Hyundai Rotem unveils ultra-large servo press line

Hyundai Rotem, a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group and a South Korean railway system manufacturer, announced on Thursday that it held a demonstration event of its next-generation servo press with a capacity of 6,800 tons for domestic and international customers at its Dangjin plant.

Hyundai Rotem plans to deliver the servo press to Hyundai Motor's electric car factory in the state of Georgia in the United States.

A press is a machine used to shape metals into desired forms. Depending on the structure that generates the compression force, presses are categorized as mechanical presses, hydraulic presses, and servo presses.

A servo press is driven by its own motor equipped with a self-contained drive system, allowing for control of the speed and position of the slide that determines the shape of the sheet metal, enabling optimal operations to be set. Particularly, it can be operated at low speeds during the forming process for precise processing.

The impact is reduced upon slide contact, leading to increased quality and production flexibility. Unlike traditional mechanical presses, a servo press can precisely control the applied force, making it useful for stamping sheets that form the curved exteriors of vehicles with many curves.

To address items that are difficult to shape, such as aluminum, Hyundai Rotem has applied servo-controlled presses. Additionally, it has localized automation devices by incorporating proprietary transfer systems into the servo press line, increasing the processing speed from the existing 15 sheets per minute (SPM) to 18 sheets per minute and thus enhancing productivity.

Hyundai Rotem aims to supply defect-free equipment that has been pre-verified in terms of functionality, speed, and workability.

The newly introduced servo press by Hyundai Rotem consists of a 6,800-ton press line with a total of five units: a 2,400-ton press (1 unit), a 1,200-ton press (2 units), and a 1,000-ton press (2 units). While Hyundai Rotem had previously delivered a 1,000-ton servo press, this marks the first time it is building an ultra-large production line.

The servo press from Hyundai Rotem is set to be delivered to Hyundai Motor's electric car factory in Georgia in the US. Hyundai Rotem expects the delivery of this servo press line to accelerate the conversion to electrification in its production lines.

"Through the introduction of the ultra-large servo press, we have gained a technological advantage in the automotive production equipment market," a company source said. "Through continuous research and development, we aim to capture a significant portion of the global press market."

Write to Hyung-Kyu Kim at khk@hankyung.com