Denver, Colo. – Steelhead Composites, manufacturer of pressure vessels for hydraulic hybrid vehicles, has purchased an installed a heavy duty CNC neck-forming machine from MJC Engineering and Technology.
Designed for manufacturing of high pressure cylinders, allowing the fabrication of aluminum cylinders up to 42cm (16.7”) in diameter and up to 3m (10ft) in length, the purchase coincides with the company’s recent announcement that it has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the state of Colorado as part of their Early Stage Advanced Industries Program.
The neck forming machine, a key component in Steelhead’s manufacturing of Type 3 composite pressure vessels, shapes a seamless aluminum tube to form a bottle with a domed end and port openings. The company then wraps the bottle with carbon fiber composite using state-of-the-art filament winding capabilities.
After the composite material is cured, the vessel is subjected to rigorous in-house testing. The company will provide composite overwrapped pressure vessels to customers who demand a high pressure, light weight gas storage solution such as high pressure compressed natural gas (CNG) cylinders and hydrogen cylinders. The company also uses the machine to manufacture their novel lightweight hydraulic accumulators.
Hydraulic hybrid vehicles, such as refuse trucks powered by Parker Hannifin (pdf), capture the braking power normally lost as heat in vehicles and store it in hydraulic dams. The system then releases the hydraulic energy to power vehicles at low speeds. As with all hybrid system (mechanical or battery powered electrical), low weight is ideal, so cutting the mass of storage tanks can improve system efficiency.
“This acquisition helps prove that manufacturing is not dead in the USA, and we are proud to have these metal forming capabilities alongside a top-notch design, engineering, and manufacturing team,” says Andrew Coors, founder and CEO of Steelhead Composites. “By implementing this unique manufacturing technology to produce tight tolerance pressure vessels here in Colorado we are improving the local supply chain and ecosystem for alternative fuels technologies.”
Source: Steelhead Composites