August 2020 Volume 2

FORGING RESEARCH

Assessment (TRA) Study Team [5] following the TRL and MRL definitions in National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) documents published recently [6]. Task 2: Evaluation of Metal Additive Manufacturing Processes for Die Fabrication Not all AM processes are applicable for metal die fabrication. Forging die sets are usually bulky and require large amounts of material to be deposited. Although many of the die materials, such as Stellite, H13 steel, and other tool steels, have been successfully additively manufactured, the number of available materials for AM is limited. This evaluation will compare the suitable metal AM processes with respect to size, dimensional accuracy, extent of finish machining, material availability, and mechanical properties. Task 3: Impact of AM Die Fabrication on DLA-managed Forging Procurement A sampling of DLA-managed forgings will be searched using FLIS and other databases and evaluated to estimate the impact of additively manufacturing the die sets for forging these parts. The impacts will be evaluated in terms of lead time reduction and life cycle cost. Task 4: Final Report and Recommendations A final report will summarize the findings of this project, including feasibility, DLA procurement and Forging Industry impact, and any recommended follow-up projects. Benefits Successful completion of this project will provide forging industry with the ability to supply existing forgings, particularly low-volume orders, in a short time and in turn substantially reduceDLA’s forging procurement backlog. AM fabrication of a forging die may very well prove to be cost effective for certain orders, especially low-volume parts that do not require the die to have as large of a life cycle as a typical forging die. In addition, future adoption of these emerging technologies will open the doors of innovation in the forging industry and strengthen the supply chain for the DLA, DOD, and commercial market alike. More quantitative findings will be collected and reported following the research and investigation of this project. About FDMC The DLA-funded Procurement Readiness Optimization-Forging Advanced Systems and Technologies (PRO-FAST) program supports the advancement of forging manufacturing technologies and DOD-focused supply chain research and development. The significant project requirements include participant cost-share, demonstrated relevance to DLA supply-chain readiness, and technology transition to the US forging industry at large. If your company is interested in collaborating with FDMC on a research project, please contact FDMC Executive Director, Charles Edens, at (843) 760-3376/charles.edens@ati.org, or FDMC Project Manager, Dekland Barnum, at (843) 760-3538/dekland.barnum@ati.org. For

specific questions on this project, please contact Prabir Chaudhury at (480) 577-0772/prabir.chaudhury@external.ati.org. References 1. Campbell, I.; Diegel, O.; Kowen, J.; Wohlers, T. Wohlers Report 2017. Fort Collins, CO: Wohlers Associates Inc., 2017 2. Cowles, B. A. Summary Report: Joint Federal Aviation Administration – Air Force Workshop on Qualification/ Certification of Additively Manufactured Parts; FAA Report DOT/FAA/TC-16/15 3. Parks, T. K.; Kaplan, B. J.; Pokorny, L. R.; Simpson, T. W.; Williams, C. B. Additive Manufacturing: Which DLA Managed Legacy Parts are Potential AM Candidates. DTIC Report DL501T1, July 2016. 4. Conner, B.; Manogharan, G. P.; Martof, A. N. Rodomsky, L. M.; Rodomsky, C. M.; Jordan, D. C.; Limperos, J. W. Making sense of 3-D Printing: Creating a map of additive manufacturing products and services; Additive Manufacturing 1 – 4 (2014), 64-76. 5. HQ Office of the Chief Engineer/Steven Hirshorn and HQ Office of the Chief Technologist/Sharon Jefferies; Final Report of the NASA Technology Assessment (TRA) Study Team, March 2016. 6. OSD Manufacturing Technology Program in Collaboration with The Joint Service/Industry MRL Group; Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) Deskbook; version 2018. ■

Dr. Prabir Chaudhury FORGE-IT Application Engineer

Dekland Barnum, FDMC Project Manager

FIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2020 57