Hydro Aluminum Completes Phase 1 of North Liberty Project

Hydro Aluminum Extrusion North America completed the first phase of a $1 million-plus revitalization project to streamline operations and increase output at its North Liberty, Ind., facility. Located near South Bend, Hydro's extrusion plant is a three-press operation that offers a wide variety of extrusions, with fabrications and finishing services, for transportation, industrial, electrical, electronics and other markets. 

The facility’s 10-inch, 3,600-ton press was upgraded with a water-and-overhead-air quenching system, a dual puller system and a flying cutoff saw. The saw will be incorporated with the existing handling table. The pullers are designed to handle extrusion speeds above 200 feet per minute. The cut-on-the-fly saw is a redesigned component to handle the speeds and heavy profiles from the extruder. The system design will allow for future upgrades, as necessary.

“The investment signifies Hydro's long-term dedication to the 50-year-old facility,” says Ralph Westphal, the plant's general manager. “As Hydro is innovating in extrusion design, we're also making sure that our manufacturing capabilities are equally advanced.”