SUMITOMO METALS : Products : Railway, Automotive, & Machinery Parts : Guide to products : Railway products

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Outline

The axle as well as the wheel is a basic component of rolling stock and is one of the most important parts for safety. We began the manufacture of axles in 1916. As the speed of rolling stock increased and the resulting demands placed upon axles became severer, we began producing induction-hardened axles with extremely high safety standards. These axles enjoy a wide range of applications, including use on such high speed and heavy load rolling stock as the Shinkansen (Japan's super-express train). We also developed hollow axles, for the purpose of significantly reducing the unsprung mass, thus resulting in greater energy savings and a smoother ride.

We currently boasts an annual production capacity of 180,000 axles, the superior quality of which is recognized not only in Japan, but throughout the world as well. In the production of axles, we can fully utilize our integrated iron and steel manufacturing system. In close cooperation with each of our steel works, we can choose the most suitable materials for each product, while constantly striving to develop new products and new technologies, thus ensuring our continued ability to meet any of the wide range of customers' requirement.

Features

[ Superior equipment and production technology ]: Fully equipped with a wide range of facilities, including those used for steel making, forging, heat treatment, machining and testing, and employing a very high level of production technology attained through years of experience, we can assure both uniform quality and a high level of dimensional accuracy in the shaping of our axles.
[ High quality forging stock ]: Our forging stock is manufactured using an NC (Numeric Control) method, thus resulting in a uniform finishing allowance. Since we carry out simultaneous forging in four directions at once, it is possible to manufacture the product with a consistently high level of quality.
[ High dimensional accuracy ]: We possess a full range of automatic machining equipment, each with high productivity, to carry out the lathe turning, grinding and finishing of axle ends, Through the use of the most suitable machine tools, we can to attain high levels of dimensional accuracy.
[ An integrated quality control system ]: At our steel works, we carry out manufacturing under an extremely strict, integrated quality control system, extending from the production of basic materials, using our own basic furnaces and electric furnaces, to final shipment.

Guide to products

[ Driving axle for electric cars ]
[ Trailer axle for electric cars ]
[ Axle for freight cars ]
[ Hollow axle ]: In order to reduce the unsprung mass, hollow axle was developed and it can decrease weight by 20% per piece. Moreover the hollow structure allows conducting of ultrasonic flaw detection from the inside, thus making inspection easy and accurate.
[ Induction-hardened axle ]: Induction-hardened axles are subjected to induction hardening on the surface, thus resulting in a great increase in fatigue strength. They are widely used for high speed and heavy load rolling stock, including the Shinkansen.

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