Why Forging Process Must Become Environmentally Acceptable

Samrat Pradhan

According to a report by Value Market Research, the Global Forging Market is anticipated to reach USD 107,788.1 MN by 2024 with a CAGR of 7.0 percent till 2024. Some of the major factors driving this growth have been the rising demand from the end-use industries such as aerospace, automotive, oil and gas among others for bolts, connecting rods, high-pressure valves, flanges and other fitting materials. Forging market today is classified on the basis of type, company type, raw material, and application.

Also, forging is further classified according to the temperature at which it is performed, i.e., cold forging, warm forging, or hot forging. And in order to meet the high demand all across the world, the automotive segment holds the major share of the market because of the rapid leap in the industry today. As the forging industry is a key link between critical manufacturing segments - metal suppliers and end user industries, it has unique value among manufacturing processes. "Around 75 per cent of input for the forging industry is steel and the steel price directly affects the forging industry," says Asheet Pasricha, Director, Association Of Indian Forging Industry (AIFI) and Joint MD of Trinity Engineers.

Today, with significant increase in demand, the forgers are faced with producing an increasing number of variants of aluminum forgings, increasingly complex parts, high steel costs, and sagging prices. As the number of automated lines will increase across all products, this demands forging of very different parts with a single forging line at a high degree of automation and with a competitive cost/performance ratio.

Emerging Trends in the Forging Industry

The forging market has been further growing in valuation due to the burgeoning demand for forged metals. This is further supported by the advances made in metal working techniques, along with its growing cost-effectiveness. Moreover, with the technological advancements, it has significantly helped in enhancing the efficiency of the production lines.

Furthermore, the high dimensional accuracy and fine surface finishing has made the closed die forging segment one of the dominant segments in the global forging market. It is anticipated to witness a significant rise in the demand across industries. Also, custom forging is also trending due to its immense use in submarines, refineries, space crafts, missiles, pressure vessels, offshore rigs, scientist research equipment, to name a few.

Challenges Lingering in the Forging Process Today

However, quality forging depends on various aspects such as selection of forging machine, characteristics and common applications of forging among others. There are many players in the market that are still utilizing traditional approaches towards forging which fails to meet the standards of today. Lack of knowledge across advancements in technologies and machineries is still restraining the market innovation.

This results in Incomplete forging penetration, surface cracking, cracking at the flash, cold shut which occurs when two surfaces of metal fold against each other without welding completely.

Furthermore, due to improper design of the forging die or using forging techniques, less raw material, and poor heating, some sections of the die cavity are not completely filled by the flowing metal. Also, another grave problem in traditional forging process is the risk of misalignment of the die halves and Irregular depurations on the surface of forging.

The Advantages of Forging that few other processes can Replicate

While almost all metals and alloys can be forged, one of the most significant advantages of forging is that it can be manufactured from readily available bar stock. Furthermore, there are only a few restrictions on the size of the parts and can produce high tolerance which can withstand challenging conditions by imparting better strength and reliability to components. Some of the forged products are fully recyclable and typically comes with relatively low life cost. Moreover, on contrary with the parts of cast iron, forging provides greater strength and toughness, while reducing the weight of the finished parts; cast iron is made up of the casting process which is brittle, weak and cannot be subjected to high stresses.

Also to produce net-shape or near-net-shape components, forging is a cost-effective way. As stated above, virtually all metals can be forged, it helps in making an extensive range of physical and mechanical properties available in products with the highest structural integrity. Due to this, it is employed across a wide range of demanding environments, including highly corrosive and extreme temperatures and pressures.

Cold Forging Gaining Momentum

The cold forging technology includes rolling, stretching, pressing, rotating, extrusion and tapping, wherein, the manufacturing process is carried out at room temperature. The approach taken is the workpieces are squeezed between the two molds until they assume their shape and deliver finished products, components can be assembled at any time. Today, manufacturers are increasingly preferring cold forging over hot forging due to the forged parts requiring little or no finishing. No secondary heat treatment is required before machining since all bars are annealed before forging.

Moreover, another notable advantage is that material can be saved while approaching the final shape; this means that the initial weight of the workpiece is equal to the final weight of the cold-forged part and has good dimensional accuracy and excellent surface quality. However, cold forging parts may have an adverse effect, depending on the manufacturer's requirements. Also, the poor ductility of cold-forged metal used applied in auto parts industries.

Advancements in Forging Industry

Forging has been evolving parallel with the changing market dynamics and advancements in technologies. There are various new techniques and materials which are giving the needed boost for the forging industry today. One of the technologies that have been significant in the industry is the 3D simulation. Today even at the smallest forge shops, simulation will continue to evolve into a daily production activity. It helps in perfectly predicting die fill, load, energy, and defect formation. Helping in identifying possible problems before a project starts, simulation is a critical aspect in the forging process for both the client and the forging company; it predicts unexpected material costs, inaccurate temperatures for material, and stress issues.

Moreover, forging simulation can help get custom forged parts to be delivered quicker, in addition to being cost effective. Moreover, to create a simulation of parts to our client’s exact specifications, the utilization of state-of-the-art technology in addition to blueprints, outlines, and sketches. This further helps in ensuring limited material waste, minimal machining, and stock allowance.

In any case, simulation is useful in a wide range of production and development applications. This helps in making information available much faster than with shop trials or other experiments. Furthermore, the forging industry of the future will be energy efficient and will protect the environment. Hence, it has become imperative to bring in environmentally acceptable, functionally effective, and affordable technologies that integrate pollution prevention into the entire metal forging processing system design.