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How to build a 50k ton forging press
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, a revolution took place in American military aircraft design.
The forging and extrusion presses alike were made up of massive iron and steel components that were some of the largest metal parts ever produced: 200-ton cross beams, 90-ton cylinder supports, 145-ton tie rods. The presses were used to forge the beryllium heat shield on the Mercury space capsule, and the huge aluminum “anchors” that attached the Saturn V rocket to the launch pad. We can see a modern, obvious parallel between the Air Force Heavy Press Program and Tesla, which has created a similar revolution in car manufacturing by using large aluminum castings to replace dozens or hundreds of smaller parts.
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