Ellwood Closed Die Group completed construction of a climate-controlled, close-tolerance finish machining complex at its Ellwood Texas Forge Navasota plant in southeast Texas. It concludes a year-long effort to integrate operations of the former Ellwood Texas Forge and Machine at the Ellwood Texas Forge Navasota to improve customer service with engineering and management resources.
The finish-machining capabilities include turning, milling, drilling, boring, and single-point threading operations, with up to 14,000 sq.ft. serviced by several overhead bridge cranes. Other investments included an instrument-duty compressed-air system; lab-quality environmental controls; and LEED lighting.
Products to be processed there include forgings for aerospace, construction, marine, and oil-and-gas markets.
"This is the next step in our evolution to become a complete forging solutions provider to our customers," stated Valli Senthilnathan, president of Ellwood Texas Forge Navasota.
ETFN is one of two plants comprising the Ellwood Closed Die Group. Forging capabilities for the two plants include an 80 meter-ton counterblow hammer, a 16,000-ton screw press, and an 11,000-ton multi-ram hydraulic press. The group also has conventional power hammers, smaller hydraulic presses, and mechanical presses to produce near-net-shape closed-die forgings in carbon, alloy, stainless steel, nickel, and titanium.
The state-of-the-art machining center represents ECDG’s continued expansion by adding finish machine capabilities to Ellwood Texas Forge Navasota's already operational portfolio.