Kersten Europe has invested in additional bending capacity by expanding its machine park over the past few years, due to rapid development of the international offshore wind, industrial equipment and oil & gas industry, which now require even heavier and thicker bent plate segments, cylinders and cones, the company said.
Since 2013, a heavy 2400Tonnes PowerPress, Europe’s largest section bending machine and a new cutting portal have been installed at the Dutch production plant.
“Our latest investment in a powerful plate rolling machine is a welcome addition to our current capacity,” said Hans Besseling, managing director at Kersten Europe.
The new addition is a Faccin CNC-controlled 4 roll double pinch pyramid machine, model 4HEL/S 3186. It is a plate rolling machine with a 860mm top roll and a total weight of 160Tonnes. The machine rolls plates up to 120mm thick and up to 3,000mm wide into thick-walled cones and cylinders.
Seven trucks loaded with machine parts are transported to Kerstens’ Dutch production facility where the preparations are in full swing. Because of the dimensions and the weight of the machine it requires a machine pit of 12 x 6m and nearly 3 meters deep.
“In the coming months we’ll be working on the installation and thoroughly test the machine,” Besseling says. “We expect it to be fully operational by October.”
Image: mach4metal