US Air Force Heavy Presses Slash Jet Waste to Eclipse Soviet Capacity

rdwaynes

Replacing multi-piece airframe assemblies with massive unitary forgings cuts hundreds of machining hours and tons of metal scrap per aircraft, securing American industrial superiority over the Soviet Union.

AI-assisted summary of Air Force Heavy Press Program (USAF film) by D.O.D. — original source. Check the original for full context.

Source published: 2017-11-09

Key ideas

Allied intelligence during World War II discovered Germany maintained high aircraft output by replacing multi-piece fastened structures with single large forgings made on heavy hydraulic presses. (0:01)
Prompted by the Korean War and Soviet acquisition of captured German presses, the USAF launched the Heavy Press Program, retrenching in 1953 to 11 new presses backed by a $235 million investment. (3:01)
Single-piece heavy forgings for the Convair F-102A eliminated over 200 parts and thousands of rivets per aircraft, saving 120 pounds and nearly $20,000 per airframe. (16:59)
By 1955, the operational fleet of presses up to 50,000 tons allowed the United States to surpass the Soviet Union in advanced light-metal, titanium, and steel forming capabilities. (21:27)

Detailed notes

## Background Published on YouTube by rdwaynes on November 9, 2017, this archival Department of Defense film details the origin and execution of the United States Air Force's Heavy Press Program. The description notes that the film chronicles how insights gained from an early domestic press and four machines seized from Germany after World War II led the Air Force to sponsor the construction of the world's most powerful forging and extrusion presses for modern aircraft development.

## TL;DR The documentary examines how Allied discoveries of German light-alloy forming techniques during World War II prompted the United States to abandon traditional, labor-heavy 'bits and pieces' airframe construction in favor of super-heavy hydraulic presses. Spurred by Cold War rivalries and the Korean War, the Air Force invested $235 million to erect massive closed-die forging and extrusion presses—reaching up to 50,000 tons of force—across key defense contractor facilities such as Wyman-Gordon, Alcoa, Kaiser, and Curtiss-Wright. The film walks through the immense civil engineering feats required to build these 11-story machines, details step-by-step component runs like the Convair F-102 wing spar and Boeing B-52 landing gear fittings, and demonstrates how unitary forgings slashed machining hours, scrap waste, and structural weight. It concludes by highlighting advancements in titanium and high-temperature steel extrusion, asserting American industrial superiority in both defense and commercial manufacturing.

## Atmosphere & style The presentation embodies the austere, self-assured tone of 1950s military-industrial filmmaking, guided by a steady, authoritative voice-over that treats heavy manufacturing as a pillar of national survival. Watching the film evokes a visceral sense of mid-century mechanical awe, dominated by the imagery of glowing 800-degree billets, subterranean concrete vaults, and colossal press platens shaping metal under thousands of pounds of hydraulic pressure. The narrative arc moves from wartime urgency and strategic vulnerability to deliberate, technological mastery, leaving the viewer with a profound impression of industrial scale, precision engineering, and Cold War technological optimism.

## Bulletin - [00:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=1s) Allied intelligence during World War II discovered Germany maintained high aircraft output by replacing multi-piece fastened structures with single large forgings made on heavy hydraulic presses. - [03:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=181s) Prompted by the Korean War and Soviet acquisition of captured German presses, the USAF launched the Heavy Press Program, retrenching in 1953 to 11 new presses backed by a $235 million investment. - [16:59](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=1019s) Single-piece heavy forgings for the Convair F-102A eliminated over 200 parts and thousands of rivets per aircraft, saving 120 pounds and nearly $20,000 per airframe. - [21:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=1287s) By 1955, the operational fleet of presses up to 50,000 tons allowed the United States to surpass the Soviet Union in advanced light-metal, titanium, and steel forming capabilities.

## Key takeaways - [00:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=1s) Allied inspection of a downed Messerschmitt revealed a critical centerpiece made of only five forged components instead of the 18 separate pieces standard in American 'bits and pieces' assembly. - [00:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=1s) Germany relied on hydraulic extrusion and forging of light metals like magnesium prior to World War II to offset domestic shortages of iron, steel, and skilled labor. - [03:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=181s) The United States did not own a true heavy press until 1946 with Mesta's 18,000-ton forging press, supplemented by four German reparations presses. - [03:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=181s) The Soviet seizure of Germany's 33,000-ton press combined with the outbreak of the Korean War accelerated the Air Force's decision to sponsor a domestic heavy press program. - [03:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=181s) The Heavy Press Program encompassed two primary metalworking techniques: continuous profile hydraulic extrusion and closed-die forging. - [05:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=309s) Civil engineering at Wyman-Gordon's plant required pumping over 3,000,000 gallons of groundwater daily to anchor foundations 100 feet deep into bedrock. - [05:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=309s) Due to domestic foundry backlogs, immense structural press castings were contracted to industrial partners in England, France, Scotland, Italy, and Japan. - [10:38](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=638s) Large heavy extrusion presses produced seamless, integrally stiffened aircraft skin panels over 80 feet long, which were subsequently straightened with 3,000,000-pound mechanical stretchers. - [10:38](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=638s) Wyman-Gordon's 50,000-ton press possessed an assembled weight exceeding 11,000 tons—comparable to a naval light cruiser—with two-thirds of its structure underground. - [13:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=789s) Forging the Convair F-102 wing spar relied on multi-stage processing, including upsetting in a 7,700-ton press, blocker shaping, and a final squeeze with 33-ton finishing dies. - [15:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=902s) Hydropneumatic accumulator systems boosted baseline 4,500 psi water pressure to 7,000 psi using intensifiers to generate the 50,000-ton forging force with feather-touch operator control. - [16:59](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=1019s) Adopting one-piece forged wing spars in the F-102A reduced raw stock waste by nearly 2,000 pounds and eliminated approximately 600 hours of machining time per aircraft. - [18:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=1113s) Alcoa's 50,000-ton Mesta press in Cleveland forged B-52 landing gear fittings with only 85 pounds of finish-machining allowance, compared to over 1,300 pounds of waste under older methods. - [21:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=1287s) Rising aerodynamic frictional heating at higher jet speeds led the Air Force to activate a 12,000-ton extrusion press at Curtiss-Wright designed for titanium and high-strength steels. - [21:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=1287s) Beyond military aircraft production, heavy presses provided structural capabilities for civilian manufacturing, including vehicle wheels, bridge decking, and commercial structural beams.

## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=1s) Origins of the Heavy Press Program and the German Revelation

For thousands of years, from antiquity and the biblical era of Tubal-cain through the era of the village blacksmith, mankind practiced metal forging as a manual, labor-intensive craft. Only during the mid-20th century did forging make its most revolutionary technological strides, driven substantially by the United States Air Force's Heavy Press Program. The roots of this industrial leap trace back to the height of World War II. In February 1944, Germany was absorbing the most punishing aerial bombardments of the war, losing vast numbers of combat aircraft daily while grappling with acute shortages of skilled labor and raw materials. Despite continuous losses, fresh waves of German fighters appeared consistently on the front lines to replace those shot down, prompting Allied command to question how their aviation factories maintained such high output.

```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: World War II Forging Evolution accDescr: Comparison between conventional aircraft manufacturing and German heavy press techniques discovered in a downed Messerschmitt.

subgraph OldMethod["Conventional Aircraft Assembly"] A["'Bits and Pieces' Method"] --> B["18 Individual Components"] B --> C["Overlapping Lap Joints"] C --> D["Extensive Hole Boring for Rivets and Bolts"] D --> E["High Manpower and Machine-Hour Waste"] end

subgraph PressMethod["German Heavy Press Method"] F["Hydraulic Heavy Forging Press"] --> G["Single 5-Piece Centerpiece"] G --> H["Massive Light-Alloy Sections (Magnesium)"] H --> I["Uniform High Structural Integrity"] I --> J["Minimal Machining and Fastener Overhead"] end ```

The mystery began unraveling when Allied technical intelligence examined the wreckage of a downed Messerschmitt fighter. Inspection of the airframe showed structural components manufactured with revolutionary techniques: large single-piece sections that could only have been formed by massive hydraulic forging and extrusion presses. For example, a critical forged centerpiece was fabricated from only five integrated parts. Under the traditional American "bits and pieces" method, that same assembly would have required 18 separate components, consuming hundreds of machine and assembly hours while requiring extensive overlap joints and drilled rivet and bolt holes that wasted scarce metal and tied up skilled machinists. Germany had turned to hydraulic forging and extrusion of light metals—particularly magnesium—prior to the war precisely because it lacked abundant iron, steel, and industrial labor. Following combat units into captured territory, American industrial consultants surveyed German heavy industrial plants, confirming that German forging and extrusion machinery far outstripped Allied capabilities.

- In February 1944, Allied intelligence discovered German aircraft production remained resilient despite heavy strategic bombing due to advanced light-metal forming. - A single centerpiece on a downed Messerschmitt airframe used only 5 forged parts, whereas conventional Allied methods required 18 discrete parts fastened together. - Eliminating overlapping joints, boring operations, and riveting drastically reduced raw material waste and reliance on skilled bench labor. - Germany had prioritized hydraulic forging and extrusion before the war to compensate for domestic shortages of steel, iron, and industrial personnel.

---

[03:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=181s) The Postwar Race and the Dual Metalworking Processes

Before the postwar era, American manufacturing lacked equivalent forming tools. The nation did not possess a single true heavy press until 1946, when the Mesta Machine Company engineered and constructed an 18,000-ton hydraulic forging press. Operating this domestic machine, alongside four captured presses brought over from Germany as postwar reparations, proved to American military planners that piecing together complex airframes from multiple machined brackets was obsolete. As the narrator explains:

> “Experience with this press, along with four which we acquired from Germany after the war as reparations, convinced American authorities that the bits and pieces method was a thing of the past.”

The strategic urgency skyrocketed in June 1950 with the outbreak of the Korean War, accompanied by intelligence revealing that the Soviet Union had dismantled and seized several massive German presses in 1946—including a 33,000-ton giant, the world's largest at the time. Within thirty days of the Korean invasion, the Munitions Board formally endorsed an American Heavy Press Program. By early 1951, Headquarters United States Air Force ordered the Air Materiel Command to procure the necessary heavy forging and extrusion equipment.

```mermaid flowchart LR accTitle: Extrusion vs Closed-Die Forging Comparison accDescr: Process flow illustrating the mechanical differences between hydraulic extrusion and closed-die forging.

subgraph Extrusion["Hydraulic Extrusion Process"] direction TB E1["Preheated Billet in Container"] --> E2["Pressing Stem Advances"] E2 --> E3["Metal Squeezed Through Shaped Die Orifice"] E3 --> E4["Continuous Fine-Grained Wrought Product"] end

subgraph ClosedDie["Closed-Die Forging Process"] direction TB F1["Preheated Billet on Lower Die"] --> F2["Upper Die Closes Under Immense Pressure"] F2 --> F3["Metal Forced into Upper and Lower Cavities"] F3 --> F4["Precise Structural Duplicate of Die Cavities"] end ```

The Air Force program focused on two distinct forming methods: 1. **Hydraulic Extrusion:** A heated cylindrical billet is inserted into a container faced with a die containing a custom-shaped orifice. A pressing stem advances under tremendous hydraulic force, squeezing the plasticized metal through the die opening to produce continuous, fine-grained wrought structural shapes holding tight dimensional tolerances and high mechanical strength. 2. **Closed-Die Forging:** A preheated billet is positioned inside the lower half of a die set. The heavy press rams closed with millions of pounds of force, squeezing the metal throughout every contour and recess of the upper and lower die impressions to produce an exact structural component.

---

[05:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=309s) Program Retrenchment and Civil Engineering at Wyman-Gordon

When authorized in 1951, the ambitious Heavy Press Program called for 22 units: the existing 18,000-ton Mesta, the four acquired German reparations presses, and 17 brand-new presses (9 forging and 8 extrusion units). However, budget pressures, material shortages, and technical realities intervened. In 1953, the Air Force trimmed the new construction target to four forging presses and seven extrusion presses, budgeted at an investment of $235 million. This funding paid not merely for the machinery, but for surrounding industrial plants, specialized heat-treating furnaces, die-sinking machine tools, and testing equipment. Because domestic heavy foundries capable of pouring and casting components of this magnitude were backlogged with industrial orders, the government contracted heavy castings to qualified foundries across Europe and Japan.

At North Grafton, Massachusetts, the expansion of the Wyman-Gordon Air Force plant presented extreme civil engineering hurdles. The location was selected because an existing Air Force press facility operated on the grounds, but the local hydrology was hostile: the subterranean water table sat just 12 feet beneath the ground surface. To anchor the foundations of the planned multi-thousand-ton presses into solid bedrock, contractors had to excavate more than 100 feet down. Sinking deep well points, workers pumped out upward of 3,000,000 gallons of groundwater per day into an adjacent lake to stop cave-ins. Once workers poured massive 13-foot-thick reinforced concrete foundation walls, the structure functioned as a permanent subsurface dam, allowing the surrounding water table to recover while the twin 100-foot-deep foundation pits stayed dry.

```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: Wyman-Gordon Foundation Engineering accDescr: Sequence of civil engineering steps to lower the water table and construct bedrock foundations at Wyman-Gordon.

A["High Subsurface Water Table (12 ft Below Surface)"] --> B["Deep Well Point Pumping (3,000,000+ Gal/Day into Lake)"] B --> C["Deep Excavation to Solid Bedrock (100+ ft Deep)"] C --> D["Pouring 13-Foot-Thick Concrete Foundation Walls"] D --> E["Foundation Acts as Underground Dam / Bilge Kept Dry"] ```

Transporting the structural components to the job sites required logistical innovations. Bethlehem Steel forged press tie-rod columns exceeding 100 feet in length, while overseas partners supplied single castings of staggering proportions: - A forged crossbeam cast in England weighing nearly 200 tons. - Hydraulic side-cylinder supports fabricated in France weighing roughly 90 tons each. - Massive components sourced from heavy foundries in Scotland, Italy, and Japan. - Purpose-built heavy-duty railroad flatcars with specialized clearance routes to transport items that exceeded standard rail dimensions and axle limits.

---

[08:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=529s) Industrial Expansion and Tooling at Alcoa, Kaiser, and Curtiss-Wright

Concurrent construction advanced across several contractor-operated defense facilities. At Halethorpe, Maryland, Kaiser Aluminum broke ground on deep 125-foot foundations for the first pair of fully American-built extrusion presses, manufactured by the Loewy Construction Company. To house these extrusion lines, the Air Force funded a 350,000-square-foot industrial facility. In Cleveland, Ohio, at the Air Force plant leased to the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa), work commenced on two forging giants: a 35,000-ton press engineered by United Engineering and Foundry Company, and a 50,000-ton press designed by Mesta Machine Company. Meanwhile, at the Curtiss-Wright plant in Buffalo, New York, crews set foundations for a 12,000-ton extrusion press.

```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: Heavy Press Program Plant Distribution accDescr: Distribution of heavy forging and extrusion presses across partner contractor facilities.

HPP["USAF Heavy Press Program"]

HPP --> WG["Wyman-Gordon (North Grafton, MA)"] WG --> WG1["35,000-Ton & 50,000-Ton Forging Presses"]

HPP --> ALC["Alcoa (Cleveland, OH & Lafayette, IN)"] ALC --> ALC1["Cleveland: 35,000-Ton (United) & 50,000-Ton (Mesta)"] ALC --> ALC2["Lafayette: 14,000-Ton Extrusion Press (Ex-German)"]

HPP --> KAI["Kaiser Aluminum (Halethorpe, MD)"] KAI --> KAI1["Loewy Extrusion Presses (350,000 sq ft Plant)"]

HPP --> CW["Curtiss-Wright (Buffalo, NY)"] CW --> CW1["12,000-Ton Extrusion Press"] ```

Crucial technical experience had already been gained through the earliest heavy press placed in military service: a 14,000-ton extrusion press taken from Germany, installed at the Alcoa plant in Lafayette, Indiana, which began commercial runs in 1953. Because of the size of the Lafayette machine, handling its tooling required unique support machinery. Die blanks were so massive that conventional machining was impossible; Alcoa installed a specialized die-cutting bandsaw where the machine operator sat elevated directly above the work table, peering into an angled mirror to guide the saw blade along scribed layout lines through feet of hardened die steel.

- **Halethorpe, Maryland (Kaiser Aluminum):** Two Loewy-designed extrusion presses placed within a new 350,000-square-foot facility. - **Cleveland, Ohio (Alcoa):** A 35,000-ton press (United Engineering & Foundry) and a 50,000-ton press (Mesta Machine Co.). - **Buffalo, New York (Curtiss-Wright):** A 12,000-ton heavy extrusion press installation. - **Lafayette, Indiana (Alcoa):** The former German 14,000-ton extrusion press operational from 1953 onward, relying on custom mirror-guided bandsaws to contour massive extrusion dies.

---

[10:38](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=638s) Extrusion of Integrally Stiffened Skin and Wyman-Gordon’s Super-Heavy Press

Operational footage of the heavy extrusion process shows preheated metal billets traveling mechanically from heating furnaces onto automatic roll tables feeding into the press container. Because the main ram delivers immense tonnage, the extrusion container walls are manufactured up to two feet thick to prevent hydraulic bursting. Once a heated billet enters the container, a trailing dummy block is inserted, and the hydraulic ram moves forward. The ram forces the solid metal into plastic deformation, squeezing it through the die aperture to emerge as a seamless, integrally stiffened aircraft skin panel exceeding 80 feet in length.

```mermaid flowchart LR accTitle: Integrally Stiffened Skin Production accDescr: Step-by-step production of integrally stiffened skin from extrusion through stretch-straightening.

A["Billet Heated in Furnace"] --> B["Billet & Dummy Block Fed into Press"] B --> C["Ram Presses Billet Through Shaped Die (2-Ft Thick Container)"] C --> D["80+ Foot Ribbed Skin Panel Extruded"] D --> E["Solution Heat Treatment (Induces Warpage)"] E --> F["3,000,000-lb Mechanical Stretcher Grips & Pulls"] F --> G["Final Straight, High-Strength Aircraft Panel"] ```

Subsequent thermal heat treatment often warped these long, thin-gauge cross sections. To correct this, the Air Force installed supporting auxiliary machines, such as a 3,000,000-pound mechanical stretcher. By clamping both ends of the extruded panel and stretching it along its longitudinal axis, the machine pulls out heat distortions, straightens the piece, and refines the metal's internal crystal grain structure. This single-piece integrally stiffened skin replaced early sheet-metal skins that required tedious hand assembly, drilling, and riveting of individual stringers, producing a finished wing skin that was lighter, far stronger, and vastly cheaper to manufacture.

In March 1955, the program reached a historic milestone when the first super-heavy forging press commenced operation at the Wyman-Gordon facility. The scale of this machinery astonished visitors: - The press platen—the working surface upon which forging dies are bolted—is large enough to park four standard passenger automobiles side by side. - The assembled weight of the press exceeds 11,000 tons, equaling the displacement of a naval light cruiser. - The reciprocating, moving components alone weigh as much as 3,000 passenger automobiles. - The vertical structure stands equivalent to an 11-story building, with approximately two-thirds of its mass and support apparatus buried deep within the subterranean concrete vault below ground level.

[13:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=789s) Forging the Convair F-102 Wing Spar

The process of manufacturing a single critical structural component—a wing spar for the Convair F-102 Delta Dagger—demonstrates the extensive planning and multi-stage metalworking required by heavy forging presses. The raw material enters the facility as massive aluminum alloy bars weighing over a ton, which are sawed to precise lengths. To enhance its physical properties, the metal is subjected to initial working and heating cycles. The billet is transferred to a furnace and brought to approximately 800 degrees Fahrenheit before being moved to a 7,700-ton press for upset forging. Upsetting is essential whenever specific sections of the component demand a localized concentration of stock; hydraulic plungers compress the material to create a predetermined bulge across multiple passes.

After reheating, the stock is shaped in intermediate presses to approximate the rough outline of the spar. It is then transferred to the primary heavy press for initial shaping within blocker dies. Following this rough shaping, the part undergoes rigorous inspection before receiving its final heating. Concurrently, the finishing dies—weighing approximately 33 tons—are preheated and maneuvered onto the press table. The lower die is secured to the sliding table and moved into place, after which the upper platen descends to lock the mating die into position.

```mermaid flowchart LR accTitle: Convair F-102 Wing Spar Forging Sequence accDescr: Step-by-step process of turning raw aluminum alloy bars into finished F-102 wing spars using multiple heating and pressing stages.

subgraph Preparation ["1. Stock Preparation"] A["Raw Aluminum Bars (> 1 Ton)"] --> B["Sawing & Initial Working"] B --> C["Furnace Heating (~800°F)"] end

subgraph Forming ["2. Progressive Forming"] C --> D["7,700-Ton Press (Upsetting)"] D --> E["Intermediate Press (Rough Shaping)"] E --> F["Heavy Press (Blocker Dies)"] end

subgraph Finishing ["3. Final Squeeze & Finish"] F --> G["Finishing Dies (33 Tons)"] G --> H["50,000-Ton Press (Final Forging)"] H --> I["Chemical Bath & Heat Treatment"] end ```

[15:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=902s) Die Duplication and the Hydropneumatic Accumulator System

The mammoth finishing dies require a precise manufacturing lineage. When engineers submit a blueprint, craftsmen build an exact wooden model of the intended forging. Once verified for dimensional accuracy, this model is used to cast a plastic duplicate of the impression. Meanwhile, raw blocks of forged and hardened steel are sent to a massive milling machine to true their surfaces, square their edges, and cut the shank mounting slots. The steel block and the plastic master are then set up in a duplicating die-sinking machine, where a tracer mechanism runs along the plastic model while automatic tool heads simultaneously carve the identical contours into the steel block. Once machined, grinding operators buff away all residual cutter marks before the dies undergo final qualification inspection.

Operating these immense presses requires specialized supporting infrastructure, centered on the hydropneumatic accumulator station. In this station, water stored in accumulator bottles is pressurized to approximately 4,500 pounds per square inch (psi). When maximum force is commanded, hydraulic intensifiers boost the system pressure to nearly 7,000 psi. This delivers the necessary force for the primary press to exert its 50,000-ton squeeze on the heated forging. Despite these titanic hydraulic pressures, the operator retains precise feather-touch control, able to govern the press stroke down to a small fraction of an inch.

- Finishing die set weight: approximately 33 tons. - Tracer mechanism copies contours from a plastic master directly onto hardened steel blocks. - Accumulator bottle baseline pressure: ~4,500 psi. - Intensifier peak pressure: ~7,000 psi. - Primary squeezing capacity: 50,000 tons.

[16:59](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=1019s) Structural and Economic Gains for the F-102A Airframe

Once the 50,000-ton stroke is complete, the press opens and the freshly formed spar is immediately extracted for dimensional inspection. The finished spar forging measures over 100 inches in length, spans up to 18 inches across, and tapers down in select sections to a thickness of only 3/16 of an inch. The part is immersed in chemical wash tanks to strip away residual graphite lubricant, followed by heat treatment to achieve maximum structural temper. It is then finish-machined and shipped to the aircraft assembly plant, where four of these forged spars are installed directly into the wing structure of each Convair F-102A.

The transition from built-up "bits-and-pieces" manufacturing to unitary heavy forgings yields immense structural and monetary efficiencies. For each aircraft, the one-piece spars eliminate over 200 individual detail parts and thousands of rivets, while lopping off roughly 600 hours of machining time and nearly a ton of raw stock waste. Furthermore, the single-piece forged structure trims 120 pounds of deadweight per aircraft while delivering superior overall strength. The narrator underscores the direct financial impact on the defense budget:

> “Using forged bulkheads, fin spars, and other forged components in the F-102A saves us a total of nearly $20,000 per plane in this one type of aircraft alone.”

- Wing spar dimensions: >100 inches long, up to 18 inches wide, down to 3/16 inch web thickness. - Per-plane manufacturing savings on wing spars: ~600 machining hours, ~2,000 lbs raw stock saved, >$4,000 reduced cost. - Weight reduction: 120 pounds lighter than multi-piece riveted assemblies. - Overall savings per F-102A airframe from all heavy-forged structural components: nearly $20,000.

[18:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=1113s) Heavy Extrusion and the Mesta 50,000-Ton Cleveland Press

In 1955, the Air Force Heavy Press Program expanded its extrusion capacity by placing two 8,000-ton extrusion presses into operation under lease to Kaiser Aluminum. Highly automated, these presses utilize induction heating furnaces to bring raw billets up to temperature before hydraulic handling mechanisms load the hot billet and dummy block into the press container. Once seated, high-pressure water drives the main extrusion ram forward with an 8,000-ton thrust, forcing the plastic metal through die apertures onto run-out tables to produce continuous wing spar caps. These long extrusions undergo solution heat treating, mechanical stretcher-leveling to relieve internal stresses and straighten distortions, followed by inspection and final machining.

That same year, a super-heavy 50,000-ton forging press designed and built by the Mesta Machine Company entered active service at the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) works in Cleveland, Ohio. The operational scale of this machine is highlighted through the production of main landing gear support fittings for the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. Following preliminary heating, blocking, and graphite spraying, the massive component receives its final shape under the 50,000-ton platen. The tight forging tolerances achieved reduce the post-forge machining allowance to just 85 pounds of metal removal. The narrator contrasts this with previous methods:

> “What a difference from the older forging method, where we had a material waste of over 1,300 pounds.”

Because every B-52 incorporates two support fittings across two separate wing bulkheads—four fittings total per bomber—the reduction in scrap material and machining overhead is substantial. In addition to material savings, the forging process directly aligns the metal's internal grain flow along the component's stress axes, rendering the airframe fitting far stronger than a part cut from plate or assembled from multiple elements.

[21:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=1287s) High-Speed Flight, New Materials, and Commercial Potential

As military jet speeds climb, aerodynamic skin friction pushes structural airframes past the thermal limits where conventional aluminum retains its structural integrity. To withstand higher operating temperatures, airframe design must shift to titanium and high-strength alloy steels. To meet this metallurgical challenge, the Air Force activated a 12,000-ton extrusion press in 1955 at the Air Force plant in Buffalo, New York, operated by Curtiss-Wright. Tailored specifically for steel and titanium, this unit operates at vastly higher temperatures and substantially higher ram extrusion speeds, demanding rapid mechanical transfer from the furnace to the press container to prevent heat loss before the push.

Rounding out the Heavy Press fleet are two additional government-owned units leased to the Harvey Aluminum Company in California: an 8,000-ton press engineered by Loewy Construction Company that entered service in late 1956, and a 12,000-ton giant built by the Lombard Corporation. Beyond immediate aerospace requirements, these heavy presses offer substantial civilian manufacturing utility, capable of mass-producing heavy consumer and industrial items like forged aluminum truck wheels, automotive engine components, large architectural sections, weather-resistant framing, extruded railway and bridge decking, one-piece truck chassis beams, and structural ship members. Reflecting on the nation's rapid industrial mobilization, the narrator summarizes the global strategic shift:

> “By 1955, we had surpassed all other nations, including Russia.”

- Curtiss-Wright Buffalo plant: 12,000-ton press tailored for titanium and steel extrusions. - Harvey Aluminum (California): operates an 8,000-ton Loewy press (1956) and a 12,000-ton Lombard press. - Civilian applications: forged vehicle wheels, truck frame components, architectural structural members, marine structural framing. - Strategic conclusion: “As weapons of defense, as powerful tools of industry, our heavy presses are a potent factor in our program of peace through global superiority.”

## Notable quotes > [21:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8&t=1287s) As weapons of defense, as powerful tools of industry, our heavy presses are a potent factor in our program of peace through global superiority. — Narrator

## Mentioned Air Force Heavy Press Program, United States Air Force, Department of Defense, Mesta Machine Company, Munitions Board, Air Materiel Command, Wyman-Gordon, Bethlehem Steel, Kaiser Aluminum, Loewy Construction Company, Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa), United Engineering and Foundry Company, Curtiss-Wright, Harvey Aluminum Company, Lombard Corporation, Messerschmitt, Convair F-102 Delta Dagger, Boeing B-52 Stratofortress

## Video description The Air Force Heavy Press Program - by D.O.D.

This US Air Force film shows how the development of heavy presses used for aircraft development came about. With the lessons learned from one domestic press and four presses acquired from Germany after the war, the Air Force has sponsored the building of some of the world’s largest and most powerful presses.

Retired military service veteran and vocational educator. Enjoy my posted videos. Thanks for watching and supporting my channel. Subscribe if you like.

[Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ50nZU3oG8)

中文简报

美空军重型压机大幅削减战机制造浪费，产能超越苏联以大型整体锻件取代多部件机身组装，每架飞机可节省数百小时的机加工时间并减少数吨金属废料，巩固了美国对苏联的工业优势。该纪录片探讨了二战期间盟军发现德国轻合金成型技术后，如何促使美国放弃传统、耗费大量人力的“零碎部件”机身结构，转而采用超重型水压机。在冷战竞争和朝鲜战争的推动下，美国空军投资2.35亿美元，在怀曼-高登（Wyman-Gordon）、美铝（Alcoa）、凯撒（Kaiser）和柯蒂斯-莱特（Curtiss-Wright）等关键国防承包商设施中建造了压力高达50,000吨的巨型模锻压机与挤压机。影片展示了建造这些11层楼高机器所需的庞大土木工程壮举，详细介绍了康维尔F-102机翼梁和波音B-52起落架配件等部件的逐步加工过程，并展示了整体锻件如何大幅削减机加工工时、废料损耗和结构重量。最后，纪录片重点介绍了钛合金和耐高温钢挤压技术的进步，表明了美国在国防和民用制造领域的工业优势。二战期间的盟军情报发现，德国通过使用重型水压机制造的大型单一锻件来替代多部件紧固结构，从而维持了高水平的飞机产量。 (0:01) 在朝鲜战争以及苏联缴获德国压机的推动下，美国空军启动了重型压机计划，并在1953年缩减整合为11台新压机，总投资达2.35亿美元。 (3:01) 康维尔F-102A采用的单体大型锻件使每架飞机减少了200多个零部件和数千个铆钉，每架机身重量减轻120磅，节省近2万美元。 (16:59) 到1955年，吨位高达50,000吨的在役压机机队使美国在先进轻金属、钛合金和钢材成型能力上超越了苏联。 (21:27)

Reading summary

Spurred by World War II intelligence on German manufacturing and Cold War strategic pressures, the U.S. Air Force's Heavy Press Program invested $235 million to replace piecemeal aircraft fabrication with massive hydraulic forging and extrusion presses. Wartime Discovery and the Cold War Shift (0:01) Allied intelligence examining a downed Messerschmitt fighter in February 1944 discovered that German factories maintained high aircraft output despite strategic bombing by using massive hydraulic presses. A key centerpiece was forged from just five integrated parts, whereas conventional Allied "bits and pieces" methods required 18 separate components, hundreds of machine hours, and extensive riveting. Germany had adopted light-metal forging, particularly with magnesium, to bypass domestic shortages of iron, steel, and skilled labor. After World War II, the United States acquired four German presses as reparations and built an 18,000-ton Mesta forging press in 1946. Strategic urgency intensified in June 1950 with the outbreak of the Korean War and reports that the Soviet Union had seized a 33,000-ton German press in 1946. Within a month, the Munitions Board endorsed the Heavy Press Program. Although initially planned in 1951 for 22 units, budget and material constraints in 1953 scaled new construction to four forging and seven extrusion presses funded at $235 million. Because domestic foundries faced heavy backlogs, massive castings and crossbeams were outsourced to foundries across England, France, Scotland, Italy, and Japan. Civil and Tooling Engineering Challenges (5:09) Deploying multi-thousand-ton machinery demanded severe civil engineering adjustments. At the Wyman-Gordon facility in North Grafton, Massachusetts, the water table lay only 12 feet below the surface. To anchor presses to bedrock 100 feet down, contractors pumped over 3,000,000 gallons of groundwater daily before pouring 13-foot-thick concrete walls that served as a permanent subterranean dam. The resulting super-heavy press weighed over 11,000 tons—comparable to a naval light cruiser—with two-thirds of its structure situated underground. Tooling required novel support machinery and hydraulic controls. For large extrusion dies at Alcoa's Lafayette plant, operators sat above worktables using angled mirrors to guide bandsaw cuts through feet of die steel. Forging dies, such as 33-ton sets, were duplicated from plastic master models using tracer-equipped milling machines. Hydropneumatic accumulator stations pressurized water to 4,500 psi, which intensifiers boosted to 7,000 psi to deliver 50,000-ton squeezes while retaining fine stroke control. Production Efficiencies in Combat Aircraft (10:38) The transition to unitary forgings and continuous extrusions produced measurable weight and cost savings. Extrusion presses produced seamless, integrally stiffened skin panels over 80 feet long, which were subsequently straightened by 3,000,000-pound mechanical stretchers to eliminate heat-treating warpage and replace riveted stringers. For the Convair F-102A, four one-piece forged wing spars eliminated more than 200 individual parts, thousands of rivets, roughly 600 machining hours, and about 2,000 pounds of raw stock waste per airframe, reducing weight by 120 pounds and cutting costs by over $4,000 per spar assembly. Similar advantages appeared on the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. At Alcoa's Cleveland facility, a 50,000-ton Mesta press forged main landing gear support fittings to precise tolerances, leaving only 85 pounds of metal to be removed during finish machining. This contrasted with older methods that generated more than 1,300 pounds of scrap per fitting across the four required wing bulkhead positions. High-Speed Materials and Commercial Applications (21:27) To counter aerodynamic friction heat at higher flight speeds, airframe engineering began shifting from conventional aluminum to titanium and high-strength alloy steels. In 1955, the Air Force placed a 12,000-ton extrusion press into operation at Curtiss-Wright in Buffalo, New York, designed with faster ram extrusion speeds and rapid billet transfers to handle these tougher alloys before heat was lost. Beyond military airframes, the Heavy Press infrastructure was leased to commercial operators such as Alcoa, Kaiser, and Harvey Aluminum. The facilities offered broad industrial applications, including forged truck wheels, automotive engine components, marine structural framing, extruded railway and bridge decking, and heavy architectural members. The film concludes that by 1955, the Heavy Press Program allowed the United States to surpass all other nations, including the Soviet Union, in heavy forming capacity, positioning the machinery as a foundation for military superiority and civilian industrial manufacturing.

精炼阅读摘要

本片记录了美国空军“重压机计划”（Heavy Press Program）的起源、工程建设与军工成效，展示了美军如何通过从战时德国获取大型液压锻造和挤压技术，彻底替代传统的机体拼凑装配方式。技术起源与美苏冷战竞逐 (0:01) 1944年2月盟军在对德高强度轰炸期间，发现德军战机产能依旧维持高位。技术情报部门在被击落的梅塞施密特（Messerschmitt）战斗机残骸中，发现其关键机身中心构件仅由5个一体成型锻件组成，而采用传统拼凑拼装（bits and pieces）的盟军工艺则需要18个独立零件及大量重叠搭接、钻孔和铆接。调查表明，战前缺乏铁矿和人力的德国早已转入大型镁铝合金液压锻压与挤压技术。战后，美国仅于1946年由Mesta Machine Company制造了一台18,000吨级锻造压机，并接收了4台德国赔偿压机。直到1950年朝鲜战争爆发，加之情报显示苏联于1946年拆运了包括一台当时世界最大（33,000吨）在内的多台德国巨型压机，美国军需委员会与空军才在1951年正式立项采购重型锻造与挤压设备。工程收缩与极端土建挑战 (5:09) 重压机计划最初规划包含22台压机，但受预算和材料短缺影响，空军于1953年将新建目标缩减为4台锻造压机和7台挤压压机，总投资预算定为2.35亿美元。由于本土重型铸造产能排期紧张，部分大型铸件转包至欧洲与日本制造，例如英格兰铸造的近200吨锻造横梁及法国加工的90吨侧缸支撑件。在马萨诸塞州北格拉夫顿的Wyman-Gordon工厂扩建中，施工方遭遇了地下水位距地表仅12英尺的严峻水文地质环境。为将重型压机基础锚固在100英尺深的基岩上，施工人员通过深井抽水系统每天向附近湖泊排出超过300万加仑地下水以防塌陷，并浇筑了厚达13英尺的钢筋混凝土基坑墙，使其作为永久性地下水坝隔绝水层。多厂商布局与制造工艺突破 (8:49) 该计划将设备分散部署至多家民营工业基地：Kaiser Aluminum在马里兰州哈勒索普建造了35万平方英尺厂房以容纳Loewy设计的挤压机；Alcoa在克利夫兰工厂安装了United Engineering制造的35,000吨压机与Mesta制造的50,000吨压机；Curtiss-Wright在纽约布法罗部署了12,000吨挤压机；Alcoa拉法叶工厂则运营战后缴获的14,000吨挤压机，并研发了带有反光镜引导的高台带锯机来切割超厚模具钢。在挤压工艺中，两英尺厚的受压筒可抵御万吨级推力，直接挤压出长度超过80英尺的一体化带筋机翼蒙皮，配合300万磅级机械拉伸矫正机消除热处理变形并细化金属晶粒；在锻造方面，巨型模具需先经木模验证、翻制塑料母模，再由靠模铣床复制雕刻至淬硬钢坯中。关键战机减重与降本实效 (13:09) 1955年3月，Wyman-Gordon的超重型锻造机投入运行，其工作台可并排停放四辆汽车，总重达11,000吨，地下深度占整体结构的三分之二；液压蓄能站能将水压增压至近7,000 psi，提供50,000吨下压力。该机在制造康维尔（Convair）F-102“三角标枪”战斗机机翼大梁时，将一吨多重的铝合金棒料经过800华氏度加热、镦粗及粗锻，最终在33吨重的终锻模中成型为长超100英寸、局部腹板仅厚3/16英寸的大梁。这一体化结构为每架F-102消除了200余个零部件及数千个铆钉，节省600小时机加工工时与近一吨毛坯原料，直接减重120磅，全机各类锻件累计为单架构型节省近20,000美元。同样，Alcoa克利夫兰的50,000吨压机制造波音B-52轰炸机主起落架支撑接头时，将机加工废料从以往的1,300多磅锐减至85磅。耐热材料转型与民用拓展前景 (21:27) 随着喷气式战机飞行速度攀升，气动摩擦生热使常规铝合金达到耐温极限，机体结构逐步转向钛合金与高强度合金钢。1955年Curtiss-Wright在布法罗启用的12,000吨挤压机专为钢与钛材设计，具备更高的操作温度与更快的冲压推挤速度，配套快速转运机械以防止坯料降温。此外，Harvey Aluminum在加州部署了8,000吨与12,000吨挤压设备。片中指出，这些重型压机除国防用途外，还具备锻造铝合金卡车轮毂、汽车发动机部件、建筑型材、桥梁及轨道甲板、一体化卡车底盘纵梁和船舶构件等广泛民用潜力。解说员据此断言，至1955年美国在该制造领域的技术实力已超越包括苏联在内的其他国家。解说员总结称重型压机既是国防武器，也是工业利器，是维持全球技术优势的基石。但本片作为军方宣传纪录片，侧重于展现工程技术成就与经济节省，未深入探讨民营承包商的长期商业收益率及先进耐热合金在早期挤压过程中面临的具体成品率挑战。

Source quotes

[21:27] Narrator: As weapons of defense, as powerful tools of industry, our heavy presses are a potent factor in our program of peace through global superiority.

Original transcript

[0:01] [Music] [0:26] on the beginning of history through the [0:29] biblical times of tubal-cain after the [0:31] days of the village blacksmith men have [0:33] practiced the art of forging it is only [0:37] during the past two decades however that [0:40] forging has made its greatest stride [0:44] [Music] [0:50] with its heavy press program the United [0:53] States Air Force has played an [0:54] outstanding part in making those strides [0:56] possible the story of the program begins [1:00] with World War two in February 1944 [1:05] Germany was receiving its worst air [1:07] drumming of the war [1:09] day after day her aircraft were being [1:11] shot down in great numbers her aircraft [1:14] industry we knew was facing drastic [1:17] shortages of men and materiel and yet as [1:20] fast as we shot her planes down more and [1:22] more appeared to take their place where [1:25] were they coming from [1:26] how was she doing [1:30] a partial answer to her production [1:32] success was soon uncovered [1:36] the wreckage of a crashed Messerschmitt [1:38] revealed that in the design and [1:39] fabrication unusual techniques had been [1:42] used the aircraft contained large [1:45] components which could only have been [1:47] produced by huge forging and extrusion [1:49] presence or this forged centerpiece for [1:52] example only five parts were used had [1:57] have been built up by the old bits and [1:59] pieces method it would have contained 18 [2:01] parts consuming hundreds of man and [2:04] machine hours for instance the [2:07] overlapping four joints and the boring [2:10] of holes for rivets and bolts was not [2:12] only a waste of material but required [2:15] far more skilled labor one of the [2:19] reasons for Germany's advanced [2:21] techniques was that prior to world war [2:23] ii who she was faced with a shortage of [2:25] iron and steel as well as manpower [2:28] therefore she was forced to come up with [2:30] improved methods of working length [2:33] metals in particular magnesium and found [2:36] them in hydraulic forging and extrusion [2:39] president [2:40] in order to learn more about their [2:42] presses a team of American industrial [2:45] consultants were sent into Germany on [2:47] the heels of tactical units to make a [2:49] detailed study of her heavy industry the [2:52] visit confirmed the German superiority [2:54] in forging and extrusion equipment in [3:01] the United States it was not until 1946 [3:03] that we had our first really heavy press [3:06] an 18,000 tonne forging press designed [3:10] and constructed by the nested machine [3:12] company experienced with this press [3:14] along with for which we acquired from [3:16] Germany after the war as reparations [3:18] convinced American authorities that the [3:21] bits and pieces method was a thing of [3:23] the past [3:26] then suddenly in June 1950 the Korean [3:30] War broke out this fact coupled with our [3:32] knowledge that the Russians had walked [3:34] off with several large German presses [3:36] about 1946 including the world's largest [3:39] press at that time a 33,000 tons ient [3:42] gave this country the necessary impetus [3:45] to embark on a heavy press program the [3:50] munitions board endorsed this heavy [3:51] press program within a month after the [3:53] Korean War started and by the outset of [3:55] 1951 the air material command was [3:58] directed by headquarters United States [4:00] Air Force to procure a necessary number [4:03] of heavy forging and extrusion presence [4:09] to show some of the basic differences [4:11] between the two processes here is first [4:14] a stylized rendering of an extrusion [4:16] press a billet preheated to the proper [4:20] temperature is loaded into the container [4:22] at the mouth of which is a dye [4:24] containing an orifice of the desired [4:26] shape the pressing stem then moves [4:29] forward under great hydraulic pressure [4:31] and squeezes the metal through the die [4:34] the severe metal flow which occurs [4:37] during this process creates a fine [4:39] grained rock product with closed [4:41] dimensional tolerance and uniformly high [4:44] mechanical properties [4:47] in the other process closed daya forging [4:50] a pre-heated billet is placed in the [4:52] lower die the press closes and under [4:56] tremendous pressure squeezes the metal [4:58] into every cavity of both upper and [5:00] lower dies the result is a duplicate of [5:04] a dies configuration in 1951 our program [5:09] called for 22 heavy presses [5:13] this included the 18,000 ton master [5:16] already built before we had acquired to [5:20] Germany plus the building of 17 new ones [5:23] 9 forging and 8 extrusion presses [5:28] this program was actually started [5:30] however by 1953 owing to various [5:34] emergencies rising costs and so forth it [5:37] was felt necessary to cut the program [5:38] through the construction of only poor [5:40] forging and seven extrusion presses this [5:44] represented an outlay of 235 million [5:47] dollars naturally this amount was not to [5:50] be spent on presses alone in fact a [5:53] large portion of it would be consumed by [5:55] such items as buildings furnaces machine [5:58] tools and other supporting facilities by [6:02] this time real progress had been made [6:04] but most of the actual construction was [6:06] still ahead most of the factories in [6:11] this country which could turn out the [6:13] huge castings essential for heavy [6:14] pressed construction were booked far [6:16] ahead so we had to play some orders with [6:19] qualified factories abroad [6:23] [Music] [6:25] even as orders were placed excavation [6:28] had begun the wyman Gordon installation [6:31] provides a good example of some of the [6:33] problems encountered the choice of this [6:38] location was dictated by the fact that [6:40] an Air Force press plant was already in [6:43] existence here although a serious [6:45] problem was presented by the site itself [6:47] the water table was only 12 feet below [6:49] the surface and would have to be lowered [6:52] temporarily to prevent cave-ins and [6:54] inundations during excavation the [6:57] foundations for the huge presses had to [6:59] rest upon solid bedrock over 100 feet [7:02] below the earth's surface to lower the [7:05] water table to this depth called for the [7:07] sinking of well points [7:10] the water then had to be pumped into the [7:12] nearby lake faster than it seeped back [7:14] into the excavation this meant dealing [7:16] with upwards of three million gallons a [7:18] day once the 13 foot thick concrete [7:22] foundation walls were in they acted as [7:25] an underground dam the water table [7:29] resumed its normal level and the two [7:32] foundations over 100 feet deep remained [7:35] dry at this time parts for the press [7:39] itself began arriving from abroad this [7:42] cross beam made in England weighed [7:44] almost 200 tonnes the side cylinder [7:48] supports from France approximately 90 [7:50] tons apiece this column one of 30 such [7:55] parts for the two presses made by [7:57] Bethlehem Steel measured over a hundred [7:59] feet in conveying these giant parts to [8:02] the press site some truly formidable [8:04] transportation problems had to be solved [8:07] special railroad cars had to be built [8:09] and special routes devised [8:12] [Music] [8:14] with most of the parts finally on hand [8:16] assembly of the presses got underway it [8:20] was necessary to design unique cranes [8:22] and tools to handle these enormous [8:24] components when completed this super [8:31] heavy forging press contained components [8:34] made in countries halfway around the [8:36] world [8:37] England Scotland France [8:42] Italy and Japan meanwhile at the Kaiser [8:50] aluminum company in Maryland [8:52] construction of the first two [8:54] all-american build extrusion presses was [8:56] beginning these foundations measure 125 [8:59] feet over the presses were being built [9:02] by the low E in struction company to [9:06] house these two new presses and others [9:08] to come the air force undertook a [9:10] gigantic building program and hail fort [9:14] Maryland this building alone covers 350 [9:17] thousand square feet through more [9:20] presses were under construction at the [9:22] Air Force plant least to the Aluminum [9:24] Company of America at Cleveland Ohio [9:27] these were to be a thirty five thousand [9:29] ton forging press designed and [9:31] constructed by the United engineering [9:33] and foundry company and one of fifty [9:36] thousand ton for the master machine [9:37] company also at the air force plant [9:41] operated by Curtis Wright in Buffalo New [9:43] York foundations for another powerful [9:46] extrusion press were being laid this a [9:49] 12,000 tunner a strong contributing [9:53] factor to the success of the program was [9:55] this first heavy press purchased by the [9:57] air force the German 14,000 ton [10:00] exclusion press [10:02] leads to the our color company in [10:04] Lafayette Indiana it went into [10:06] production in 1953 because of its size [10:09] this press require special supporting [10:12] facilities for instance the extra-large [10:15] dies require a special machines to cut [10:18] them like this saw especially designed [10:21] for the difficult operation the operator [10:24] sitting on top of the machine carefully [10:27] watches the saw blade in the mirror [10:28] guiding it as it cuts the orifice and [10:30] the huge die below him to get back to [10:38] the extrusion process the pre heated [10:41] billets is lifted from the heating [10:42] station based on a conveyor and fed [10:47] automatically into the press because of [10:54] the tremendously high pressures [10:55] generated by the thrust of the press [10:57] these containers must be exceptionally [11:00] strong with balls as much as two feet [11:02] thick we are now ready to extrude a [11:09] piece of integrally stiffened skin as [11:11] the operator starts the press the [11:14] container receives a dummy block [11:17] random moves forward and start squeezing [11:20] the bullet through the die the final [11:24] result is the extrusion of a piece of [11:26] integrally stiffened skin over 80 feet [11:28] long [11:30] subsequent required heat treatment can [11:32] cause distortion of these exclusions [11:36] this 3 million pound shake stretcher [11:39] another of the hundreds of supporting [11:41] facilities required by heavy presses [11:43] removes such distortions and improves [11:46] physical properties by actually [11:48] stretching the extrusion compare this [11:53] process to the earlier stiffened skin [11:55] construction whose many different parts [11:58] had to be manufactured separately and [12:02] assembled by hand the integrally [12:09] stiffened skin is only far more [12:11] economical in production it is also [12:13] structurally much stronger when it takes [12:15] its place in the airplane [12:20] in March of 1955 the first of the [12:24] super-heavy forging presses went into [12:26] production at the Ryman Gordon air force [12:28] plant this press table or platinum [12:32] apartments the forging is made is large [12:34] enough to park for passenger cars the [12:38] total weight of the press over 11,000 [12:40] tons equals that of one light cruiser [12:42] while it's moving parts equal the weight [12:45] of 3,000 automobiles [12:48] this model gives an idea of the total [12:50] height of the press which is [12:52] approximately that of an 11-story [12:54] building of which only the upper third [12:56] is visible above ground to visualize the [13:02] great size of supporting facilities [13:04] needed to feed these huge presses let's [13:07] follow the vast amount of work and [13:09] planning it takes for the press to forge [13:10] a wings for a component now being [13:13] produced for the convair f-102 a far [13:17] material arrives at the plant in bars of [13:19] aluminum alloy weighing over a ton and [13:22] then sawed into appropriate length after [13:26] heating and working to improve its [13:28] physical properties the Philip now [13:30] beginning to take the desired shape is [13:32] placed in this furnace and heat into [13:34] about 800 degrees [13:37] then it is taken to this 7700 ton press [13:40] for upsetting in forging upsetting is [13:45] performed when certain parts of a [13:46] section call for a greater concentration [13:48] of stock here the first upset has been [13:52] accomplished and the second is in [13:54] progress this plunger compresses the [13:57] metal forming a predetermined bulge or [14:00] upset [14:08] after again being heated the pieces [14:11] further worked in another press each [14:13] step brings it closer to the rough [14:15] outline of a wings for our at the big [14:23] press for the first time the rough [14:25] forging is placed in the blocker dies [14:27] and finally begins to take the crude [14:29] shape of the spars after it undergoes [14:34] further inspection it will be heated for [14:37] final forging meanwhile the finishing [14:43] dies required for final forging and [14:45] weighing approximately 33 tons are [14:48] heated and transferred to the press [14:49] table the lower die is fastened to the [14:52] table which is then run in the upper [14:56] platen will then be lowered and the [14:57] upper die clamped to it these mammoth [15:02] dies have an interesting background of [15:03] their own when a blueprint arrives [15:06] calling for a certain die an accurate [15:08] wouldn't model of the forging is first [15:10] made from this model check for [15:15] dimensional accuracy the plastic cast is [15:17] made which duplicates the impression [15:19] called for the die at the same time raw [15:23] pieces of hardened and forged steel [15:25] blocks are conveyed to a gigantic [15:28] milling machine this machine smooths and [15:32] squares up the face of the block and [15:34] cuts the shank slot into it [15:38] after milling the block and the plastic [15:40] master meat of the dissection machine [15:43] here contours of a plastic master are [15:46] reproduced in the steel die block by [15:48] automatic movements of a cutting tool [15:50] controlled by a tracer mechanism in [15:53] contact with a plastic model after the [15:56] die has been cut all cutter marks are [15:58] removed by grinding the dies are again [16:01] inspected and meeting specifications are [16:04] okayed for use complementing each of the [16:09] heavy presses is another important [16:11] supporting facility the hydropneumatic [16:13] accumulator station this supplies a [16:17] tremendous hydraulic power needed to [16:19] operate the giant presses water in these [16:22] accumulator bottles is compressed to a [16:23] pressure of about 4,500 pounds per [16:26] square inch this is later increased by [16:29] the intensifiers [16:30] to a pressure of nearly 7,000 pounds per [16:33] square inch at the time when the big [16:35] press is called upon to give the final [16:37] forging a 50 thousand ton squeeze [16:41] in spite of this enormous power the [16:43] controls are so delicate that the [16:45] operator can control the press movement [16:47] to the fraction of an inch [16:50] [Music] [16:59] after the big squeeze the press is open [17:01] and the finished spar forging has [17:03] brought out for immediate inspection [17:05] [Music] [17:13] this particular piece is over 100 inches [17:16] long up to 18 inches wide and in some [17:19] areas only 3/16 of an inch thick once [17:23] the graphite is removed by chemical [17:25] baths the pouring is given a final heat [17:27] treatment to improve its physical [17:29] properties after machining this forged [17:36] spar arrives at the aircraft Factory [17:38] where along with three others it is [17:40] installed in the wing of an F while to a [17:42] these bars represent a saving of some [17:45] six hundred hours of machining and [17:47] almost a ton of raw material for plane [17:50] [Music] [17:51] they also eliminate over 200 parts and [17:55] thousands of rivets in addition the [17:57] structure weighs 120 pounds less and one [18:00] made by bits and pieces and it is [18:03] considerably stronger in actual dollars [18:07] and cents the forged wing spars [18:09] represent a saving of over $4,000 per [18:12] plane using forged bulkheads fins bars [18:18] and other forged components in the [18:21] f-102a saves us a total of nearly [18:24] $20,000 for flame in this one type of [18:27] aircraft alone [18:33] in 1955 to 8000 ton all-american build [18:38] extrusion presses lease to the Kaiser [18:40] aluminum company went into production [18:42] these presses are almost entirely [18:45] mechanized the pre-heated billet comes [18:47] from induction heating furnaces and [18:49] along with the dummy block is delivered [18:51] to the pressed container by [18:53] hydraulically operated loading devices [18:55] [Music] [19:15] when the pass is ready to extrude water [19:18] under tremendous pressure is admitted to [19:20] the cylinders of the press and the stem [19:23] moves forward into the container an [19:25] 8,000 ton thrust squeezes the hot pellet [19:28] through the die onto the run-out table [19:30] this particular extrusion is a wing spar [19:33] cap it will be heat treated stretch to [19:38] remove distortions re-inspected and [19:40] chipped away for finish machining during [19:46] the same period in 1955 the program took [19:49] a further stride forward when another [19:51] super-heavy forging press went into [19:53] production this Goliath a 50,000 ton [19:57] unit was designed and built by master [19:59] and leased to the Aluminum Company of [20:01] America at Cleveland Ohio to get some [20:05] idea of its tremendous squeezing power [20:07] suppose we follow the final forging of a [20:10] support fitting for the Boeing b-52 [20:12] landing gear [20:15] like all other forgings this one has [20:18] been heated shaped reheated rocked and [20:21] heated again before it is brought to the [20:23] press for this final forging [20:25] [Music] [20:27] before being positioned in the dyes the [20:30] forging is sprayed a low item [20:35] [Music] [20:41] when the finished forging is removed it [20:44] is examined for adherence to thickness [20:45] tolerance due to the close tolerance [20:48] made possible by this type of press only [20:51] 85 pounds need the machined off of the [20:53] finished forging [20:54] what a difference from the older forging [20:57] method where we had a material waste of [20:59] over 1,300 pounds this particular [21:05] fitting is one of two in each bulkhead [21:07] of a b-52 when we realize that in turn [21:11] each b-52 has to such bulkheads it is [21:14] obvious that the savings are truly [21:16] impressive in addition this type of [21:20] forging due to grain flow control makes [21:23] the entire support fitting considerably [21:25] stronger [21:27] with the increasing speeds of today's [21:29] military aircraft and consequent [21:32] frictional heating aluminum is rapidly [21:35] approaching its useful limit [21:37] manufacturers of tomorrow's aircraft are [21:40] turning to materials which will retain [21:42] their strength at higher temperatures [21:44] [Music] [21:45] for the moment steel or titanium is the [21:48] answer [21:50] [Music] [21:52] the air force is well aware of these [21:55] developments as witness the 12,000 ton [21:57] extrusion press which went into [21:59] operation in 1955 at the air force [22:02] planted Buffalo operated by Curtis [22:04] Wright this press and plant were [22:07] specifically designed to exclude steel [22:09] and titanium the extrusion of these [22:11] metals poses added problems in that the [22:14] process calls for greatly increased [22:16] temperatures when thoroughly heated the [22:19] pellet must be quickly conveyed to the [22:20] press [22:22] [Music] [22:53] another difference is the much higher [22:55] extrusion speed completing the current [23:04] heavy press program are two other air [23:06] force owned presses one an 8,000 ton [23:09] unit built by the low a construction [23:11] company went into operation late in 1956 [23:16] the other a 12,000 tunner built by the [23:20] lombard corporation both are leased to [23:23] the Harvey aluminum company in [23:24] California these powerful presses are [23:29] more than machines for national defense [23:32] in the capable hands of American [23:34] industry they present a great national [23:37] economic potential they can squeeze out [23:40] heavy components for consumer use such [23:42] as forged automobile wheels and engine [23:46] parts weather resistant structural [23:49] members architectural items cut flooring [23:55] large one-piece truck members along with [23:59] structural members for ships [24:02] and these are but a few of the items our [24:04] presses can produce their commercial [24:07] application is limited only by the [24:09] ingenuity of design engineers born of [24:14] necessity and nursed through its growing [24:16] pains by sheer determination the heavy [24:19] press program has raised our country [24:21] from a low rated position in this field [24:23] to the number-one spot [24:25] why 1955 we had surpassed all other [24:28] nations including Russia as weapons of [24:32] defense as powerful tools of Industry [24:35] our heavy presses are a potent factor in [24:38] our programme of peace through global [24:40] superiority [24:42] [Music]