Nakamura Iron Works, a Japanese open-die forging specialist for high-grade materials, has signed the final acceptance certificate (FAC) with SMS group following the commissioning of an ultra-high-speed 12.5-meganewton open-die forging press at Nakamura’s Komaki City site in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. This marks the second press supplied to Nakamura by SMS group, following the successful supply and long-term operation of an 80-meganewton open-die press commissioned in 2006. 

Nakamura’s Komaki City plant is renowned for forging temperature-sensitive, high-grade materials, including nonferrous alloys such as nickel, copper, aluminum, and titanium, as well as tool steels, stainless steels, and other high-alloy materials. The new 12.5-meganewton ultra-high-speed press increases Nakamura’s production capacity to achieve higher throughput, better consistency, and lower operating and maintenance costs. With up to 205 strokes per minute, the press efficiently forms alloys including as Inconel, titanium, and copper. Its high productivity and rapid forming capability reduce the need for repeated reheating, improve yield, and reduce production costs. 

The press is equipped with SMS hydraulic compact drive technology, which delivers substantial energy savings and lowers the installation footprint by 50 percent compared with conventional hydraulic drives. Integrated SMS ForgeBase technology allows Nakamura to pre-calculate pass schedules and implement material-specific forging strategies from a database of more than 200 materials. ForgeBase supports fully automatic operation while offering a seamless switchover to semi-automatic or manual modes as and when required, ensuring consistent part quality and flexible production control. 

A tailored digital package supplied by SMS further enhances process transparency and plant availability while minimizing maintenance costs. Delivered as software-as-a-service (SaaS), the package includes SMS-Metrics for process data acquisition and Smart Alarm for plant fault monitoring, enabling proactive maintenance and faster fault resolution. 

Alexander Schander, Head of Sales Forging Presses at SMS, emphasizes the innovation behind the project, “The combination of high-speed mechanical performance, compact, energy-efficient drives, and digital tools enhances Nakamura’s ability to produce temperature-sensitive forgings at higher throughput.” 

The signing of the FAC is confirmation that all predefined targets have been met and that the project is now complete, thereby highlighting SMS’s commitment to delivering innovative technologies and tailored solutions that meet the evolving needs of the forging and steel industries.