transported and installed at Cascade’s premises by Rhodes Interform service engineers.
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