INDUSTRY: Heavy-Duty Work

The biggest forging press west of the Iron Curtain went into operation in an Aluminum Co. of America plant at Cleve land last week. Built by Mesta Machine Co. and operated by Alcoa under a lease, the giant, 50,000-ton press towers almost five stories in the air, and extends three stories underground. As it started up, along with another 35,000-ton unit (built by United Engineering & Foundry Co.) in the same plant, the Air Force marked the halfway point in its $279 million heavy-press program aimed at cutting costs and speeding production of such aircraft components as wing spars and landing-gear supports. Five of the big new presses are already in production ; five more will be finished by year's end.

The presses economize in time, men and materials. In one manufacturing operation, for example, the Air Force formerly needed a 1,600-lb. slab of aluminum, had to machine certain parts. Total cost: $18,000. Now, with the new presses, a 200-lb. slab of aluminum furnishes enough metal for the same number of parts, which can be stamped out. Cost: less than $2,000.

The Air Force has good reason to speed its heavy-press program along. At war's end Russia dismantled a 33,000-ton press in Germany and shipped it off for work behind the curtain. Furthermore, the Russians, with the help of German technicians, are believed to be hard at work on a new press that will have a compression power of 55,000 tons.