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Hydro Adds New Equipment, Services to Ohio Plant

LINTHICUM, Md.--Hydro has added sheet processing capabilities to its Sidney, Ohio, facility by installing two new high-tech machines: a TruBend 5130 press brake and a TruPunch 2020 turret press, both manufactured by TRUMPF. The additional capabilities, which are expected to create seven new jobs at the 130,000-square-foot facility, enable Hydro to provide processed sheet aluminum for its customers in the heavy trucks, automotive, and consumer durable goods markets. They also enable the company to service industries that it hasn't yet tapped.

"New, high-tech equipment gives us the opportunity to add additional services to our capabilities, meet customer demands faster, and reduce overall costs in the process," said Jack Pell, Extrusion Americas vice president of transportation components.

The TruBend 5130 is equipped with four cylinders for faster and more accurate bends, as well as advanced drives that reportedly reduce cycle times by up to 30 percent. The TruPunch 2020 offers tool rotation up to 360 degrees on the C axis. Tool change times range from less than 0.9 seconds for multi-tool configuration, to less than 3.5 seconds for a single tool. The turret press has a working sheet range of 100 inches x 50 inches, with a punching speed of up to 420 times per minute.

Hydro employs 250 at its Sidney facility, where it offers advanced fabrication and contract manufacturing services for transportation, construction, and various other markets. Among the facility's capabilities are CNC machining, punching, stamping, notching, drilling and milling, JIT delivery, and line sequencing. The site features three, single-head CNC vertical machining centers; eight multi-head/table router machines; and CNC rotary benders with capabilities to 6 inches in diameter. Additional services offered include roll form and tube bending; robotic and manual aluminum welding; light and complex assembly; aluminum aging (ovens); and finishing operations.

Currently, the Sidney facility is said to be North America's "largest supplier of school bus window and door components." In addition, the facility is a major supplier of doors and related cab components to the heavy-duty truck market, and a manufacturer of what it calls "innovative recreational products."