PERRY TWP. – "Hammer time" has a much larger meaning for Canton Drop Forge, as a new, 50,000-pound device has come online.
A sizable forging hammer is part of a recent $18.5 million investment, allowing the facility at 4575 Southway St. SW to produce larger steel parts for aerospace, U.S. military, rail, private airline and oil and gas markets. 5000 Ton Press
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"This has been about a year-long project, which includes a 60-foot deep foundation (for the hammer)," said John Silvestro, vice president of sales and marketing at Canton Drop Forge, adding that the device became operational in April.
It's the largest investment at the Canton Drop Forge facility in years, Silvestro said.
The 50,000-pound hammer — standing between 50-and-60-feet — is the largest at the facility, surpassing a 35,000-pound model. The company has about a dozen hammers at its site.
The size of the new machinery is unique but not uncommon for the business, Silvestro said.
"There are larger hammers in the world out there, but this is a pretty decent size (in the forging industry) for Ohio and the country," he said.
Many components of the new hammer came from a sister facility, Kropp Forge in Cicero, Illinois, a Chicago suburb.
Large, industrial hammers are used to forge parts from alloy steel, which is heated up to 2,300 degrees prior to being placed between steel dies.
The hammers pound hot steel, shaping the part customers want. A steam piston lifts the upper part of the die and drives it down to the bottom part of the die, hammering out the steel shape.
After the steel is hammered into the desired shape, parts go into a trim press to carve the edges.
The public can get an up-close glimpse of the new hammer at Canton Drop Forge during an open house in June.
Jarrett Moser, a sales coordinator at the facility, said the event marks the first time doors have been open to the public in more than 20 years.
The open house is set to run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 10 at CDF's facility, 4575 Southway St. SW. Food, entertainment and tours are part of the festivites.
The company started in 1903 at a building on 12th Street SE in Canton.
During World War II, the U.S government built a new facility on Southway Street SW, recruiting Canton Drop Forge to build components for aircraft and tanks.
The company bought the Southway facility in 1951 and continued to operate from two locations until the 1980s when the 12th Street SE plant closed.
Industrial Hydraulic Press Reach Steven at steven.grazier@indeonline.com. On Twitter: @sgrazierINDE