Traditional forging processes are getting a makeover with innovative technologies that promise improved energy and material efficiency.
This blog examines novel developments in cold and hot forming that are streamlining the manufacture of precision components for diverse applications.
The Ancient Art of Heavy Mental
Forging is one of humanity’s oldest pursuits. Its methods are thousands of years old, yet still recognisable today: a mix of brute strength that applies tremendous force to metal, imparting energy in order to change the shape of the material.
Whether powered by human back muscles, by wheels and flowing water, or by heavier machinery, the energy applied – directly to intensely heated metal – is immense.
The key, at its core, is to work with materials in the plastic (hence why we are plasticworkers) and high-temperature zone, creating parts that are hard and tough.
The Challenge of Traditional Forging
Typically, there is a need for a hydraulic hammer to ‘hammer’ the metal.
Hydraulic hammers are those familiar devices we see attached to large grey concrete breakers on the sides of roads and highways.
They can be quite inefficient because of the amount of energy that is spent in the forging process, and it’s also expensive to maintain hydraulic systems, as they suffer from wear and tear from the repeated impacts.
The repercussions can be significant: in many parts of manufacturing where precision is very important, such as in the makeup of critical components, repeated impacts can cause downtime and further lead to costly repairs.
Introduction to Linear Die Forging
Linear die forging is a novel method that enables thin sheet and strip forging. The key feature of this method is a thread-driven linear drive system, which provides precise energy control and energy efficiency.
Since the linear hammer can directly control the compressive force on the metal work piece, the product can be manufactured within five-hundredths of a millimetre (0.005mm), which would not be possible with traditional drives.
As a result, the linear die forging helps to reduce the material loss and yield an improved quality of products.
Precision and Energy Efficiency
The process is linear: dies pass through a series of forging stations in sequence.
Energy is consumed only during the act of pounding, as opposed to a conventional hydraulic system, which requires a constant energy input to maintain a state of high pressure.
As a result, the overall energy consumption in a lupex system is about 25 per cent less.
The hammer is also able to provide precise control of the workpiece, which when combined with the extremely clean steel billets produced by the EVA, results in a reduction of up to 10 per cent in the production of scrap.
A 25 per cent energy saving and a 10 per cent reduction in physical waste add up to appreciable cost savings and a smaller ecological footprint.
Technological Advancements at Roth Schöttler GmbH
One trailblazer is the Roth Schöttler GmbH forging facility in Hagen, Germany, where linear die forging is employed at the cutting edge of forging technology.
Here, the linear hammer is used in conjunction with hammer systems to meet the production needs of a wide range of industries.
It permits high-precision components to be manufactured for customers in aerospace and chemical engineering, among others, with smaller batch sizes but without sacrificing either the quality or economy of scale.
Limitations of Hydraulic Hammers
But while hydraulic hammers have been tried and true in the forging industry for decades, they aren’t without their limitations.
Hydraulics are some of the most meticulously maintained equipment on the shop floor, and for good reason.
Changing out oil and maintaining hydraulic systems is labour-intensive, and unfortunately, not inexpensive.
Secondarily, impact force with a hydraulic setup is generally less predictable and controlled, leading to inconsistencies in the final product.
So, as other industries continue to push for higher levels of precision and throughput, the challenges of using hydraulic systems as an impact force become greater, and new technologies such as linear die forging more appealing.
Advantages of Electric Linear Forging Hammers
The electric linear forging hammers made the transform of forging with electricity.
By contrast with the hydraulic system, the electric linear forging hammers present many more benefits, including the precision, energy saving and the reduction of cost.
Another of the advantages is that it enables the amount of force used in the strike to be limited to exactly the amount needed.
This leads to potentially significant reductions in energy usage.
For example, manufacturers can save up to 25 per cent of of the energy used in production thanks to this technology.
Moreover, such precision allows you to minimise wear on tools and machinery, which, in turn, increases their longevity, and reduces down-time and maintenance costs.
Scrap material is also reduced, which once more hits the bottom line, but this time in terms of sustainability.
Expanding Markets with Precision Parts
Because of the precision of electric linear forging hammers, a new market is beginning to be explored. In aerospace, automotive and other high-end component manufacturing, these developments come as a boon.
Now producing components with tolerances of just a few hundred-thousandths of a millimetre, manufacturers are able to enter previously out-of-reach markets.
The ability to create components so precisely also means that they can be assembled without adding any secondary processes, which in turn boosts competitiveness.
- Aerospace components
- Automotive precision parts
- Medical device manufacturing
Those modifications can then be scaled up to meet the rising demand for light, durable components that modern engineering requires.
Cold Forming Innovations at Allgaier Sachsen GmbH
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Allgaier Sachsen GmbH uses large presses to cold form sheets into automotive components.
With these techniques, the company can make more than a million parts a year, which the entire German automotive industry can use.
The firm has managed this efficiency thanks to Variotempo, a process that also means they can work with complex geometries and save a great deal of material.
The Variotempo Process Explained
The cold forming technique used for these plates is known as the Variotempo process, a patent of the manufacturer Allgaier Sachsen GmbH.
It is a fast process, where sheet is worked through several stages in sequence, turning flat material into a product with several complex sets of holes.
The sheet is placed, still deformed, into a mould and subjected to pressures of up to 2,500 tons.
In this way, complex shapes can be produced without the need to reheat the material, thus reducing energy use and production costs.
- Seven consecutive steps to complete a part
- Capability to form high-strength steels
- Reduction of material usage by over 40%
Consequently, the performance of this system, known as Variotempo, will not only offer an improvement in efficiency but will also contribute to lighter construction, which is a well-known trend in the automotive industry and a key factor for sustainability and performance as a whole.
Material and Weight Reduction Achieved
The most important result of the Variotempo process is a tremendous saving of material and weight.
With the use of high-strength material, high strength and lightweight components are achieved. Allgaier Sachsen GmbH.
That’s a huge reduction in material weight that’s important for industries such as automotive, where ounces off a vehicle can save gallons of fuel, while the ability to form intricate geometries into a single press cycle saves on extra parts and assembly.
Future of Forging and Pressing Technologies
The prospect of new advancements in the fields of precision engineering and materials science will make even the most obscure forging and pressing technologies a thing of the future.
The requirements imposed by an always-changing industrial landscape will be that of an ever more efficient and versatile production.
Electric linear forging hammers and cold forming methods such as Variotempo are only the beginning of the story of the forging to the future.
New-generation forging will keep pushing the envelope in the direction of sustainability, energy efficiency, and the optimisation of material use.
Those manufacturers who adapt will be the ones to lead, those who are fit for manufacturing in the 21st century.
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