February 2021 Volume 3

Official Publication of the Forging Industry Association

Why Automation Matters to Forgers (TodayMore Than Ever) pg. 14 Fundamentals of Automation Project Management pg. 42 ForgeAutomation: The Basic Considerations pg. 29 Reducing theCost of Your Forging Process pg. 8

February 2021 forging.org

Featuring 12+ Automation FocusedArticles

1

FIA MAGAZINE | MAY 2019

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2021 1

Premium Die Steel

Where Progress is a Tradition

Finkl Steel is THE NAME in quality die steels

Finkl Steel has been THE NAME in high quality die steels for over 100 years. Four production facilities, seven presses and two melt shops deliver Premium Quality Die Steel grades trusted in the most critical applications. Finkl Steel is

the Right Partner for the future. Celebrating 1 4 2 Years - Where Progress is a Tradition

One of Finkl Steel’s production facilities

Finkl Steel - Chicago 800-343-2662 Finkl Steel - Sorel 800-363-9484 (Canada) 800-363-5540 (USA)

Finkl Steel - Composite 800-521-0420 Finkl Steel - Houston 281-640-2050

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2021 www.finkl.com/quality-die-steel

2

PRESIDENT'S NOTE

President's Note

The Automation Issue Let me present to you an issue I’ve been thinking about since May 2019, when FIAMagazine first came to be. Yes, I am biased, but we have a must-read issue right here folks! We’ve assembled some of the best forging industry thought leaders and they have delivered 12 automation focused articles, ranging from automation project management, all

Speaking of Growth... I continue to hear about members getting reshoring opportunities, which tells me we need to be ready as this economy improves. I had to go back to our May 2019 issue to pull a quote from our ‘Five Things to Consider Before Diving Into Automation’ article to help me further make my point. We interviewed Jim Morris (then at ACE – now at Adaptec Solutions), and he said this: “You’ve got to get the operators to want to work with you. And no matter what, make sure nobody loses their job. I haven’t seen that happen for 20 years. Nobody loses their job; they just move around in the plant. They get a different job. And it’s important to make sure everybody understands that’s what’s going to happen.” The point here is we’re not keeping that operator because we’re charitable: companies that automate are creating capacity for the next level of growing their business . They need that operator that was displaced by a robot or other automation to be deployed to the next level of business brought in. Sure we have problems finding plant labor, and automation helps us scratch that itch. Some members even claim they would be out of business if they didn’t deploy automation. But from my experience, the most successful forgers are able to take on that next level of growth due to their investments in automation. The world is automating their forging operations. Just ask any equipment supplier where North America stands in automation deployment and you’ll get a sobering answer. Use this issue of FIA Magazine to evaluate what your business could do with automation. And now, I’ll get off my soapbox. Happy reading everyone! ■

the way to product flow using the Theory of Constraints approach. We had a couple of FIA members complete a brief automation survey and share their stories, and one supplier member who is educating us on how our cousins in the die casting industry do automation. We’ve got thought leaders addressing the intersection of lean and automation, as well as automation and its impact on the economy. We are even sharing a great automation article in the metal fabrication space. Dare I say we have enough material here to publish a book! With that declaration, let me share: Automation will now be a One of the unique perks of my position is the in-person member visits and plant tours. The plants with automation are some of our larger and more successful members. Automation takes many forms; it’s not just robots. Material handling, die changes, handling billets, etc. can all benefit from an automated approach. I’ve been in plants with zero automation, but that had cleverly engineered manual solutions; nothing wrong there, but probably not adding much to plant capacity. The ‘lean’ in me suggests it’s all about the most efficient flow of manufacturing the product, busting the bottlenecks, and winning the race to be the fastest to convert raw materials into cash with the best quality. If we do this AND can incorporate automation, well perhaps we increase our capacity to take on new business and grow. permanent section in FIAMagazine. Why the Fuss over Automation?

Sincerely, James R. Warren

President and CEO Forging Industry Association

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

Board of Directors

Peter Campbell Joseph Cipriani John Coward Robert Dimitrieff Marcelo T. Garza

Ron K. Janzen Chelsea Lantto John Pale Greg Timmons Dan Ulven

DESIGN Lorean Crowder lorean@forging.org

CHAIRMAN Mike Gill VICE CHAIRMAN Douglas McIntyre

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2021 1

CONTENTS

FEBRUARY 2021 | VOLUME 3

PRESIDENT'S NOTE 1 President's Note WASHINGTON UPDATE 5 2020 Election: What Happened and What Is to Come? EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY 8 Reducing the Cost of Your Forging Process 11 Conveyor Maintenance Issues and Planning for Forging Operations AUTOMATION 14 Why Automation Matters to Forgers (Today More Than Ever) 18 Automation in Gas Fired Heat Treat and Forging Operations 20 Automated Capabilities Continue to Bring Greater Efficiencies to Manufacturing 24 Who Is Going to ProgramMy Robot? 27 FIA Members Talk Automation 29 Forge Automation: The Basic Considerations 32 Automation of Induction Heating Systems for Billets and Other Unique Shapes 38 The Lean Side of Automation in a Forging Environment 42 Fundamentals of Automation Project Management 45 Lessons in Automation from the Die Casting Industry 47 Robotics and the Economy MATERIALS 50 Heat Treating Corner 52 Optimizing Grain Flow and Cavity Alignment of Forging Dies 54 Fire-Resistant Hydraulic Fluid

OPERATIONS & MANAGEMENT 56 Can Employers Require Employees to Get the COVID Vaccine? 58 Late Breaking News on COVID-19: Biden orders OSHA action on COVID-19 59 Leadership in a Pandemic: How Anchor Harvey Ensured Safety, Community, & Record Sales Throughout COVID-19 62 What is Your Real Job as CEO? 64 Got Constraints? Theory of Constraints Applied to Scot Forge Supply Chain INDUSTRY NEWS 66 Remembering Don Jones of Forging Resources Group 67 Welcome New Members 68 FIA Upcoming Events 69 Presrite Publishes Whitepaper “Steel Forging Processes to Save You Money” 70 Questek Awarded $1.2 Million From ARPA-E For Ultra High Temperature Materials Development For Energy Applications FORGING RESEARCH 73 The Forging Foundation News 75 FDMC Projects in the Innovative Forging Technology (IFT) Program 78 Solid-State Processing Pathways for High Performance Aluminum Powder Alloys MEMBERS SPEAK 83 Members Speak AD INDEX 84 February Advertiser Index

p. 56

DEPARTMENTS 1 President's Note 5 Washington Update 8 Equipment & Technology 14 Automation 50 Materials 56 Operations & Management 66 Industry News

73 Forging Research 83 Members Speak 84 Ad Index

Photo Credit: Mike Gill, LASCO Engineering Services, LLC

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, 1111 Superior Ave., Suite 615, Cleveland, OH44114. Telephone: (216) 781-6260, Fax: (216) 781-0102. 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 Cleveland, OH and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Forging Industry Association, 1111 Superior Ave., Suite 615, Cleveland, OH 44114. Copyright © 2021 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.

2

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2021

NORTH AMERICA’S LARGEST FORGING INDUSTRY TRADE SHOW OCTOBER 26-28, 2021 DETROIT, MICHIGAN, USA TCF CENTER

ATTENDEE AND EXHIBITOR BOOTH REGISTRATION NOW OPEN Visit www.ForgeFair.com or contact Angela Gibian at angela@forging.org +1 (216) 781-6260

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2021 3

Add these free resources to your toolbox to become a better forger! FORGE SHOP FORGE SHOP RESOURCES RESOURCES

DOWNLOAD

SUBSCRIBE

DOWNLOAD DOWNLOAD

DOWNLOAD

SUBSCRIBE

Our team is obsessed with forge tooling and we want to share our expertise with you! So we created these free resources to help you save time and money on your journey to becoming the best forger on the planet. Our team is obsessed with forge tooling and we want to share our expertise with you! So we created these free resources to help you save time and money on your journey to becoming the best forger on the planet. Our team is obsessed with forge tooling and we want to share our expertise with you! So we created the fre resources to help you save time and money n your journ y to becoming the best forger on the planet. Add these free resources to your toolbox to become a be e er forger! Add these free resources to your toolbox to become a better forger! SUBSCRIBE DOWNLOAD DOWNLOAD

Let’s Talk Forge Tooling! 248-435-7271 metalsales@geminigroup.net Let’s Talk Forge Tooling! 248-435-7271 metalsales@geminigroup.net Let’s Talk Forge Tooling! 248-435-7271 metalsales@geminigroup.net e’re not a achine shop. e’re forge tooling experts. We’re not a machine shop. We’re forge tooling experts. We’re not a machine shop. ’re forge t oling experts.

WASHINGTON UPDATE

2020 Election: What Happened and What Is to Come? By Steve Haro

It is amazing how much of life’s activity is dictated by timing and circumstance. Yes, we plan, strategize, hope. But all that can be easily thrown asunder by events over which we have little control. The “Washington Update” is a simple little column whose goal is to educate readers on the intersection of politics and policy and its effects on both our macro economy, and when possible, the forging industry specifically. And I promise that this latest edition will be no different as I plan to lay out in later paragraphs what we see coming down the pipe in the weeks and months ahead. But first, I want to take a quick pause on policy and politics and write a little bit about people. A great deal of planning, research and writing goes into this column’s construction. And you may be surprised to learn that all this happens long before the magazine hits your inboxes. One of the steps to this process that always gives me an enormous amount of professional pleasure is the very first one: the brainstorming session with our association’s CEO and magazine publisher, Jim Warren. Jim puts a great deal of thought and energy into each issue and is always very generous with his time and insightful on his ideas with how best to structure this column to make sure readers are getting what they need. Jim and I had our brainstorming session for this issue’s column on Monday, January 4, 2021. We discussed various topics that could be included: the fate of the current steel tariff regime under a newBiden administration, how would Congress share power with an expected partisan split (the House being Democratic and the Senate run by Republicans) and a Democratic administration, the economic tools an administration could wield to help with the recovery, and other policy items that have an effect on our industry. Two days later, a joint session of Congress met to fulfill its constitutional obligation to certify the December 14, 2020, Electoral College vote that showed former Vice President Joe Biden beating President Donald Trump 306 to 232. Traditionally, this step is a formality garnering little attention or being anything of consequence. However, misinformation about this certification and what could and couldn’t be done metastasized into a fervent belief that this vote could be used as a way to keep Donald Trump in office as president. Countless protesters descended upon Washington. And then regrettably, too many of these protesters turned into a mob, going on to incite violence by breaking through security perimeters and sacking the United States Capitol. Five people were killed. Over a hundred have been arrested, with

more to come. And now, the words “insurrection,” “sedition,” “coup,” “mobocracy,” and “impeachment” have become part of our regular lexicon. The world has once again turned upside down. As I type, there are more armed military personnel stationed

in Washington, D.C., than there are in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. D.C. is essentially shut down: there will be no inauguration ceremony where the public can descend upon the National Mall and take in the spectacle that is our traditional transfer of power. Eight-, 10- and 12-foot fences have been erected around the city. Places of business have been boarded up. Peoples’ movements have been minimized. Similar precautions are being taken in all 50 state capitals, as law enforcement is tracking credible threats by folks looking to incite further violence. This cannot be our new normal. We cannot allow it to be acceptable. And we must all strive to be better than this. Our republic has shown its fragility. We now must all take it upon ourselves to help show the world that this fragility does not mean we lack empathy, it does not mean we lack strength, and most importantly it does not mean we lack unity. We should be and can be better than this. OK, back to our regularly scheduled programming. First, politics. On Tuesday, January 5th, the people of Georgia went to the polls in a special election where both of the state’s Senate seats were on the ballot. Though the races were always tight, most of the political cognoscenti predicted Republicans would win both.

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2021 5

WASHINGTON UPDATE

Executive Orders Like all past modern presidential terms, the first few days and weeks of the new Biden-Harris administration will bear witness to numerous executive orders. So far, we have learned that some of these will be focused on efforts to: • Extend pandemic-related limits on evictions and student loan payments; • Expand testing; • Issuing a mask mandate for federal property and interstate travel; • Help schools and businesses reopen safely; • Expand “Buy America” provisions; • Support communities of color and other underserved communities; • Rescind the travel ban on several predominantly Muslim countries; • Rejoin the Paris climate change accord; • Order agencies to figure out how to reunite children separated from families after crossing the border; and • Protect workers and clarify public health standards related to COVID. Legislation Immigration. The Biden transition team has been working with members of Congress to write a comprehensive immigration reform bill that we’re hearing will be introduced shortly after Biden takes office. Details on the bill are under close hold, but folks who have been read-in have called the plan “broad and sweeping.” Pandemic and economic relief. In addition, Biden has unveiled a $1.9 trillion recovery package to deal with the COVID pandemic that he hopes Congress will pass with a bipartisan vote in February. The comprehensive package includes funding to: • Mount a national vaccination program, including setting up community vaccination sites nationwide; • Scale up testing and tracing; • Eliminate supply shortage problems with vaccines and tests; • Invest in high-quality treatments; • Provide paid sick leave to contain spread of the virus; • Make the necessary investments to hopefully safely reopen a majority of K-8 schools in the first 100 days; • Provide $1,400 per-person checks to households across America (up to a certain gross income); • Provide direct housing and nutrition assistance; • Expand access to safe and reliable childcare and affordable healthcare; • Increase the minimumwage to $15 an hour; • Extend unemployment insurance; and

That did not happen. In what can only be described as a political earthquake, Democrats Raphael Warlock and John Ossoff defeated Republican Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue. The Senate now stands evenly split at 50-50. This means that once Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are sworn in as president and vice president on January 20th, the Senate will be in Democratic control, as Vice President Harris will cast the 51st vote in her role as President of the Senate. This also means that Democrats will now have unified control of government (Senate, House, andWhite House). But unified control does not mean that anything can be done easily. Voting margins are tight (again, the Senate is 50 to 50; the House is 222 to 213); and for those who know Senate procedure, it still takes 60 votes to pass legislation. So policies to rescue and grow our economy, to stave off the pandemic, and to reassert our role on the world stage will take cooperation and compromise. And the reality is that there will always exist an ideological divide on matters of legislative substance like immigration, healthcare, taxes, and government spending, among others. This will be a challenge. Another challenge is impeachment. What hasn’t been mentioned yet is the fact that a week after the siege of the Capitol, the House of Representatives impeached President Trump for a second time by a bipartisan vote of 232 to 197. The single article of impeachment was for the purposes of “incitement of insurrection.” As of this writing, it is unclear when or if a trial to convict will begin in the Senate. What is for certain is that if a trial happens, it will occur after Trump has left office. What is also for certain is that if a trial happens, it will delay legislative activity surrounding COVID response, economic relief, cabinet confirmations and other critical business. President Trump’s impeachment trial in January and February of 2020 took 20 days. We do not see this trial taking as long, but it will nevertheless take up precious floor time in the Senate, further delaying legislative activity. So all of this creates a murky picture for where we see policy heading, both in terms of substance and success. But here is where we believe efforts will be made to try (and please note this is based off our best intelligence, but full details – including schedule – have not been made public):

6

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2021

WASHINGTON UPDATE

Finally, a Note on Lobby Day As we close out, I do want to make a plug for FIA’s annual Lobby Day, which will take place this year on March 17th and 18th. Due to the ongoing pandemic, this year will be all virtual. This presents a tremendous opportunity to increase participation and thus, cover more ground with more congressional offices and read them in on our industry, our priorities, and how we are a potent economic driving force in these members’ states and districts. Members of Congress do truly appreciate seeing their constituents share data and stories about how constituents are faring. And we have some great stories to tell. We also have some challenges – they need to hear that too. So let’s tell them! To register, please go to www.forging.org, or reach out to Kathy Edwards at kathy@forging.org or 216-781-6260. ■

• Provide emergency funding toupgrade federal information technology infrastructure to address the recent breaches of federal government data systems, among other items. For all the political reasons articulated above, it is hard to judge right now what the fate of these efforts will be. Undoubtedly, we will have a better understanding and provide you more details in the next edition of the magazine. The Policies That Won’t Be Dealt With Out of the Gate Trade. To the best of our understanding, trade will be taking a back seat. Discussions are ongoing as to what to do with the current tariff regime put in place by the Trump administration, but there has been little intelligence to suggest that major moves will be made in Q1 or Q2 to make changes. Infrastructure. There continues to be bipartisan support on the need to pass a large infrastructure package. However, like we’ve saidmany times in this column, there does not exist bipartisan agreement on how to pay for it. Perhaps an agreement can come together later in the year, but we do not see an infrastructure package reaching the president’s desk in the first half of 2021.

As always, thank you for your indulgence. Stay safe. Stay healthy. Steve Haro is Principal at Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen & Thomas and can be reached at sharo@mc-dc.com

Modern Foundations for Forging Hammers and Presses

Additional content from FIA’s Lobby Firm: Crossroads – Challenges & Choices in a Low-Trust World Click the image below to download.

Bruce Mehlman @bpmehlman Feb. 2, 2021

CROSSROADS

Challenges & Choices in a Low-Trust World

gerbusa@gerb.com www.gerb.com/forging Call: 630-724-1660

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2021 7

EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY

Reducing the Cost of Your Forging Process By Terry McInerney

Every day you face the challenge of improving your forging business to remain competitive. You are consistently making decisions that will affect your revenue and profitability. This article is intended to offer specific guidelines to forgers who want to continuously improve. It is intended to spur conversations around tool and die design, and how choices of material, heat treatment, and many other factors will alter the overall cost and efficiency of your operation. Will your choice of punch tooling material and coating impact your output between tool changes? Absolutely. Could a modification to the die design and how it attaches to the bolster drastically affect downtime for changeover? Definitely. Our hope is that you will use this article as a thought starter, an idea generator, a valuable tool to help your company eliminate wasted time, money and other precious resources on your journey to be the best forging company on the planet. Tooling Design Though difficult to define, most people know good designwhen they see it. Good design means things work like they are supposed to, can offer benefits you didn’t even know you desired. In a forging plant, design choices can mean the difference between running profitably and being constantly in the red. Like it or not, design choices relative to tooling and press setup will affect the level of success as a forger.

Material Selection Choosing the right forge tooling material is critical. Over decades of forging, the industry has identified and developed many grades of tool steels, each suited to specific tooling types and processes. Tool steels in general are classified into several broad groups, and some are subdivided further according to alloy composition, hardenability, or similarities in properties. Most forging companies use two basic die steels for forge dies: Pre-hardened FX material (or equivalent), or annealed H13. Cost and availability are the main driving factors for selection of these materials. Forgers deviate from this pattern when premature failures start to appear. Often, a desired production rate is not being achieved, or a forge run is interrupted because one or more areas of the die impression begins to produce an unacceptable part dimension. The hunt then begins for a die material that will support the run free from dimensional defects. Forge shops address the issue in a variety of ways. H13 tool steel, a chromium-molybdenum hot work steel, is chosen due to its hot hardness that is resistant to thermal fatigue cracking associated with cyclic heating and cooling cycles. With its combination of toughness and crack resistance, it is the most used steel for hot working applications.

8

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2021

EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY

Many of the other hot work steel variations are chosen for their properties to address very specific application conditions, often related to extreme wear. The addition of chromium, molybdenum, cobalt, and other elements to the various steel formulas can make a

Heat treat experts have developed various methods that are specific to each steel type. For example, some steels must be heat treated in batches of uniformmaterial. It is not a one-size-fits-all process. In general, the initial heating and quenching process will result in steel that is very hard, but also brittle. The rate of quench is a balancing act – rapid quenching will produce a harder and stronger workpiece, but also can result in greater distortion. After hardening, the tempering cycles will decrease brittleness and increase toughness and ductility, while sacrificing some of the hardness. Heat Treat Rules ofThumb Regardless of the tooling being created, there are several parameters that must be considered, including: • Tool steel requires a double draw (triple draw is recommended) • Press tooling should never be lower than 44 Rc • Hammer tooling should run in a range of 36-45 Rc for best die life results Forging Parameters - Effects on Die Life Aside from the properties of the selected diematerial, heat treatment, and surface treatments, there are several forging process parameters that will also affect die life, including: • Billet shape – the greater the transformation required from the original billet shape to the completed forging shape, the greater the die wear. • Billet temperature – in general, mechanical properties of the workpiecemay be enhancedwith relatively lower billet temperatures. However, lower billet temperatures require greater forces to deform, causing higher flow stresses, and a greater risk of plastic deformation. • Work part material – there is variability in flow stresses across the range of work part materials. The greater the flow stress, the greater the die wear and risk of tool deformation and cracking. For

difference in die life and performance. Material and Contact Time

Defined as the amount of time a tool is in contact with the material under pressure, contact time is an important consideration when choosing forge tooling material. The various forging equipment types – presses (hydraulic, mechanical, screw), upsetters, and hammers – will vary in the amount of contact time with the part being forged. For example, in hammer forging, the contact time is very short with a very rapid increase in force during impact, while press forging has much longer contact times with lower impact loading. Therefore, with hammer forging, ductility and impact toughness are critically important, whereas in press forging heat resistance and wear resistance at an elevated temperature may take precedence. Higher contact times will drive the need for additional alloying elements (such as molybdenum, cobalt, chromium, etc.) to enhance the specific desired properties. In all cases, toughness and wear resistance must be optimized relative to one another based on each individual application, as other factors including die size will also lead to the proper material choice. Heat Treatment The heat treatment of tool steel serves to provide the desired properties of the finished tool, including hardness, toughness, ductility, and wear resistance. A typical heat treat process includes preheating, heating to a specified temperature for a precise time period, quenching, and a series of tempering cycles (draws) to achieve the desired properties, as illustrated by the timeline on the next page.

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2021 9

EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY

About GPMI GPMI, Gemini Group’s forge tooling facility, is a preferred partner for the design and development of world-class hot, cold, and warm forge tooling systems, proudly made in the USA. From bolsters and cassettes to dies and punches, GPMI has the experience and capabilities to handle all of your forge tooling needs. This article is an excerpt from our eBook, Reducing the Cost of Your Forging Process, which is a free resource available for download on our website. The full eBook will provide additional considerations when it comes to tool design, material selection, heat treatment, coatings, and tolerances on how they can impact the efficiency of your forging operation. Visit geminigroup.net/e-book to download your copy. ■ Author: Terry McInerney Email: TMcInerney@geminigroup.net

example, stainless steels and nickel alloys are more difficult to forge than carbon steel at the same temperature and will impact tool life accordingly. • Contact time – the greater the length of time the heated billet is in contact with the die surface the faster the die will wear, and the greater likelihood of heat checking. If the tool is in contact with the billet for a prolonged period, it is possible that the tool will transform to austenite, and then reharden during the cooling process, which may lead to cracking. • Type of forging operation – hammer dies tend to fail more often by cracking than dies utilized in press forging operations. This makes sense when considering the higher impact loads experienced in hammer forging. In processes involving longer contact times, thermal fatigue (heat checking) is the more common mode of failure. • Type of lubricant – there are pros and cons to the various lubricants used in forging. Oil-based lubricants will burn between the billet and the die cavity causing excess wear or erosion, while water-based lubricants have a greater cooling effect, which increases the risk of cracking due to thermal fatigue.

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2021 10

EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY

Conveyor Maintenance Issues and Planning for Forging Operations By Mathew Frank

As a general rule, conveyors in forging shops see very heavy-duty use in normal operations and are often a critical element in maintaining production. Keeping conveyors in robust working order in a forge shop requires a conveyor whose capacity is matched to the operation, an understanding of the underlying of the conveyor’s engineering, attention to wear patterns, and a strategic maintenance plan. Some customers, with highly customized conveyors integrated into high volume forging lines maintain spare conveyors, sending well used conveyors back to Transcon Conveyor for refurbishment. This level of preventive maintenance is driven by the economic risks of unplanned downtime and ensures that high-volume forging lines are not slowed or shut down by a conveyor failure. All too often, conveyors reach a point of no return due to misunderstanding how conveyors wear. It is easy enough to replace broken components, and tend to shaft and roller bearings by cleaning and lubrication, but it is harder to recognize and address items which lead to misalignment of the drive train, belting, and rails, or to abnormal use-wear which will lead to premature wear and failure. Standard repair and replacement of components are usually straight forward and only create issues if non-standard repairs or inappropriate replacements reduce the resiliency of the original conveyor or introduce imbalances which increase use-wear. A common example of reducing the resiliency of a conveyor is disabling or inadequately replacing shear pins, clutches, pneumatic or electronic overload sensors designed to protect the belt, chains, and drive train from normal use shocks. Even if this does not result in catastrophic failure, the inability of the conveyor to absorb normal shocks can create relatively minor misalignments which lead to abnormal wear patterns which shorten the life of the conveyor.

Before

After

Ignoring the longer-term issues of misalignment caused by operating practices will shorten the useful life of a conveyor. For all conveyor designs in which the drive, sprockets, drive chains and belt surfaces are not aligned with each other will suffer abnormal use-wear patterns which are likely to result in excessive wear and a shortened life. Conveyors which are moved in and out of position, often with tow motors, but which are not specifically designed and strengthened to withstand this sort of flexing, can be knocked out of alignment. Often the conveyor will run easily, and the misalignment will not be obvious, but the little misalignments will add up over time. Misalignment can also occur with normal adjustments of the belt tension, often a common operational issue as heat and load vary during a production cycle. If belt tension adjustments do not keep the sprocket shafts square to the belt and frame, the forces on the sprockets, drive chain and belt pan assemblies will be skewed and will result in accelerated and uneven wear. Once this sort of unbalanced wear is introduced to a conveyor, it only tends to get worse, often leading to further mis-adjustments and skewing. Since conveyors are often repurposed into new operating circumstances in which heavy loading and high temperatures can permanently set deflection bends into hinge pins. In and of itself, this is not necessarily an issue for the belt pans themselves, but the hinge pins are also the axles running through the rollers in the drive chains. The slight angle created in these hinge pins in the roller can often lead to uneven wear in the roller block assembly. Even normal use will wear the belt pins and the roller bearings, which sets off a string of knock-on effects. This normal wear rate will accumulate in each roller axle, and the belt will lengthen. It is standard practice to tighten the take-ups. As most operators have

Shaft Parts

Roller Blocks

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2021 11

EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY

experienced at some point, the take-ups run out of take-up and the belt is shortened by removing pans. This addressed the belt tension, but this normal wear is affecting other parts of the belt. As the bearing surfaces are worn away, they are no longer weighted evenly and can allow rollers to slide instead of roll. This creates flat spots and increases the rolling friction of the conveyor, reducing its load capacity. The slightly longer belt drive chains will naturally transfer the pull load onto the belt pan assemblies, which are otherwise designed only to provide a surface between the hinge pins to support the load and are not designed to support the chain-pull load. Transferring the chain-pull load to the belt will lead to crankshaft wear patterns on hinge pins, or through tubes as some manufacturers use, and will also cause the belt hinge loops to open unless they are welded shut or make with separate tube stock (standard construction with Transcon belts). Once the belt pans are carrying the chain pull, as the hinge loops open and the belt will continue to lengthen. One effective maintenance strategy is to replace the belt drive chains, and usually the hinge pins, before the belt pans themselves are compromised. The alternative is to replace the entire belt at a later point in the wear cycle. As this short discussion indicates, the normal use-wear of a conveyor, its normal operating adjustments, and alignment issues all interact. As such, the maintenance of a conveyor is best defined by

Belt Parts

identifying the appropriate loading and use of a particular conveyor and deciding, as best as possible, what maintenance steps will be taken prior to a planned replacement. There is clearly no single best way, but recognizing and noting the wear patterns that are being created with normal use goes a long way in avoiding unplanned downtime and minimizing costs. ■ This article was submitted by Transcon Conveyor, Mentor, Ohio. Please contact Mathew Frank, General Manager or JoshuaMacPhee, Sales Estimator, for more information or visit the website: www.transconconveyor.com. Phone number 440-255-7600.

HAMMER MAINTENANCE WORKSHOP MARCH 10, 2021 LIVE VIRTUAL WORKSHOP Register Today!

FIA’s Hammer MaintenanceWorkshop is designed to help you to understand, maintain, and improve your hammer operations. This live virtual workshop will feature presentations from forging industry experts about hammer foundations, hydraulics, controls, frames, die alignment, tooling setup, wear parts, maintenance pain points and more.

Who Should Attend?

• • • •

Maintenance Department Leaders Hammer Maintenance Specialists

• •

Forge Cell Leaders Plant Engineers

General Managers Production Managers

Visit www.Forging.org for more information.

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2021 12

Engineered Bar by Nucor As North America’s leading producer of engineered bar products, we are redefining the way steel gets made. Designed for the most demanding applications, Nucor produces engineered bar from 7/32” up to 11” in diameter, the industry’s widest range of product. Nucor’s full range of engineered bar products are manufactured in advanced steel facilities, endure rigorous testing and inspection to ensure they exceed industry standards for quality and meet our customers’ exact specifications. Our engineered bar team has the technical depth to take on any development challenge. And our site-based approach to R&D allows us to develop advanced steel products in real-time with our customers.

We’re re-engineering the way you buy steel.

nucor.com

Norfolk, NE | Darlington, SC | Memphis, TN

AUTOMATION

Why Automation Matters to Forgers (Today More Than Ever) By Jon Cocco

In September, I took a call from a new customer that was looking at setting up a new forging line in Texas. He wanted us to help with automating the feeding of billets into an induction heater for two press lines. While this is a common application for us, what was different in this discussion was the reason he needed the automation equipment. His company was moving production fromChina back to the United States. Over my 20 years of running global businesses, I have moved many production lines to low-cost countries to take advantage of the labor arbitrage. Now with the ever-growing sophistication of automation, I have been seeing a reshoring trend across many industries, including with our forging customers. Push for Productivity In just about every industry, production environments are changing drastically. The operational technology (OT) of manufacturing companies use automation to enhance their operation by increasing up-time and reducing overall labor costs — enabling companies to not only to make processes more productive but also to give leadership and shop managers better quality and predictability of their equipment and output. Advanced economies are investing in automation to close the labor cost gap with emerging markets. Twenty years ago, the manufacturing value added per dollar of

labor was twice as high in Mexico vs. the U.S. By 2013, that gap had shrunk to less than 15% allowing the U.S. labor to be almost as competitive as Mexico (See Figure 1) (1). The trend of using automation to offset higher labor and shipping costs will continue to be the main lever for advanced economies to be competitive. If you are involved in manufacturing, then you are very familiar with the “push for productivity” in your facilities. Productivity (i.e., output per labor hour) is the single best benchmark for operational efficiency used across a wide range of industries. The U.S. government publishes a quarterly measurement by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) that sets the baseline among companies. For the third quarter ending in October 2020, the labor productivity increased by 4.6% (non-farm payroll). Manufacturing sector labor productivity led the way, which increased at a remarkable 19.9% annual rate as output increased at a 56.2% annual rate and hours worked increased at a 30.3% annual rate (2). While this spike is making up for the downturn earlier in 2020, manufacturing will continue to lead the way forward. Automation-driven labor productivity by the manufacturing sector is predicted to reach over 55% over the next decade (1) and thus forging facilities need to keep up.

Figure 1: Advance economies using automation to close the gap with developing economies

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2021 14

AUTOMATION

Forging Industry and Automation For forgers, looking for ways to increase output for every labor hour is a constant demand to remain competitive in the industry without cutting the wage rates of existing employees. Specific automation solutions have been targeted by forgers and proven to increase their efficiency. This key component of a manufacturing or a production facility is the lean system by which numerous items and components are fed to other equipment, allowing the manufacturing process to move forward (See Figure 2). Unless your facility is using an inline process from rawmaterial to finishing, there will be buffer inventory between the processes (See Figure 3 for a familiar site among forgers). In each of these inventory locations, the automation of part feeding and loading will dramatically increase the overall throughput of your operation and reduce inventory costs. A constant part feeding system is becoming an integral part of making this automation work and thus increasing productivity. Now more than ever,

organizations looking to take their teams and facilities to the next level must not settle for parts feeding systems that do not support, align with, or enhance their production capabilities and goals. Now is an ideal time for your business to invest in automation to make production more efficient. Businesses worldwide are continuing to emerge from the pandemic shutdown, and with demand beginning to pick back up, investing in automated parts solutions will ensure you are in the best position to maximize revenue — even if business is less than demand levels prior to the shutdown. Just as important, companies need to consider parts feeding solutions designed to operate at peak performance for extended periods of time. Production facilities are now operating 24 hours per day, seven days per week and 365 days a year to keep up with business and consumer demands. Such stringent expectations can take a heavy toll on equipment that is not designed or built to endure the rigors of this environment.

Figure 2: Forging material handling value streammap

Figure 3: Typical buffer inventories in forging facilities

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2021 15

AUTOMATION

Three Considerations for a Truly Successful Parts Feeding System What should your organization look for when it comes to parts feeding systems? Certain features and functionality should go without saying but remember how important parts feeding systems are to your overall production goals. You may be able to orient parts in a variety of different configurations, accept numerous loading options, and specify virtually any type of parts distribution, but if certain elements of your parts feeding system are not properly engineered, it will not be a successful solution for your business in the long run. Here are three things you should consider in order to turn your business into a world-class production facility and continue to meet your productivity targets. 1. Integration Flexibility You need a system that works with your production environment. While there are systems available that can be readily obtained and not customized, that does not mean they are the right ones for your business. What matters is that your parts feeding system integrates with and supports the other equipment, IT infrastructure, and control systems in your facility. Obviously, parts feeding systems by their design support upstream processes in production, but consider what you really need to make the entire process turnkey and seamless. While Part Feeding Systems are typically the last item added to a process, the integration of this equipment is crucial to

make everything work together. The controls package on capital equipment today is more complicated than ever before. With this sophistication, signals and switches can communicate between downstream processes to cue up more parts to feed. The integration of these software and hardware components provides greater flexibility and reduced downtime if they are planned out properly. 2. Reliability Parts feeding systems play an integral role in both themanufacturing of the main throughput process in your operation, as well as the overall uptime of your facility. Automation is key to a successful production environment, but that automation must be reliable. The last thing your facility and team need to deal with is a machine repeatedly breaking down, becoming jammed, or failing in its intended purpose.Thesemachines are long-term investments, which is why you want to work with a part feeding equipment provider that designs systems to operate continually with little ongoing maintenance. In evaluating the application of feeding parts into an induction heater, one of the most common methods to feed billets is to use vibratory bowls. However, in a survey conducted by Feedall Automation in 2018, U.S. forgers stated that the biggest issues with vibratory bowls were with maintenance and down-time (see Figure 4). Therefore, when considering part feeders, you need to look at the reliability of the equipment and the total cost of ownership.

Figure 4: Biggest issues with vibrator bowls for feeding induction heaters & presses

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2021 16

AUTOMATION

challenges. We offer a variety of parts feeding systems ranging from orienting feeders for both small and large parts to robotic bin picking systems that come in a number of different configurations to support your needs (see Figure 5). As more companies contemplate reshoring operations back in the U.S., this means finding unique solutions to remain competitive. Automation will continue to be the answer for most companies on how to capitalize on productivity enhancements and cost headwinds of the future. As I spoke with our customer from Texas on their new forging line in the U.S., he said this new turnkey automation made it possible to reshore this line and remain competitive with product coming in from China. It’s clear to me that automation will continue to be a game changer for companies to remain competitive and exceed their productivity targets.

3. Flexibility and Quick Changeovers Flexible automation allows manufacturers more versatility in creating products while minimizing downtime. They are highly adaptable systems with computer input and controls across the entire manufacturing process. Part feeders have become much more flexible to accommodate a wider range of part configurations with minimum changeovers. Flexible feeders are capable of processing multiple product types without retooling the entire machine. As system requirements and demands change, the flexible feeders have the adaptability to handle them. These feeders can manage changes to production schedules, demand patterns, and product mix changes with minimal changeovers. Feedall Automation has beenworkingwith companies in the forging industry to solve their most complex and demanding production

Figure 5: Feedall Automation Forging Part Feeders

References: 1) Labor 2030: The Collision of Demographics, Automation and Inequality, Bain Company: Karen Harris, Austin Kimson, Andrew Schwedel; 2018. 2) Non-farm labor productivity reported by Bureau of labor and statistics December 9, 2020. www.bls.gov/news. release/prod2.nr0.htm ■

Author Jon Cocco is the owner and CEO of Feedall Automation in Cleveland, Ohio. He may be reached at jcocco@feedall.com or 440-942-8100 or follow him on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/joncocco/. For additional information, visit www. feedall.com.

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2021 17

AUTOMATION

Automation in Gas Fired Heat Treat and Forging Operations By Justin Dzik

Automation has been present in the gas fired heat treat and forge marketplace for many years. The current state of automation within heat treat and forge commonly consists of individually controlled processes, such as furnace heating cycles, material movement, press operation, and quench cycles. A full cell automation approach, which consolidates all these automated steps into a closed off cell, is uncommon in the domestic marketplace today. The future state of heat treat and forge automation is trending toward connecting the individual processes within a single closed off work cell, and implementing an end-to end process control system. There are many advantages to full cell automation, such as safety, productivity, and quality. With all moving equipment fenced in, most of the safety hazards could be contained away from human interaction. Productivity and quality are also maximized as heating times, door opening times, quench times, and movement times are consistent. The automated system can track individual parts as they make their way around the process, allowing for quicker part failure detection and troubleshooting of the issue, while automated data collection and production reports provide information that suppliers can present to their customers. Prior to full cell automation, it is worth discussing different items that make up a typical cell. These will be called Level I devices. Furnaces, manipulators, robots, and quench tanks will all have Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) that run the device. These will be programmed to control the device, but in general, they do not have knowledge or awareness of the other devices in the cell. The interaction between them is usually manually driven through human interaction. Full cell automation requires the implementation of a central Level II control system. The Level II system will control and coordinate all Level I devices. Depending on the configuration and process, some cells are first in/first out (FIFO) and some require material movement optimization and scheduling. The Level II system can handle these tasks with custom-written software to fulfill the needs of the end user. The Level II control system is usually a custom-written computer program that communicates with all Level I devices and directs the actions of the cell. Level II is the brains of the operation and, as such, is responsible for coordination and optimization if required. These highly intuitive controls provide real-time data, presenting information like piece scheduling, position, and temperature. Fives DyAG in Farmington Hills, Michigan is a controls integrator capable of writing fully customized code in a multitude of

programming languages and PLCs, making them very well suited to create solutions for this market. Closed cell automation can be applied using almost any type of furnace. Most commonly used furnaces in fully automated cells are rotary furnaces, box style furnaces, or tip up furnaces. Rotary furnaces are primarily used in FIFO type operations where more continuous type operation is required. Box style or tip up furnaces can be used in cases where more optimization or customized loads would be required. These are no set rules for each cell, rather generalizations made through observations of domestic forge and heat treat shops. A typical box forge supplied by Fives North American Combustion and North American Construction Services is shown in the picture.

Material movement can be handled by a robot or a manipulator. Smaller weight pieces where furnaces are closely coupled to the next operation could be handled by a robot. Larger pieces or operations that require longer travel would need to be handled by a manipulator. Manipulators are usually custom devices that could be rail bound, wheel bound or overhead. A common type of rail bound manipulator supplied by Dango & Dienenthal is shown in the picture.

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2021 18