August 2024 Volume 6

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE FORGING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION | FORGING.ORG | AUG 2024

FORGING MATERIALS & TOOLING

Quick-Change Tooling Systems in Forging Page 22 Forging Titanium 101 Page 43

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Anticipating the 2024 Forging Industry Technical Conference Page 58

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PRESIDENT'S NOTE

PRESIDENT'S NOTE

I ndia: The new China – at least when it comes to sourcing away North American forgings. At the Inter national Forgemasters

Public Policy Committee: Committee members exceed 20 now, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the increased participa tion these last couple of years. With the FIA Board’s leadership and significant investment in additional lobbying, our retained trade attorney firm, and additional staff – we’ve made real progress getting noticed in the government and DOD. We’ve also scored impressive investments from the DOD into our industry, both FIA directly and the industry at large. Trade Case: We are getting close to having enough financial data for our trade attorney to recommend FIA support for a trade case against both closed and open-die overseas forgers who dump forgings (anti-dumping/ AD violators) or are subsidized by their home country (counter-vailing duty/CVD violators). The Attorneys have spent the last few months analyzing ship manifest data to identify the likely offenders. If we come up short, it will be because of members who have not come forward to complete the financial survey necessary to show the trend-line data of year-over-year financial damage due to dumped/unfairly traded forgings. Some members hold out because of fear of releasing their data (FIA never sees this data). FIA and our attorney firm have never…. I repeat never -- had a member financial data breach. I would encourage ALL FORGING PRODUCERS to complete the survey. We will be sending the survey link again here soon and I will personally be reaching out to all FIA producer organizational reps to complete it. I am confident we will get the data we need and expect the data to show we have chronic damage to our members year-over-year. Assuming this, the entire membership will

be asked to step-up to do their part helping to fund the case. Capacity Utilization Survey: FIA has turned to a trusted third-party to manage collecting member capacity utilization data to increase the survey credibility. The survey link was sent to all FIA Member Organi zational Reps (ORs) for completion. We will use the results in a PR campaign in September aimed at the DOD and general markets to show we do have the capacity and there is no need to source forgings over seas. Our FIA-led survey in March showed capacity utilization at 65% and forecasted the rest of the year at 67%. ICON: A DOD sourcing database that will now include forgings, castings and machining. An association partner (DOD funds) has contracted us to build out the forging producers and capabilities within the ICON database. Pursuit of Automation: FIA will participate in the next ARM (Adv Robotics for Mfg) workshop on August 29th in Pittsburgh as we contribute to the roadmap of automation issues impacting forgers and casters. We have several FIA members committed to attend and participate; reach out to me if you are interested. This will lead to significant DOD funding coming back to our industry to do projects to increase the use of automation in our plants.

Conference & Expo in Milan (May), Indian and Chinese open-die forgers dominated attendance. From presentations we learned of massive investments that both China and India are making via what I would argue are ill-gotten gains from dumped and country subsidized forgings. Even our ally the U.K is getting in on the party, with massive govern ment investment planned for Sheffield Forgemasters – a state-owned enterprise. The current news here in North America is members reporting major Ag OEMS are once again boarding planes and heading to India to source forgings, and in one Ag OEM case most of their forgings. OEMs chasing the cheap forging is nothing new and has been happening since China was allowed entry into the WTO in late 2001. It appears that the supply chain lessons COVID taught us have already been forgotten. We can’t expect OEMS (and Primes) to act patriotically, i.e. a strong domestic forging industry allows for fulfilling the DOD’s lower volume forging needs. Unless forced by law…perhaps we need a ‘Buy North American’ law on ALL FORGINGS. I think it is time we started thinking this way, as we observe increasing non-democratic aggressive behaviors by various countries. What should we as an industry be doing to counter the off shoring of our livelihoods? We need more participation by more of our membership if we are going to make signifi cant progress. Here is where we are at:

James R. Warren President and CEO Forging Industry Association

PUBLISHER James R. Warren jwarren@forging.org MANAGING EDITOR Angela Gibian angela@forging.org Editorial Staff

Board of Directors

Antonio Alvarez Robert Brodhead Robert Dimitrieff

Chelsea Lantto Louis Philippe Lapierre Jose Lozano Mike Morgus Matt Natale

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Amanda Dureiko amanda@forging.org DESIGN Lorean Crowder lorean@forging.org

CHAIRPERSON Jim Kravec VICE CHAIRPERSON Joe Schwegman

Bret Halley Jeff Krueger

FIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2024 1

CONTENTS

AUGUST 2024 | VOLUME 6

p. 22

p. 30

p. 58

52 Keep IT Current to Reduce “Technical Debt” 54 Effectively Using Trade Shows and Industry Events in Manufacturing Marketing INDUSTRY NEWS 56 Transvalor International Simulation Days 58 Anticipating the 2024 Forging Industry Technical Conference 61 Inductotherm Group Announces Leadership Transition 62 Member Spotlight: Trace-A-Matic 63 Welcome New Members 64 FIA Upcoming Events FOUNDATION NEWS 66 FIERF Scholarships & Their Vital Role in Supporting the Future of Forging 68 FIERF Donor Spotlight: Enprotech

PRESIDENT'S NOTE 1 President's Note MEMBERS SPEAK 3 New Chairman’s Message to the Members WASHINGTON UPDATE 4 OSHA Releases Indoor Heat Rule 6 Hello From FIA’s New Government Affairs Director ENERGY 8 Hydro Pursuing Zero-Carbon Aluminium by Testing Green Hydrogen Technology with Global Potential 10 When the Sleeping Giant Wakes: What’s Moving Energy Markets 12 Sustainable Innovations for a Green Future

EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY 16 Beyond the Press 20 Hammer vs. Screw Press for Closed Die Forging 22 Quick-Change Tooling Systems in Forging MAINTENANCE 24 Are You Properly Maintaining Your Hydraulic Presses? AUTOMATION 26 Automated Surface Finishing MATERIALS 30 Premium Tool Steels in Forging Applications 33 More on the FIA Forging Failure Analysis Course 36 Take Care of Your Tools 38 Case Study: Uddeholm Skolvar Tool Steel 43 Forging Titanium 101 OPERATIONS & MANAGEMENT 46 How Should Employers Act in a Post-Chevron World? 48 The Importance of a Mental Health Focus in the Forging Industry 50 From Problem to Solution: An Intro to Business Case Writing

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE FORGING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION | FORGING.ORG | AUG 2024

FORGING RESEARCH 71 FIA Technical Update AD INDEX 73 August Advertiser Index

FORGING MATERIALS & TOOLING

Quick-Change Tooling Systems in Forging Page 22 Forging Titanium 101 Page 43

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Anticipating the 2024 Forging Industry Technical Conference Page 58 For advertising contact info@forging.org

FIA Magazine (ISSN 2643-1254 (print) and ISSN 2643-1262 (online)) is published 4 times annually, May, August, November and February by the Forging Industry Association, 6363 Oak Tree Blvd., Independence, Ohio 44131. Telephone: (216) 781-6260. Only (1) copy of the print version distributed at no charge only to members of the Forging Industry Association. Digital version distributed at no charge to qualified individuals. Subscription requests available at www. forging.org. Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid in Independence, OH and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Forging Industry Association, 6363 Oak Tree Blvd., Independence, Ohio 44131. Copyright © 2024 by the Forging Industry Association in both printed and electronic formats. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for product claims and representations or for any statement made or opinion expressed herein. Data and information presented by the authors of specific articles are for informational purposes only and are not intended for use without independent, substantiating investigation on the part of potential users.

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FIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2024

MEMBERS SPEAK

NEW CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE TO THE MEMBERS By Jim Kravec

I t is my honor to serve as FIA 2024-2025 Chairman of the Board. My involvement with FIA dates back 20 years with contin uous service on FIA’s Plant Engineering Committee, and more recently serving on the FIA Board of Directors and as a Trustee on the Forging Foundation Board (FIERF). With support from FIA’s board, I was the initial founder and committee chair of FIA’s Lightweight Alloys Committee and led the inaugural conference held in Pinehurst, NC. This addition recognizes the growing role and membership interest of forging titanium, aluminum, and other alloyed material. For the 2024-2025 FIA fiscal year a significant focus area for the board and its new Membership Committee will be a survey of the members . While membership numbers, programs and feedback on board leadership and staff performance are relatively favorable, a third-party managed survey of the members will help the board evaluate the many current programs we run and discover member's and non-member's thoughts on additional programs and services we can offer. Our survey partner – Tecker International (also our strategic planning facilitator) will facilitate this effort. Some areas the board is interested in probing include the following: • Membership Categories: a fresh look from members regarding what companies should be considered for membership. As staff are regularly approached by OEMs/Primes who would like membership and are already participating in programs. Is there a membership ‘lite’ category where they can feel they belong and provide a path to be part of the forging family? • Forging Producer Members: consolidations and plant closures have reduced the producer membership of FIA. What other benefits could we provide to our members is the question. And how can the membership assist staff with getting more producer members involved? • Current Membership Programs: we have several and would prefer more member involvement, so we will ask about lack of engagement and what other program ideas members and non members would like to see. New Strategic Plan Both FIA and FIERF Boards adopted a new strategic plan at their February meeting. Our board member roles have set the direction while providing resources and oversight to the staff. We look forward to the staff keeping busy. Some of the plan highlights include the following, and you can see the full strategic plan on FIA’s website:

• Tell the Forging Story: staff has been busy capturing fresh video footage and interviews from Carbo Forge, thyssenkrupp Rothe Erde (Rotek), Trenton Forging, and Pursuit. • Forging Capacity: we have forging capacity for all DOD and government-funded infrastructure projects and continue to survey the membership and have a PR plan to message this to lawmakers, DOD, and OEM/Primes. • Workforce Development: expanding our reach with K-12 remains a top priority by growing our summer Forge the Future camps. Additional goals include funding more Forging Clubs at all school levels and growing our annual Forging Competi tions at Forge Fair. This Fall and Beyond I’m looking forward to several great events this Fall, including the Forging Industry Technical Conference on the beautiful waterfront of Erie, PA -- making its first return since last running in 2018 in Long Beach, CA and one of the first major plant tours of the 60K press at Weber Metals. The Fall Meeting and Marketing Seminar – combined for the first time – will be in my hometown of Cleveland, OH, and next Spring I am always excited to see Forge Fair on the calendar and returning once again to Cleveland as well. I also look forward to the FIERF Golf Outing coming up August 27th at Sand Ridge Golf Club outside of Cleveland, OH. I’m really excited about the coming year and please don’t be shy about reaching out directly to me if you have ideas on how we can improve the FIA. I appreciate your support and look forward to leading this great organization! Jim Kravec

SVP of Sales and Customer Relations FIA Chairman of the Board 2024-25 Weber Metals, Inc Email: jimkravec@webermetals.com

FIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2024 3

OSHA RELEASES INDOOR HEAT RULE By Omar S. Nashashibi WASHINGTON UPDATE

Injury Illness Prevention Plan (HIIPP) in place with site-specific information. The employer must seek the input and involvement of non-managerial employees and their representatives in the develop ment and implementation of the HIIPP and must make the plan readily available at the worksite to all employees. The proposed rule goes beyond the initial framework and requires that the HIIPP be available in a language each employee, supervisor, and heat safety coordinator understands. Furthermore, employers are required to train non-management employees at their literacy level as to the heat plan and guidelines for that facility. Many are raising concerns over the recordkeeping requirements including the requirement for the employer to conduct on-site temperature measurements at indoor work areas and maintain written or electronic records of those indoor work area measure ment records for six months. The onus placed on supervisors is significant as they must undergo specific training on heat illness intervention and response and monitor employees for signs of heat illness. Pre-shift meetings and warnings, employee observation, a mandatory buddy system for co-workers, and a limitation of no more than twenty employees observed by a single supervisor are additional requirements under the standard. The topic of acclimatizing employees to the heat environment received significant attention during the OSHA listening sessions leading up to the rule. The July 2nd release requires employers to implement acclimatization protocols for each employee who has been away for more than fourteen days. During their first week upon returning, OSHA is calling for a gradual acclimatization to heat exposure by restricting the returning employee to no more than 50 percent of the normal work shift on their first day; 60 percent on the second day of work and 80 percent on the third day. However, for new employees, the proposed rule limits the new hire to 20 percent on the first day, 40 percent on day two and not reaching a full-time work shift until the fifth day. In all cases, the employer must pay based upon an eight-hour day with OSHA suggesting the employer find other work for the individual to perform. The weather acclimatization requirements, as outlined in the proposed rule, do not apply if the employer can demonstrate that the employee consis tently worked under the same or similar conditions as the employer’s working conditions within the prior fourteen days. The goal of the rule is to improve workplace safety, though some of the recommendations and requirements fall far short of improving the safety environment and are simply not feasible to implement in the forging industry. The proposed rule would require employers to provide at each work area increased air movement such as fans or comparable natural ventilation, air-conditioned work areas, or shields and other barriers to isolate and reduce exposure in cases of radiant heat sources.

O n July 2, 2024, OSHA previewed its long-awaited proposed rule titled, Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings . The proposed standard applies to all manufacturing operations regardless of size, requiring employers to create a plan to evaluate and control heat hazards in their workplace. The FIA filed multiple comments with OSHA, in January 2022 and October 2023, raising concern over the one-size-fits-all approach the federal regulators are taking and the feasibility of reducing the indoor work area temperature to the levels put forward. The OSHA heat regulation is currently in the proposed rule stage with a 120-day public comment period ahead. Many believe that given the lengthy review process and expected volume of stakeholder input, a final rule may not take effect until late next year or in 2026. Sources in Washington, D.C. also believe that the outcome of the November elections may impact the rule’s timing and fate, as will the recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions related to the Chevron defer ence case. However, employers across all sectors are taking notice of the potential action by federal regulators and those of states and municipalities such as California and Phoenix that are implementing their own heat-based workplace regulations. The proposed rule varies slightly from the initial draft framework released last year and sets the initial heat trigger threshold at 80 degrees Fahrenheit and the high heat trigger at 90 degrees instead of the 87 degrees floated last year. Should OSHA finalize the rule as written, the agency would require employers to mandate that employees take paid rest breaks of fifteen minutes at least every two hours upon reaching the 90oF high heat trigger, with donning and doffing PPE and walking to and from the break areas not counting towards that fifteen-minute requirement. Employers with more than ten employees must have a written Heat

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FIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2024

WASHINGTON UPDATE

Labor law experts expect challenges to the rule once finalized from both sides. Should former President Trump return to office and halt the movement of the rule, workers’ rights groups could file suit to compel action. Much of the focus is on the arbitrary 80oF initial heat trigger level and how OSHA settled on that figure. The high heat trigger, initially proposed at 87oF increased to 90o, is causing attor neys to question the agency’s methodologies in setting those levels. The OSHA indoor and outdoor heat rule still has a long pathway prior to the agency releasing a final rule with many variables along the way, including a presidential election. However, regulators moved on an expedited process by their standards to release the rule this summer and other policymakers are not waiting for a final rule. The states and municipalities across the country moved on their own, absent a federal standard. As of this writing, California, Colo rado, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington state have workplace heat standards in effect. Recently, OSHA announced that it had conducted more than 5,000 inspections under its National Emphasis Program to inspect workplaces with the highest exposures to heat related hazards. In the coming months, FIA and other employer groups will file formal comments with OSHA and work with the regulated commu nity to address the multiple concerns in the proposed regulation. FIA believes that a one-size-fits-all approach regulating the cook in the kitchen, the contractor on a job site, and the forger in a manu facturing plant under a single standard is not feasible and will not improve workplace safety in the forging industry. Creating and maintaining a safe work environment for employees is paramount for members of the FIA. While OSHA may have sound intentions in its proposal to regulate temperatures in the workplace, heat is fundamental to the forging process, which is why the FIA will continue to work on behalf of the industry on this critical regulation.

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Omar S. Nashashibi is a founding partner at The Franklin Partnership, LLC, a Washington-D.C. based lobbying firm representing the Forging Industry Association before the federal government. Email: omar@franklinpartnership.com

Information about the Felss solutions: www.felss.com

FIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2024 5

HELLO FROM FIA’S NEW GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DIRECTOR Welcome Laura Johnson WASHINGTON UPDATE

H aving spent more than 15 years working with Ohio’s elected officials, last week I joined the amazing team at the Forging Industry Association, as they work to promote and support the North American forging industry. As FIA’s new Govern ment Affairs Director, I aim to bring unique knowledge and hands on experience working with government officials to help shape public policy. In today's dynamic landscape, the importance of government affairs excellence cannot be overstated. Individual industries need to figure out how state and federal laws impact its business, how to respond to it, who the allies are, and who they need to be engaged with on these specific issues. It also means there is not just one centralized conversation. Under standing how federal, state, and local political dynamics overlap elevates our industry and helps us to stand out. As FIA’s Government Affairs Director, I will work closely with FIA’s Public Policy Committee and FIA President & CEO Jim Warren to increase lobbying effectiveness for FIA's North American member companies in the forging industry. Of critical interest at this time is our work highlighting unfair trade practices, workforce development and also the role North

Laura Johnson

American forging plays in our national defense. Working with our partners at The Franklin Group, SMI and the attorneys at Cassidy Levy Kent, we will advocate for meaningful solutions that benefit our members. I will focus on developing and maintaining relationships with policy makers on Capitol Hill and federal agency officials as well as at the state level. This position will seek out appropriations and other funding for the industry within and outside our military agencies. Additionally, I will manage the Public Policy Committee, Canada Advisory Committee, launch both D.C. and State government lobby days, and organize member meetings with lawmakers and the mili tary. Raising funds for our Association PAC - the ForgingPAC – is another priority in this role. To show our support for those policy makers who support us, it is important that we remain visible with our political contributions. Since my arrival, I have found a committed team dedicated to the members and each other. I look forward to working with everyone here in an effort to advocate for policy, funding and support of our members. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with your interests or questions about government affairs. I can be reached by email at laura@forging.org or phone at 216-781-6260.

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FIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2024

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ENERGY

HYDRO PURSUING ZERO-CARBON ALUMINIUM BY TESTING GREEN HYDROGEN TECHNOLOGY WITH GLOBAL POTENTIAL

Green hydrogen can replace fossil energy in the recycling of aluminium, enabling zero-carbon aluminium products. In a three year industrial scale pilot, Hydro will test green hydrogen technology in the new recycling unit at Hydro Høyanger, Norway.

Photo: Hydro

R eplacing liquid natural gas with green hydrogen in the recycling of 100 percent post-consumer scrap is one of the fastest routes to zero-carbon aluminium. However, the remelting of aluminium requires high heat, an energy intensive process which is hard to achieve without fossil energy such as natural gas.

Hydro will be testing technology with global potential in this pilot, which is building on Hydro’s ‘world first’ industrial scale test of green hydrogen in aluminium recycling which took place in June 2023. “Hydro is pursuing multiple paths to decar bonize our operations. With this pilot we

take another step on our path to zero-carbon aluminium. Green hydrogen is an exciting potential option to decarbonize aluminium and other hard to abate industries,” says Hanne Simensen, Executive Vice President of Hydro Aluminium Metal.

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FIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2024

ENERGY

About Green Hydrogen • Hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier and can be used as a fuel, and as a feedstock in various industries, such as aluminum, glass, steel, and cement. • Today the world consumes almost 100 million tonnes of hydrogen yearly, mainly used in oil refineries and ammonia plants. Over 99 percent of the current hydrogen production is made from fossil fuels, either natural gas or coal, resulting in 900 million tonnes of CO2 being emitted annually. • Green hydrogen is a potential emis sion free alternative to replace tradi tional hydrogen production methods and fossil fuels used in the industry and transport. It is produced by using renewable electricity to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, without emitting any greenhouse gases. • Green hydrogen has the potential to play a key role in the global transition to a sustainable and net-zero emis sions economy. For use in high heat processes, industries need to mature the fuel switch solutions to hydrogen.

Hydro and Executive Vice President Hanne Simensen (right) announced the three year test of green hydrogen in Høyanger Recycling together with Mayor Petter Sortland, Enova's Astrid Lilliestråle, Director of Technology and Market Development, and Minister of Climate and Environment Andreas Bjelland Eriksen. (Photo: Jens Christian Boysen/Hydro)

During the pilot, green hydrogen will power one remelting furnace at the Høyanger recy cling unit. This is key to unlock this renew able fuel’s decarbonization potential in aluminium, and will provide insight into fuel switch technology, metal quality, and necessary infrastructure for green hydrogen projects. This project is enabled by Hydro’s compe tence in both energy and aluminium. Hydro Havrand, Hydro’s green hydrogen unit, has been granted soft funding from the Norwegian Government (Enova) up to NOK 83.3 million to enable this pilot. The aluminium produced in the recycler will be used to further lower the CO2 footprint of aluminium products from Hydro’s Norwe gian smelters. The project is part of Hydro’s strategy to pioneer the transition to greener aluminium and a step in Hydro’s technology roadmap towards zero-carbon products. Over the past years Hydro has produced the first quantities of near-zero carbon aluminium from recycled aluminium, started testing carbon capture in Sunndal, and is working to test biomethane and plasma technology as options to decarbonize the high tempera ture processes.

Hydro is also building a test facility for a brand new process technology in Porsgrunn, Norway. This is groundbreaking technology in the aluminium industry. A predictable CO2 compensation scheme in Norway, enabled by the long term agreement reached this spring, is key for industry investments. Green hydrogen is one of the most prom ising emission free fuels to replace natural gas in aluminium casthouses, but is not in use on an industrial scale in the aluminium industry today.

Hydro operator, Thomas Frichsen, in front of a remelting furnace at Høyanger Recycling. During the pilot, green hydrogen will power one of the remelting furnaces. (Photo: Halvor Molland/Hydro)

FIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2024 9

ENERGY

WHEN THE SLEEPING GIANT WAKES: WHAT’S MOVING ENERGY MARKETS (And How to Prepare for Changes Ahead) By Nancy Gardner

E nergy is one of those commodities that is a sleeping giant – until it isn’t. That’s typically when geopolitical instability throws off supply and demand (Russia invades Ukraine), the weather turns extremely hot or cold (the “big freeze” in Texas), acci dents or natural disasters knock infrastructure offline (Freeport LNG explosion), or some new macro-economic factor alters the entire energy calculus (AI creating a data center boom, and with it high electricity demand). In each of these cases, being prepared for when the giant wakes is paramount to your success as a business operator (one for whom energy is a major operating expense). At Transparent Energy, one way we like to help clients prepare for the energy future is by stopping first to consider the past. Looking back, what factors have driven energy price changes, and, given these factors, what might the future hold? So, let’s start there: For 12 consecutive years, beginning in 2009, the average annual price for NYMEX natural gas (an important proxy for electricity prices) settled below $4.50 per MMBtu. Yet, beginning in 2021, several factors emerged to reset expectations for the rest of the decade. Here are three key market drivers we are now focused on as we help clients look ahead to calibrate their energy budgets and evaluate buying opportunities through the end of the decade:

1. Electric demand growth coincides with fossil fuel power plant retirements. Much has been made of the persistent efforts of local and national governments to decarbonize the economy. The United States and other countries have established numerous benchmarks to reduce harmful emissions, particularly from older fossil fuel power plants. Movement is afoot to electrify the manufacturing, heating, and transportation sectors. Simultaneously we are seeing a spike in elec tric demand related to data centers and cryptocurrency mining. The Electric Power Research Institute claims that internet queries utilizing artificial intelligence “require around ten times the elec tricity of traditional searches” and expects U.S. data center electric demand to double by 2030. 2. Global thirst for natural gas appears unquenchable. It wasn’t until 2017 that the U.S. began exporting liquified natural gas (LNG) in a meaningful way, but it took only six years to assume its role as the commodity’s largest shipper to foreign markets. In 2023, U.S. LNG exports set a record just above 15 billion cubic feet (Bcf) with an annual average of 11.9 Bcf/day. U.S. export capacity is expected to increase by more than 80% by 2028, and that fore

Source: International Energy Agency

FIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2024 10

ENERGY

cast could move even higher depending on economics and govern ment regulations. One element that appears inevitable is the advancement in global demand for LNG. In May of this year, Europe received 42% of American LNG shipments, with Asian markets brining in another 41%. Latin American and Caribbean nations are also showing stronger demand, which has created even greater competition in the marketplace. Foreign countries are looking to secure long-term supply agreements to ensure adequate energy for years to come. It seems inevitable that LNG exports (along with pipeline gas to Mexico) will put a strain on domestic natural gas reserves for the near future. 3. Weather conditions point to more uncertainty. According to NOAA, 2023 was the warmest year on record (since 1850), and all 10 of the warmest years occurred during the last decade (2014-2023). Weather is still the primary driver of near-term energy prices. While it is expected that June will start off relatively mild for large portions of the country, meteorologists nearly unani mously forecast another hotter-than-normal summer ahead. This means increased electric power demand and greater depletion of natural gas reserves to fuel power plants. In addition to higher temperatures, there have been significant climate events that have affected energy prices across the globe, including hurricanes, drought, flooding, and wildfires. Some of these occurrences could be considered common when viewed historically; however, through the lens of climatologists, the frequency, duration, and severity of these disasters is triggering ever-growing concern. Takeaways As of June 4th, NYMEX natural gas strip prices out to 2030 are all trading below $4 per MMBtu in contango, where futures prices are trading at a premium to the immediate “spot” price. History has shown that any number of unforeseen events can drive prices substantially higher – i.e., wake the sleeping giant – for a substantial duration (i.e., 2022 averaged $6.64 and 2008 averaged $9.03 per MMBtu across the entire year). That said, the developments outlined (along with others) are already factored into current futures pricing. The verdict? The cost to buy natural gas or electricity to cover consumption in 2030 is higher than the cost to buy energy for tomorrow. But the real question we have to ask ourselves is whether that premium is enough? If we flash forward and look at the price of 2027, 2028, 2029 or 2030 natural gas, do we expect it to be lower than it is trading today? That possi bility certainly exists … to an extent. Right now, we are seeing what happens when natural gas prices get too low. Producers slow down production or cease operations entirely until prices recover. Power plants that can switch from burning coal to natural gas will do so until it is more economically beneficial to shift back to coal.

It is equally likely that one year from now prices will be higher, yet the degree to which prices can increase is dramatically higher than the potential downside that could result by waiting. The same principle holds for electricity. The movement is underway to shut down the oldest, dirtiest generators and replace existing capacity with natural gas and renewables. The riskiest move right now is to do nothing. It is of the utmost importance to evaluate long-term energy goals and take this opportunity to secure some form of price stability while condi tions are still favorable. For help preparing your operations for a new era of natural gas and elec tricity demand, contact us at letstalk@transparentedge.com Nancy Gardner VP, Channel Partners & Associations Transparent Energy Email: ngardner@transparentedge.com Phone:732-288-5126

FIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2024 11

SUSTAINABLE INNOVATIONS FOR A GREEN FUTURE A Step Forward for Ecologically Friendly Rotor Shaft Production By Dr.-Ing. Nadezda Missal and Stefanie Schwertel ENERGY

A ccording to the new EU deal on the potential elimination of combustion engines, from 1st January 2035, only new CO2 neutral cars could be registered [1]. Recently, adopted exemp tion for alternative technologies allows the application of e-fuels, but due to the significantly lower efficiency of e-fuels [2], the production of electric cars is expected to dominate the automotive industry and accelerate the radical switch to electric drives. This change poses an immense challenge for automotive suppliers because an entire range of components will be omitted or must be completely redevel oped. Usually, this causes the existing manufacturing technology to be unsuitable for producing of such newly developed components. Moreover, the requirements on suppliers concerning the quantifi cation of the product carbon footprint (PCF) during component production are tightening which is increasingly deciding the choice of manufacturing process. Bulk metal forming, especially cold metal forming plays a key role in the production of vehicle components worldwide in terms of light weight design, accuracy, productivity, and sustainability. Due to the full material utilization and the elimination of additional heating, cold forming offers great potential as a more sustainable and envi ronmentally friendly manufacturing solution to reduce the CO2 footprint compared to other manufacturing technologies such as machining or forging. The Felss Group was founded in 1905 as a traditional company in the field of cold metal forming. Felss core technologies rotary swaging and axial forming offer innovative solutions for the forming of tubes and solid materials for the automotive industry with a focus on light weight design potential. In addition to the increasing importance of environmental aspects, Felss concentrates its development resources on the needs of its customers, including the growing interest in elec tric vehicles. This has resulted in completely new forming processes and the further development of the existing core technologies of rotary swaging and axial forming, including the optimal design of the process chain for the production of rotor shafts. The individual advantages of rotary swaging and axial forming are exploited in this process chain to achieve a particularly sustainable and environmen tally friendly production process. The commercially available geometries of rotor shafts and the possible manufacturing technologies for their production were already inves tigated in IMU Study 71. These can be divided into assembled,

solid, hollow as drilled from a bar or hollow from a tube and are manufactured by machining, forging, multi-part welding, or cold forming processes. To determine the potential economic and ecological advantages of rotor shafts produced by rotary swaging compared to other manufac turing technologies, a load- and process-optimized rotor shaft geom etry was developed, as shown in Figure 1. This meets the following requirements: • Lightweight design through targeted load-optimized wall thick ness distribution. • A hollow design for internal cooling. • High precision for stable and precise torque transmission at high rotational speeds. • The use of splines or helical gearing for torque transmission.

Figure 1: Load-optimized rotor shaft geometry with a specifically optimized wall thickness distribution. The corresponding newly developed process chain from Felss (Figure 2) for the manufacturing of the hollow rotor shafts (Figure 1) from a tube could be carried out almost exclusively by cold metal forming, especially by rotary swaging and axial forming. Besides the hard ening process and the turning operations to perform minimal machining of the end faces after hardening, the process chain is carried out without additional heating, welding, or other energy and material inefficiency.

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ENERGY

Avoiding the washing operations from the process chain offers further potential for saving energy and resources. Generally, and regardless of the applied forming process, two washing operations are usually provided in the process chain design. The first is between the forming and turning operations and the second before hardening. To avoid the washing operations from the process chain, all coolants and lubricants should be replaced by water-based, oil-free lubricants during production. As the probability of lubricant film breakage is relatively low in Felss' incremental forming processes, the replace ment with a water-based lubricant could be carried out successfully.

For the manufacturing of this hollow rotor shaft the entire manu facturing process chain was examined. Additional improvements were made regarding the wear components during the forming process, especially to the forming tool namely the swaging dies. Current trends in the development of rotor shafts are focused on the forming of rotor shafts in the tempered state with an aim to reduce further component distortion due to hardening. Materials in this tempered state possess a tensile strength of 950-1100 MPa and there fore, cause higher tool wear. To realize an economically acceptable tool life within a forming process of such high-strength materials, the swaging dies are generally produced from carbide metal. This means that the entire set of carbide metal tools consisting of 2 to 6 swaging dies (see Figure 3) will be completely disposed of or scrapped after 3-5 possible reworkings of the forming zone. New multi-piece swaging dies as shown in Figure 3 have been developed to avoid material waste which is highly damaging to the environment. This newly developed tool consists of a steel base block and a carbide metal insert that is only placed where the actual forming takes place and therefore, where the wear occurs. Due to this improvement, the following advantages have already been observed through the appli cation of the multi-part swaging dies in series production: 1. No decrease in tool life compared to conventional carbide metal tools. 2. Wear reduction of components in contact with swaging dies, such as wedges (Figure 3). 3. Reduced carbide metal volume and thereby, reduction of the carbide metal waste and CO2 footprint. Despite the successful trials in series production, the development process has not yet been fully completed because investigation regarding the reusability of the steel base block and the number of possible reworkings of the carbide inserts must still be considered.

Figure 2: Potential process chain for manufacturing a rotor shaft by rotary swaging and axial forming. For the application of a water-based lubricant during the manufac turing process, the requirements for the lubricant should first be determined for the respective forming process. In the rotary swaging process, the lubricant must effectively lubricate the machine unit, be resistant to the occurring thermal load, and also to flush metal particles from the forming zone. Whereas with axial forming, the focus is on the minimum possible friction coefficient. Furthermore, targets and advantages were defined in advance for an economical and sustainable application, which should be achieved during the experimental investigation. These include reduced purchasing costs, as the water-based lubricant should not be more expensive than conventional oil; the complete avoidance of the washing operations to significantly reduce the CO2 footprint, and the absence of the fire extinguishing systems during the machining operations for a lower initial investment. In order to meet all the economic and process-related requirements described above, a water-based lubricant, which enables the short ened process chain shown in Figure 2, was developed with the cooperation of various partners from the lubricant industry. The two washing operations shown in yellow can be avoided, including the corresponding energy costs and consumption of fresh water. After the successful completion of the laboratory trial for rotary swaging, this lubricant will be tested in series production in Q2 and Q3 2024 and then, officially marketed. Further trials for the application of water-based lubricants are only planned and required for axial forming.

Figure 3: Design of the rotary swaging unit with a newly developed, multi-part swaging dies (patented). Due to the innovations of the water-based lubricant and the newly developed multi-part swaging dies, the entire process chain can be significantly shortened and designed more environmentally friendly, which also results in a considerable reduction of the CO2 footprint. The next step is an optimization of the axial forming process for the manufacturing of the helical gearing. Considering the constantly rising torque transmission requirements, rotor shafts are increasingly being designed with helical gears which are usually manufactured by hobbing. As part of a further development project, a possible production of helical gears by axial forming was examined and the corresponding advantages compared to hobbing were investigated.

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ENERGY

According to the results of this project, which can be taken from the publications [3, 4, 5], axial forming can be regarded as an economical alternative forming technology. In order to demonstrate the environmental potential of cold metal forming through innovations and improvements along the entire process chain described above, a comparison of the CO2 footprints calculated by FRED was carried out. The Software FRED [6], which specializes in forming processes, can calculate the shortened forming process chain as well as the fully mechanical production of the rotor shaft from Figure 2. The corresponding comparison in Figure 4 shows that a workpiece weight of 2.6 kg is required for a machining process from a tube and that a material waste of approx. 50% must be expected during this process. This amounts to approximately 3.1 kg of CO2 footprint for the entire production process, including the raw material. In comparison to machining, the Felss process chain requires a workpiece of only approx. 1.4 kg and produces approx. 2 kg of CO2 including all process steps. The CO2 saving per compo nent is therefore 35% or 1.1 kg per component. When converted to a conventional series production of this rotor shaft with 200,000 to 400,000 components per year, the application of such innovative cold forming processes can save more than 200,000 kg of CO2 per year during production and thus, make a greater contribution to environmental protection.

[4.] Missal, N; Schwertel, S.; Ludwig, M.: The next level of axial forming for a sustainable component and process chain design. Conference proceeding International Conference on Gears 2023, VDI-Berichte volume 2422, p.1765-1776, VDI-Verlag, Düssel dorf, 2023, http://dx.doi.org/10.51202/9783181024225-1765 [5.] Missal, N.; Schwertel, S.: Schrägverzahnungen durch Axialformen: Neue und nachhaltige Wege in der Massivumformung. massivUM FORMUNG, April, 2024, Industrieverband Massivumformung e.V., Hagen, 2024 [6.] Raedt, HW.: Klimapfad Massivumformung - Wege zu CO2-freien Komponenten. ATZ Automobiltech Z 124, p.26–31 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s35148-022-0831-6

Contact persons:

Andrew Rush Sales and Service Manager North America Felss Systems GmbH Phone: +1 262-374-3369 Email: Andrew.Rush@felss.com

Andreas Wächter Area Sales Manager Felss Systems GmbH Phone: +4917610219978 Email: Andreas.Waechter@felss.com

Figure 4: Comparison between conventional and Felss process chain. Literature: [1.] Presse- und Informationsamt der Bundesregierung: Neuzugelas sene Pkw ab 2035. EU-Umweltrat: Nur noch CO2-frei fahren. (03.04.2024) https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/schwer punkte/europa/verbrennermotoren-2058450 [2.] Petri, R.; Jaeger, M. B.; Lahdo, N. et. al.: Antriebsportfolio der Zukunft. Ein Meinungsführer/-innen-Report aus Politik und Wirtschaft. VDE study, p.9, VDE Verband der Elektrotechnik Elektronik Informationstechnik e. V., Frankfurt, 2021 [3.] Missal, N.; Schwertel, S.: Innovative cold metal forming processes for a sustainable future – Moving forward with helical gear drive components in a resource and energy-efficient way. Dritev 2023, VDI-Berichte volume 2420, p.295-306, VDI-Verlag, Düsseldorf, 2023, https://doi.org/10.51202/9783181024201

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EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY

BEYOND THE PRESS How Macrodyne is Shaping the Future of Manufacturing By Katrina Geenevasen

From its early days, the company’s ethos — “If you’re going to do it, do it better than anyone else” — has fostered growth, innovation, and repeat business from satis fied customers, including companies with 100-plus years of history. These include GE, Caterpillar, Boeing, Rolls Royce, Apple, Eaton and Textron, just to name a few. Under the guidance of Kevin Fernandes, who took over leadership in 2018, Macro dyne has embraced a new energy and strategic vision, expanding its facilities, workforce and market reach. "Right from the start, we've always believed that being excellent at what we do isn't just something we aim for, it's essential," he says. “It's this non-stop drive for top-notch quality and taking care of our customers that make us stand out. When we talk about wanting to be the best, we're not just saying it. We live it. Our history with big names shows that we're not just capable, but we're also all about going above and beyond what's expected every single time." Today, the company boasts an impressively significant global footprint, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Macrodyne continues to set new standards for innovation, efficiency and customer satis faction in the global arena. Groundbreaking Technologies and Services At the heart of Macrodyne's success are its custom heavy-duty hydraulic presses capable of handling up to 30,000-ton capacities, and its advanced material handling systems for dies and molds weighing up to 100 tons. The company's expertise is not just in the sheer scale of its equipment but in the preci sion, reliability and innovation embedded in every project.

A Macrodyne Deep Draw Press Line for Air Conditioner Panels. This press line is comprised of a 550/150 Ton Draw Press, a 200 Ton Press, two 150 Ton Presses, a Custom Transfer system, a Destacker, 5 Feeders, an Exit Conveyor and a Die Storage and Retrieval System.

I n an era where automation and material handling have become the backbone of modern industry, one name stands prominently at the forefront of innovation and efficiency: Macrodyne. With a history spanning over three decades, Macrodyne has established itself as a leader in the design, manufacture and integration of custom heavy-duty hydraulic presses and ancillary press line and die-handling equip ment. Today, the company stands as a globally renowned entity and proudly holds the title of North America’s largest and premier hydraulic press manufacturer. Spanning North America and Europe with facilities in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, and Germany, Macrodyne's team consistently

outperforms larger European suppliers, who may overlook client needs, and off shore newcomers willing to compromise on quality for cost advantages. Indeed, Macrodyne does things differently. And because of the company’s strategy, its momentum is only accelerating, promising a future as dynamic and relentless as its past. A Legacy of Innovation Founded in the late 1980s by Andrew Kirk, Wes Blazejewski and Gary Johnson, Macro dyne emerged from decades of hydraulic press experience, blended with a passion for engineering. This foundation set the stage for a company that would not only compete with but often surpass, its well-established competitors.

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