FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lloyd Fisher
Granco Clark
(616) 794-2600

Sapa, Inc. – Portland to Upgrade Press Lines with Granco Clark Heating System and Hot Log Saw

Belding, MI — Sapa, Inc. – Portland has selected Granco Clark to upgrade the heating system on of their existing press lines. The upgrades include a new Granco Clark Model 69 Hot Jet log furnace and a Model HBCS 69 Hot Log Saw. Transport equipment to deliver billets to the press is also included. The Granco Clark equipment will replace an existing “Non-Granco Clark” furnace/shear. This is the second Granco Clark saw system upgrade to be installed at the Portland, OR facility within the last year.

This new Model 69 Hot Jet log furnace is capable of producing 9,000 lb/hr of heated aluminum while providing world-class fuel efficiencies. The cutting system will provide accurate and consistent length billets to the extrusion press. The new saw will also eliminate deformation that occurs with the existing ‘80s era log shear design. The system also provides a “no-scrap” cycle that will utilize the entire log by making two-piece billets at the log junctions.

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Founded in 1947, Granco Clark began manufacturing billet furnaces and has evolved into a global, single-source supplier and leading equipment manufacturer to the aluminum extrusion industry.  Quality is a key component in every extrusion system the company fabricates—from billet log furnaces and log shears to age ovens and stacking equipment. The company was the first to introduce the integrated control system technology that has since developed into SCSExtrude—the next generation technology for optimizing automated extrusion line performance. In 2010, Granco Clark introduced its new, patented Spinning Log Welder that integrates with Hot Saw technology to eliminate two-piece billets and increase yield 2%-3%. The patented technology simultaneously cuts both the new log and the remaining billet as they emerge from the furnace to remove the oxide layer just prior to welding, then joins them together under controlled pressure and rotation. The result is a completely bonded single, uniform billet with near perfect alignment, oxidation elimination, and unquestionable weld strength without micro grain structure change.

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