Carpenter Technology recently started up a new forging press, supplied SMS Meer, at its facility in Athens, Ala. The plant includes remelting, forging and associated finishing and testing capabilities. The machine, which is the largest of its kind that SMS Meer has built to date, has the capacity to produce 50,000 tons of forged material annually. It has a press force of 22 MN for each of its four cylinders. The maximum inlet diameter of the material is 1,100 mm (43 inches) with a greatest possible billet weight of 10,000 kg (11 tons). According to Carpenter, the new forging machine will allow the company to cost-effectively manufacture its products and provide it with the required flexibility to quickly react to changed demand conditions.