Vista Metals, located in Adairsville, Georgia, introduced the largest forging ingot in the western world. This billet was developed to supply aluminum forging applications serving the needs of the aerospace, industrial, and power generation sectors.
The new forging ingot — cast at a 52-inch (1,321 mm) diameter with a weight of approximately 50,000 lbs (22,680 kg) — represents the largest raw material input weight for forging applications currently offered in the market. After being cast the ingot was finished at 48 inches (1,219 mm) diameter and weighed up to 30,000 lbs (13,608 kg).
“At Vista Metals, we pride ourselves at anticipating market needs and creating those capabilities to make our customers more successful. This is another great example of Vista Metals aggressively investing in the future,” said Bob Praefke, executive vice president of Vista Metals. “Our Vista Metals Georgia location is working closely with our customers to bring this product to various applications today.”
According to Vista Metals, the company has the industry’s widest range of sizes and configurations with over 270 alloy and size combinations across its product offerings, which includes cast and scalped forging ingot, hard and soft alloy extrusion billet, rolling slab ingot, tooling and mold plate, redraw rod, and extruded forge stock.
VMC Specialty Alloys LLC (dba Vista Metals Georgia) operates under a licensing agreement with Fontana, California-based Vista Metals Corp. Along with Vista Progressive Metals LLC (a producer of aluminum lithium products), the group of companies are market leaders in the manufacturing of specialty aluminum products supporting aerospace, commercial aircraft, defense, automotive, and general industrial applications.