February 2022 Volume 4

Official Publication of the Forging Industry Association

FORGING LIGHTWEIGHT ALLOYS

February 2022 forging.org

UpdateonAutomotive Lightweighting for Forgers pg. 12

CustomForgingPressProvides RequiredPrecision toForgeTitanium Parts pg. 8

ForgingAluminum&Titanium– FAQ pg. 34

Where Are the Employees, and How Do We Make It Easier to Find and Hire Them? pg. 38

ElectricAxleTechnologies: ForgingOpportunities for PresentlyNon-Automotive Players pg. 10

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PRESIDENT'S NOTE

Great Turnout at Midwest Meeting of Members President's Note

FIA Lobby Day 2022 Lobby Day (virtual) attracted 12 members this year – down a bit from last year’s virtual Lobby Day. We had little choice but to offer this virtually, as it is still difficult to see lawmakers in-person in their capitol offices. Even still we are disappointed that we can’t get more members involved in this event or active with our Public Policy Committee. We cannot keep doing the same thing and expect different results, right? Thank your FIA Board of Directors for approving a full-time Government Affairs position. We’ve located the ideal candidate and we are happy to introduce the person in this issue of FIA Magazine (pg. 6). We look forward to engaging the membership much more with lawmakers; more Washington D.C. visits; reinvigorating our FORGE-PAC, and getting more aggressive with our fight to exist by beating back unfair trade practices perpetrated by China and others who dump or sell forgings at their material-only value. To that end, mark your calendars now for FIA’s Fall Meeting of Members this October 25-26 at the Hyatt Regency Capitol in Washington D.C. This event will have a mini-Lobby Day flair with a couple lawmakers coming to us to present and individual meetings available with your lawmaker. Let’s be more involved so when we complain about Washington D.C. we can do so as being engaged and active…and not sitting back on our heels expecting meaningful change without investing our time and interest. Finally, during our prep for Lobby Day, updating the ‘plant closures’ document shows since 1979, 240 plant closures in North America and 25,000+ job losses – a sobering statistic I hope moves us all to more action. Also sobering: China now claims 50% global market share of forgings – up 20% since 2016. That being said - let’s engage, take action and make 2022 a year of growth and prosperity for our industry! Your Forging Industry Association is already off to a great start! Best regards, James R. Warren

Members and staff wasted no time kicking off 2022 and kicking COVID to the corner! COVID is not over, but thankfully is showing signs of receding; we are over it interfering with our programming! A strong showing of 70

members came out to the Midwest Meeting of Members and were treated to a memorable panel discussion focused on busting down barriers for implementing forging automation. Key takeaways were: get your process right before you automate; it’s typically the grizzled and gray who become robot heroes...not the young gamers; start small and get a win you can build on; volume should not be the dictator of go/no go on starting your automation journey, and we just need to improve and ‘be better’ if we are going to compete and survive. I wish I would have recorded the session as many gems of automation advice came from Rick Recktenwald (Walker Forge), Jim Morris (Adaptec) and Mike Gill (LASCO). My sincere thanks to these gentlemen for their candid remarks. Member feedback has been strong on the whole experience of the panel, seeing everyone again and taking in a great atmosphere at MC Machinery – a Mitsubishi company with machining and wire EDMmachine tools forgers can benefit from (see their ad – back inside cover). Thank you, Bill Isaac, for hosting us. The Forging Lightweight Alloys Issue &Conference Many kudos to FIA’s Lightweight Alloys Committee in assembling our inaugural Forging Lightweight Alloys Conference & Plant Tour. As I type, we are nearly sold out at more than 110 attending – a tremendous response from the membership. Driving our attendance may be the tour of Bharat Forge Aluminum USA which kicks-off the event, or the 16 excellent presentations the committee secured, and finally it can’t hurt to throw in a post-conference golf scramble on Pinehurst No. 2. Don’t miss the three excellent lightweight alloys articles in this issue. While you are flipping through the issue, make sure to read new author Bill Scott’s article Tips for Effective Closed Die Forging Cost and Estimations. (pg. 54) Bill did a nice job, and we look forward to his future articles and a webinar on the same topic.

President and CEO Forging Industry Association

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

Board of Directors

Antonio Alvarez Perry Bennett Peter Campbell

Robert Dimitrieff JimKravec Chelsea Lantto James Romeo

DESIGN Lorean Crowder lorean@forging.org AD SALES Keri Kichurchak keri@forging.org

CHAIRMAN Douglas McIntyre VICE CHAIRMAN Dan Ulven

Mark Candy John Coward

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2022 1

CONTENTS

FEBRUARY 2022 | VOLUME 4

PRESIDENT'S NOTE 1 President's Note WASHINGTON UPDATE 4 Washington D.C. Highlights & Expectations for 2022 6 Forging Industry Association Hires Government Affairs Director, Matt Riehl EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY 8 Custom Forging Press Provides Required Precision to Forge Titanium Parts 10 Electric Axle Technologies: Forging Opportunities for Presently Non- Automotive Players 12 Update on Automotive Lightweighting for Forgers 18 True Prevention Powered by Worker-Centric AI™ MAINTENANCE 20 Understanding and Troubleshooting Forging Press Lubrication 24 Forging Lubrication FAQ and Troubleshooting, Part 1 AUTOMATION 26 Delivering Benefits to Material Handling in Forging 30 Forge Automation-The Basic Considerations MATERIALS 34 Forging Aluminum & Titanium – FAQ 36 Heat Treating Corner OPERATIONS & MANAGEMENT 38 Where Are the Employees, and How Do We Make It Easier to Find and Hire Them? 40 Are You Hiring? Check-Out The New & Improved FIA Career Center 42 My Forging Industry Journey 44 Leading Innovation: Practical Steps for Creating a Culture of Innovation 47 Forging Industry Finds Energy- Cost Savings, Budget Certainty with Online Auctions

50 Young Female Manufacturing Minds Are Looking for Mentors 54 Tips for Effective Closed Die Forging Cost and Estimations INDUSTRY NEWS 56 Welcome New Members 58 Forging Market Shows Positive Sales and Production Trends 60 In Memory of William Kempton Cordier 61 Gasbarre Thermal Processing 61 Industrial Innovations Inc. Hires New Executive, Rodney Yeomans 62 FIA Upcoming Events 63 Member Spotlight: Performance Forge, Inc. FORGING RESEARCH 65 FIERF Donor Spotlight: Forging Equipment Solutions 66 How to Engage the Next Generation 68 Expanding the Market for Forgings with Cast Preforms 72 Effect of Processing Variables and Die Geometry on Microstructure of Forged IN718 78 Prediction of Relative Globularization Rates in + β Titanium Alloys as a Function of Initial Crystal Orientation 84 Effect of Processing on the Microstructure-Performance Comparison between a 4340 Wrought Steel and a 4340 Selective Laser Melted (SLM) Steel 86 The Forging Foundation News MEMBERS SPEAK 87 Members Speak AD INDEX 88 February Advertiser Index Systems Commissions Continuous Mesh Belt Annealing Line

p. 12

DEPARTMENTS 1 President's Note 4 Washington Update 8 Equipment & Technology 20 Maintenance 26 Automation 34 Materials 38 Operations & Management 56 Industry News

65 Forging Research 87 Members Speak 88 Ad Index

Official Publication of the Forging Industry Association

FORGING LIGHTWEIGHT ALLOYS

February 2022 forging.org

UpdateonAutomotive Lightweighting for Forgers pg. 12

CustomForgingPressProvides RequiredPrecision toForgeTitanium Parts pg. 8

ForgingAluminum&Titanium– FAQ pg. 34

Where Are the Employees, and How Do We Make It Easier to Find and Hire

ElectricAxleTechnologies: ForgingOpportunities for PresentlyNon-Automotive Players pg. 10

Them? pg. 38

Image courtesy of FPD Company

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, OH 44114. Telephone: (216) 781-6260, Fax: (216) 781-0102. 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 Cleveland, OH and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Forging Industry Association, 1111 Superior Ave., Suite 615, Cleveland, OH 44114. Copyright © 2022 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 | FEBRUARY 2022

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WASHINGTON UPDATE

Washington D.C. Highlights & Expectations for 2022 By Alex Perkins

Well, President Biden and his team took office just over a year ago and in that time, we’ve gotten a sense of where they stand on trade policy and where they’re headed. But before we get into that, it’s important that we level set. And here’s the rub: hoping this Administration will pivot back to a Bush/Obama-style trade policy is wishful thinking, at best. Longing for the good old days, as some are apt to do, is wasted time. For better or worse, or both, a populist trade policy is the new normal. While trade populism had been lurking in the shadows for years, it started to go mainstream in 2016 when Presidential candidates Clinton and Sanders came out in opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement and became the full-fledged trade policy reality during the Trump years. While the rhetoric has been more measured since President Biden took office, the actual trade policy hasn’t shifted much and that’s unlikely to change in 2022 and beyond. So free trade is out, and managed trade is in. Policy makers are less concerned about consumers and more concerned about manufacturers. You’ll hear a lot of talk about supply chain resiliency, but almost none about just-in-time supply chain efficiency. In the past, to address unfair Chinese rules, U.S. officials would have called for high level dialogue and relied upon WTO binding dispute settlement; now they are more likely to pursue legislative action, like the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, or unilateral tariffs to level the playing field for U.S. companies, workers, and farmers. There's little Administration or Congressional appetite in either party for new free trade agreements. While the Biden Administration has recently floated the idea of an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, details remain sparse and what has been shared suggests that it won’t be especially robust. Finally, trade enforcement is in and trade facilitation is out – this is most clearly evidenced in the forced labor context. Biden Administration officials often refer to a “worker centered, inclusive” trade policy and using trade as a tool to advance the President’s Build Back Better agenda. What they’re talking about is essentially trade populism, and more often than not, this paradigm has driven the Administration’s decision-making – from its handling of the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum imported from the EU, Japan and South Korea; to blocking imports of silica- based products from Hoshine Silicon Industry Company on forced labor grounds; to ratifying the Trump Administration’s decision to unilaterally reinterpret the USMCA auto rule of origin after the agreement entered into force. Even where policy decisions on their face do not seem to reflect this agenda – like the resolution of the

Boeing/Airbus dispute or the determination that Vietnam was not manipulating its currency and thus Section 301 tariffs were unwarranted – the decisions advanced another, larger populist goal: countering China’s ascendancy, by engendering allies’ support to work in concert with the United States. Looking to 2022, past is prologue, and we can expect more of that same approach – and outcomes. Here are a few highlights in terms of what to expect: Section 232 Tariffs On January 1st, the steel and aluminum tariffs on EU imports were lifted and replaced with tariff rate quotas. While some expected cookie cutter agreements with other allies to be quickly negotiated, this has not transpired. While talks began last fall with Japan regarding the tariffs on their steel and aluminum imports, progress with the talks appear to have slowed. Despite repeated entreaties from across the Atlantic, talks with the UK are just beginning and are complicated by the threat that post-Brexit UK-EU friction poses to Ireland/Northern Ireland border-related commitments made in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement peace deal. So, this could take a bit of time. U.S. - China Trade Policy The Phase 1 Deal with China expires at the end of January, and it is readily apparent that China has not met its purchase and other commitments. As U.S. Secretary of Agriculture recently said, “here's the deal with Chinese friends [sic], they're about $16 billion light over what they committed to purchase.” There are reports that the White House is considering a Section 301 Chinese subsidy investigation that could be used to justify new tariffs, giving the Administration additional leverage to use to persuade China tomeet its Phase 1 deal commitments and make further concessions to level the playing field for U.S. companies, workers, and farmers. Post- conclusion of the Phase 1 deal, the Administration could announce the subsidy study as the next step, paving the way for new tariffs later this year. It should also be noted that USTR reopened the Section 301 tariff exclusion process last fall for roughly 500 products previously covered by exclusion extensions and there are rumors that another round of exclusions may be under consideration. More generally, especially given it’s an election year, the Administration will continue to use export controls, sanctions and other trade tools to counter China. In late June, the Administration will gain a powerful new weapon via the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which establishes a rebuttable presumption that any good produced

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WASHINGTON UPDATE

wholly or in part in the Xinjiang Autonomous Uyghur Region is made with forced labor. Such goods are banned from importation unless the importer can overcome the presumption, which is expected to be a very high hurdle. Indo-Pacific Economic Framework As mentioned above, last fall, with some fanfare, but little detail, the Administration announced that it would be launching talks to establish the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. Since then, not much more has been shared; what we do know suggests that what is currently contemplated is relatively small ball – likely more akin to a trade and investment framework agreement than a free trade agreement, and certainly not an alternative to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, the successor to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. As Commerce Secretary Raimondo said last month, "We absolutely do not envision this to be a traditional trade agreement.” Supply Chain Issues Short- and long-termsupplychain issueswill continue tobea focus for the Administration. Regarding short-term fixes, the Administration will look for various ways to build on their Christmastime success, where the threat of empty store shelves was averted, by identifying and seeking to eliminate supply chain bottlenecks. Given the fact that it is an election year, and this is an issue the public is paying close attention to, you can expect continued high-profile engagement from the President and his cabinet, especially as the topic provides a platform to tout the bipartisan infrastructure deal. As far as long-term supply chain issues, in February, the Administration’s one-year report on supply chain resiliency will be published. This report will build on work from last year’s “Building Resilient Supply Chains, Revitalizing American Manufacturing, and Fostering Broad-Based Growth” 100-day Administration review of semiconductor chips, lithium-ion batteries, critical minerals, and pharmaceuticals. The one-year report will cover six sectors: defense, public health, information and communications technology, energy, transportation and agricultural commodities and food products. Importantly, the report will make specific policy recommendations designed to bolster supply chain resiliency in each sector. It will be interesting to see how the Administration handles the question of onshoring and in what circumstances and for which sectors/products nearshoring to U.S. allies’ markets will be considered acceptable. You can expect the report and the recommendations to shape the Administration’s approach to supply chain policy for the remainder of President Biden’s term. In the Congress, S.1260, the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) is the hot ticket right now. USICA, which passed in the Senate last spring by a vote of 68 – 32, is a multi-faceted China bill designed to give the United States the tools needed to out innovate China and increase the nation’s supply chain resiliency. House consideration of USICA in 2021 was impeded in large part by bandwidth issues attributable to the Build Back Better debate, but the House is now expected to pass an alternative package this

winter, teeing up a negotiation between the House and Senate to draft common text that both chambers would then have to pass.The main threat to passage is election year politics: the longer it takes for the House to pass its alternative bill and for the House and Senate to reconcile their competing versions of the text, and the closer we get to election day, the greater the risk that Republicans may want to avoid giving Democrats a win on an issue that polls so well with voters – getting tough on China – and may try to tank it. It's worth noting that the Senate-passed version of USICA included several trade provisions, including a retroactive extension of Section 301 China tariff exclusions, a reauthorization of the Generalized System of Preferences, and a new Miscellaneous Tariff Bill. House Democratic (and possibly Administration) concerns with all three provisions could jettison the trade title from the final USICA package. However, if the trade title survives, (and even if it doesn’t) expect a push bymembers to include in the final text the Leveling the Playing Field Act, which would strengthen U.S. trade remedy laws and the National Critical Capabilities Defense Act, which would impose new oversight restrictions on outbound U.S. investment. Finally, we could see legislation included in USICA designed to provide some relief on short-term supply chain challenges and associated increased costs, such as H.R. 4996, the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021. So that’s all for now. It may not be the trade agenda that we’re used to, but frankly, at this point we shouldn’t be surprised – we’re five years into this new normal. Regardless, there is a lot going on in the trade space and it’s critical that companies remain engaged. Alex Perkins Principal Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen &Thomas Phone: 202-754-1726 Email: aperkins@mc-dc.com

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2022 5

WASHINGTON UPDATE

Forging Industry Association Hires Government Affairs Director, Matt Riehl

government affairs and advocacy program requires a team effort. He will be surveying members and collecting vital information to make our case to legislators. He will also ask for your help to make your plants available for tours by Members of Congress and other elected officials. Additionally, he will be asking for our help to revitalize the FIA’s Forging PAC, our political action committee. PACs can be one of the most important tools in a government affair’s toolkit to amplify a trade association’s voice inWashington D.C.

Matt earned his bachelor’s degree from Kent State University as well as a J.D. and M.B.A. from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

The Forging Industry Association (FIA) is excited to welcome Matt Riehl to the team as the new Government Affairs Director. Matt will be starting in this new role in early March. Prior to joining FIA, Matt has been working for Arconic Corporation and has had direct responsibility for the company’s Congressional relations, state and local government affairs, government incentives, and political action committee. Matt led the company’s government affairs response to Section 232 and 301 tariffs, including drafting comments to the Commerce Department, exclusion requests, and objections. Matt also grew monthly contributions to the PAC by over 200% from the lows set during the pandemic. In December, Matt was instrumental in capturing a highly competitive, multimillion-dollar state incentive, which required an extensive advocacy program for elected officials at the federal, state, and local levels. Matt serves as Chair of the Aluminum Association PAC Board and also sits on their government affairs committee. In 2021, under Matt’s leadership, the Aluminum Association PAC exceeded its fundraising goals. Prior to joining Arconic, Matt had his own consulting firm and prior to that, he was the campaign manager for long-time Congressman Steve LaTourette. In this role, Matt helped build the Congressman’s political operation, devised winning political strategies, and raised millions of dollars for Congressman LaTourette, Speaker John Boehner, and other members of Congress. Matt was also an elected official himself, serving on Stow City Council for 6 terms. During his tenure, Matt held all three leadership positions, served on multiple committees, and was the youngest person elected to office in Stow’s history. Matt will be responsible for creating FIA’s first-ever internal government affairs program and ensuring we get better results on issues like fair trade. Matt can’t do it alone, though. A successful

Want to Make an Impact? Join the FIA Public Policy Committee!

For more information, contact JimWarren at jwarren@forging.org or call 216-781-6260. (Youmust be amember of the Forging Industry Association to join an FIACommittee)

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FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2022

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EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY

Custom Forging Press Provides Required Precision to Forge Titanium Parts By Del Williams

for titanium. But, at the same time, we needed to improve control, quality, and cycle times,” says Jeff Speicher, General Manager of FPD. To achieve these aims, FPD partnered with Erie Press Systems, a manufacturer of mechanical forge presses and individually engineered hydraulic presses since 1895 that is now part of the largest forging equipment supplier in North America: Ajax-CECO-Erie Press. Although Erie Press designed, engineered, and built the system, FPD provided significant input on the design requirements. The result was a customized high-speed hydraulic press capable of producing 3,000 tons at a fully controlled,

Image courtesy of FPD Company When aerospace and medical device manufacturers need titanium parts produced in volume with exceptional precision and quality, it is often assumed that CNC machining is the best metalworking approach. However, with recent advances in the controls and automation of hydraulic forging presses, precision parts can now be forged to extremely tight tolerances and finished with additional machining if necessary. There are numerous advantages to this approach. Forging can improve the titanium part’s fatigue strength and mechanical properties over parts machined from a plate. Forging can also significantly lower material input costs by as much as 50%. The process can even be used to create net-shaped or near-net-shaped product that requires little to no machining. Nevertheless, to forge titanium to precise specifications requires the right equipment with exceedingly tight control of the production parameters. Fortunately, advances in hydraulic press design, controls, and automation are helping optimize component quality, production, and price. Press Customization Key to Improving Production For one producer of aerospace andmedical components, McMurray, PA-based FPD Company, cost-effectively manufacturing larger and more complex titanium parts required investing in a unique new custom press capable of greater control with higher tonnage. FPD is an ISO 9001/AS9100 certified global supplier of forged and machined parts for aerospace, medical device, and other industries. “We wanted to increase our forged parts envelope, and that required a larger press with more sophisticated controls for the titanium parts. We already had a 2,500-ton press, which is relatively small

programmable speed and load profile through full travel. “The custom press, along with our engineering and tooling, allows us to hold extremely tight tolerances consistently when creating titaniumparts for the aerospace andmedical device industries. With the right equipment, the forgings are extremely consistent, and we can produce near-net shapes that require minimal to no machining. If a part needs additional machining for holes, bores, and other secondary features, we can do that as well,” explains Speicher, adding that FPD provides extensive 5-axis CNCmachining services on site. Precise Control of Forge Stroke, Force According to Speicher, the Erie Press forging equipment is designed with a unique servo hydraulic system that allows greater control of the forging stroke and applied force. The press control modulates the servo proportional accumulator discharge valves to maintain the programmed velocity regardless of the load, ensuring consistent forging performance. This arrangement provides flexibility to forge parts across a wide velocity range not possible with a mechanically adjusted accumulator discharge rate configuration. For some part geometries, the deformation rate of the titaniummay require variable velocity profiles throughout the forming process. Altering the deformation rate enables FPD Company to achieve improved die life while creating greater detail by filling the die cavity webs and corners later in the stroke. According to Speicher, the servo-hydraulic system allows extremely high resolution in defining those parameters. Furthermore, the press position controller publishes (to FPD’s plant server) a high-speed plot or digital signature corresponding with each part’s forging cycle for historical records and reference.

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EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY

FPD can also control the press to strike the part at a specific force or to a pre-defined tonnage limit. In addition, the press can stroke to a programmed position within a positional accuracy of less than .01”. Erie Press’s Human-Machine Interface (HMI) allows operators to see how the press functions and anticipate how it should be performing. This is accomplished with dynamic animated models and schematics, live trending, and diagrams. The HMI is a software application that graphically presents information to operators about the state of various processes in a format that looks like the actual machine or display panel. The information can be accessed locally (at the machine) or remotely (within the plant or offsite) via PC, laptop, or smartphone.

inputs to the HMI. Titanium billet and workpieces are pre-heated in an electric furnace, while the tooling is pre-heated offline. The operator, working behind an interlock gate system for safety, uses a joystick to transfer the tooling into the press, which is hydraulicly clamped into place. A barcode is scanned on the production router, which calls up a part-specific forging program in the controller. FPD worked with Erie Press to incorporate safety features such as preventing the program from executing if the bar codes of the toolsets and parts do not match the router, and a safety stroke the operator must execute before proceeding to automatic mode. “Because we produce a lot of short runs, we can set up multiple times a day and this gives us tremendous production capacity,” says Speicher. Extending Longevity, Lowering Cost Controlling stroke speed has also helped to prolong tool life. “With the hydraulic servo control, the operator can vary the press’s stroke speed with far more control, which prolongs tool life. According to our internal statistics, the new press has extended tool life by about 50%,” says Speicher. Forging can be used to produce a complex part that often possesses superior fatigue resistance compared to typical hog-out parts machined from bar, plate, or billet. “In terms of fatigue resistance, a forged part is equal to or better than a machined part,” says Speicher. “Most aerospace and medical device parts are rounded with complex geometries. Machining these parts from a block means committing to one grain direction in the material. In contrast, with die forging, the grain generally follows the shape of the part, which provides superior fatigue life.” There are also significant cost savings versus the conventional machining approach. “Depending on the part geometry, we can normally reduce unit price in the 30% to 50% range over a hog- out. That is due to using less input material - and titanium is very expensive,” explains Speicher. Although machining of aerospace and medical parts may be common, manufacturers requiring exceptionally precise, fatigue- resistant titanium components should consider forging as a viable and economical alternative given the quality and consistency that can now be achieved with advanced hydraulic presses.

Image courtesy of FPD Company “Erie Press incorporated a very user-friendly, graphics-based HMI into the design that can walk even someone unfamiliar with the forging process through it step by step,” says Speicher, adding that the forging press manufacturer’s HMI system is a virtual “digital twin” of the actual machine as it functions. “The press has sensors that monitor the ram position, pump output, valve positions, etc. and all these parameters are monitored in a digital representation of the press. With the HMI, the operator sees how the machine is performing in real-time,” adds Speicher. The HMI also helps operators monitor what is happening with enough insight to successfully troubleshoot and promptly get the equipment back online when required. For example, operators can quickly “drill down” from a top-level animated schematic to review the performance of specific components, such as valves and pumps, and locate information on part numbers and wiring schemes. Up-to-date PDF technical documents and the schematics of each component on the machine are also searchable and can be quickly displayed as needed. The Erie Press forging equipment incorporates automation that enables the operator to change-out hot dies in less than ten minutes. A forging change-over is completely hands-off, requiring only

Please visit the Ajax-CECO-Erie Press website at www.AjaxErie.com or e-mail them at info-sales@AjaxErie.com. Or, if you prefer, call 814-455-3941. Also, visit the FPD Company website at www. fpdcompany.com or contact Jeff Speicher, Mike McAllister, or Dan Gordon for inquiries at 724-731-2137. Del Williams is a Technical Writer who lives in Torrance, California.

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2022 9

EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY

Electric Axle Technologies: Forging Opportunities for Presently Non-Automotive Players By Josh Carney

It is a present reality that petrol-fueled vehicles are facing obsolescence in-leu of more oil-independent and climate-friendly transportation. This ousting of the internal combustion engine is in part a result of ever-increasing legislative and social pressure to combat climate change. It is also the result of concern that our world is nearing or perhaps past peak oil and that alternative energy sources are needed. Even the existing and highly efficient petrol/electric 'hybrid' drive vehicles will likely be replaced in the not to distant future by all- electric vehicles. Interestingly, as electric vehicle development is increasing and regulations favoring their sales are championed by lawmakers, all this is happening without a significant reduction in gasoline and diesel powertrain production for existing light and heavy vehicles (i.e., semi-tractors). As forgings are used in many of the engine and drive components of road vehicles, the question one might ask is, "what does this mean for the automotive forgings market, and are electric vehicles an opportunity for untold fortunes?" Considering a Rear-wheel Drive Vehicle In a rear-wheel-drive vehicle, such as a truck, the power is delivered from the engine to the rear axles (wheels) via a series of rotating gears and shafts. The axles are connected by gears to a driveshaft connected to the engine through a transmission that communicates the rotational power produced in the engine. The rear axles of traditional petrol-fueled rear-wheel drivelines can range from 15 inches to more than 30 inches in length. Axles (and hubs) are usually forged of one component for strength and are produced in great numbers. Producing forgings of this length requires purpose- built forging presses to make the upset forgings. The billet heating, material handling, straightening, andmachining operations are also designed to handle longer workpieces. Engines also have long forged components such as the crankshaft, and due primarily to weight, require particular billet heating and handling equipment.

Figure 1: Basic rear axle differential

Enter the eAxle The basic design of an all-electric vehicle uses a battery, motor controls, and motor-driven electric axle or 'eAxle' powertrain. The eAxle takes the place of the conventional engine, transmission, and driveshaft, with the battery supplying the power. An eAxle driveline combines an electric motor, gear-train/transmission, and power electronics (these control the motor) and put them into one compact package resulting in a high power-to-weight density.

Figure 2: Basic design of an eAxle Present designs of eAxle transmissions locate the gear train at or near the drive wheels; this reduces the length of transmission components. One significant consequence of this design is that the forged components' overall length is significantly reduced when compared with the traditional petrol drivetrain.

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2022 10

EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY

In Conclusion As the demand for better, cleaner, and more efficient over-the-road vehicles increase, we can be confident that demand for components produced by the forged process will also increase. The resulting eAxle technology of electric vehicles offers the potential opportunity for growth in an automotive industry grappling with the push for climate-conscious transportation and the loss of petrol-fueled vehicles. Josh Carney President Integral Power Technologies, LLC Phone: 440-223-4987 Email: jcarney@integralpowertechnologies.com

Figure 3: Concept of eAxle drivetrain

Treating eAxles as an Emerging Industry As the global automotive market shifts to all-electric vehicles, the demand for new types of forged transmission and drivetrain components may push existing axle and drivetrain component suppliers to their production limits. This limiting effect could create a competitive opportunity for forging companies not already serving the automotive market. In his book "Competitive Strategy," authorMichael E. Porter defines emerging industries as "newly formed or re-formed industries that have been created by technological innovations, shifts in relative cost relationships, emergence of new consumer needs, or other economic or sociological changes that elevate a new product or service to the level of a potentially viable business opportunity." From this point of view, both existing suppliers of traditional (petrol) forgings and those that have not yet entered into the automotive market, or are in declining markets, may regard the eAxle vehicle market as an entirely newmarket for their forged products. Ease of Entry One benefit newentrants (non-automotive suppliers)may experience is that they are not as constrained by the costs of retooling for new forging designs, as would be the case for companies presently producing lengthier components, i.e., rear-drive axles and engine crankshafts. Forging companies producing components such as forged structural hardware and aerospace components have equipment capable of making forgings 10 to 15 inches in length (depending on upset length) as well as shorter components like gears and bearing components. For them to retool for eAxle components may be less costly when compared to redesigning equipment initially intended to forge lengths of 20 to 30 inches. A final benefit is that the sales process itself may also come with greater ease in the emerging eAxle market. Presently, the market for automotive forgings is mature, with well-established buyer and supplier relationships. If demand outstrips supply, buyers are forced to investigate new sources of forgings for new designs. This situation increases supplier leverage and may keep profits high for both the supplier and the buyer of automotive forgings.

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For decades automotive companies have been seeking ways to reduce the weight of various classes of vehicles in the interests of improving vehicle efficiency and fuel economy and reducing carbon emissions. Recently, the forging industry has taken a closer look at its technologies and processes to see how it can best help this effort. Both globally and in North America, forging companies are engaging in lightweighting through part redesigns, and the substitution of lighter weight materials, such aluminum and high- strength steels. Update on Automotive Lightweighting for Forgers By Dean M. Peters

Everything that falls under the category of automotive fuel economy is based on one simple principle of physics: given a roughly equivalent aerodynamic design, and regardless of the energy source of the vehicle, it takes less energy to accelerate a lighter vehicle than it does a heavy one. This is obvious to any high school student of Newtonian mechanics, but in recent years the automotive industry, in partnershipwith its supply chain partners, has taken a closer,

more detailed look at how to eliminate every ounce or gram of excess weight in the interests of vehicle efficiency, fuel economy, and lean manufacturing. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, “lightweight materials offer great potential for increasing vehicle efficiency. A 10 percent reduction in vehicle weight can result in a 6-8 percent fuel economy improvement.” And, incidentally, even if you are cruising along at a constant speed

and hit neither the brake nor accelerator, your vehicle is continually accelerating against the roughness of the street, internal friction in the car, and aerodynamic drag, in which more energy is dissipated the heavier the car is. Advancements in alloy metallurgy have permitted the replacement of ferrous castings and forgings and traditional steel components with lightweight materials such as high-strength steel, advanced

Though the distortions of panoramic photography make this aluminum forging line at Bharat Forge Aluminum USA (North Carolina) line look curved, it is actually straight, long and narrow. The two Lasco 4,000-ton Screw Presses are the heart of the production line. Courtesy of Bharat Forge AluminumUSA.

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The Global Response to Lightweighting

aluminum and magnesium alloys, carbon fiber and composite materials. These advanced materials have found application in traditionally weighty powertrain components and suspension components in internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and in newer vehicle designs such as hybrid electric, plug-in electric and fully electric vehicles (EVs). The use of lightweight automotive structural members and components on traditional ICE cars and light trucks enables the integration of safety devices, emission control systems and more electronics without increasing vehicle weight. And with the increasing ubiquity of various hybrid and pure electric vehicle designs, the use of lightweight materials can offset the weight of batteries and electric motors and improve the all-electric range of these vehicles. “There is a lot of room for lightweight design with forged components in automotive applications,” says Dr.-Ing. Hans-Willi Raedt, CEO of prosimalys, a German engineering consultancy for forging, materials, lightweighting and CO₂-reduction. He was deeply involved in Germany’s Lightweight Forging Initiative, which was started in 2013 (see the sidebar in this article) . Dr. Raedt continues: “Compared to cast or sinteredmaterials, forgings are stronger with a higher ductility, so they lend themselves best for lightweight design, which leads to higher stresses in the components. But even where forgings are already applied, even more weight savings can be achieved with the full utilization of modern forging steels and advanced forging technology. This, however, calls for an intensive collaboration between material producers, forging companies and auto producers. Reducing component mass will save propulsion energy, which is beneficial for conventional and new automotive powertrains. Subsequent reduction of input material yields energy and thus CO₂-emission savings in production, which also are increasingly in demand. Many components currently in use clearly demonstrate a further 10-15 percent potential for reduced mass, CO₂-emissions and production cost with minimal development efforts.”

continuing its technology efforts toward an industrial scale pilot producing carbon-free aluminum by 2030. Large investments by forges in lightweighting are beingmade in the formof newor additional aluminum forging lines. A case in point is the August 2021 announcement by Otto Fuchs KG of the crank forging press they ordered from Schuler for its Shenyang, China, location. The automotive supplier will use the 3,150 ton press to produce more aluminum chassis components for customers in China. In crank forging presses, several torque motors operate on a main shaft via a step-down gear unit. They are suitable both for wear-free single-stroke operation and for forging in continuous operation. In September 2021, Hirschvogel Automotive Components(Pinghu)Co.Ltd.,a manufacturer of automotive parts and components in China, contracted with SMS group to supply a fully automated closed-die forging press to forge aluminum chassis components at the company’s Pinghu location near Shanghai. The new line will be the third such unit from SMS at this site and is scheduled to be commissioned in Q2 of this year. Announcements of this nature have become relatively commonplace and represent only a few selected examples in a broader context of lightweighting by the forging industry. Closer to Home North American forgers are facing the same lightweighting challenges as other industrialized regions of the world. “The automotive industry, especially cars and light trucks, is the driver of lightweighting initiatives in the U.S. at the present time,” says Nicolas Poulain, Director of Sales & Technology for Transvalor Americas, a supplier of virtual engineering software platforms thatmodel industrial processes for the forming of metals and other materials. “This is the case, at least within the forging industry, and there is a need in the U.S. for additional lightweighting activities.” [1] The gradual shift away from traditional ICE cars and light trucks toward hybrid and pure EVs is not a thing of the future. This trend and its consequent reduction in demand for

There is nothing new about lightweighting in automotive applications, except that automotive executives and designers now work more closely with their industry’s relevant supply chain partners. The goal is an in-depth and detailed understanding of the processes, designs, and component materials from which modern vehicles are assembled. Narrowing the field to the lightweighting of traditionally forged parts (dominated by powertrain, suspension components and fasteners), these ideas can take the form of a full re-imagining of a part or assembly, revised geometries that reduce the material content of existing traditional components, the use of advanced materials (such as high-strength steels), and material substitutions (such as aluminum and magnesium forgings). Metalworking industries are notorious, even among their own participants, for their sometime resistance in adopting and adapting to change in the face of new technologies and market conditions. It’s relatively easy, however, for a steel forger to integrate a new advanced, high-strength alloy into its operation to accommodate a customer specification and do its part to assist in the lightweighting trend. But most of the headlines are grabbed by trending toward more aluminum. In 2019 Norwegian aluminum producer Hydro announced an upgrade to casting operations at its Husnes facility with new technology to produce more advanced products for the growing automotive aluminum forging market. The Hydro- developed technology enables a shift from traditional extruded forge stock to cast forge stock, eliminating costly steps in the production process while improving quality. According to Hydro Husnes, the new technology will strengthen the plant’s ability to deliver more advanced aluminum products. The key is the flexibility to be able to cast both extrusion ingots and forging materials according to customer demand in a flexible and efficient way. More recently, Hydro announces its intention to deliver its first commercial volumes of near-zero carbon aluminum in 2022. Hydro is also

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powertrain components has already started. It is today’s metaphorical equivalent of the challenge presented to metal forgers when additive manufacturing (AM) processes started coming into their own about 25 years ago.

From Poulain’s perspective, those who simulate processes and model efficient parts can get a leading indication of what is trending within the industries they serve. “We are gettingmore requests for simulating manufacturing processes for aluminum than any other lightweight metal, and the

backlogs of the aluminum forgers we work with are growing rapidly,” he observes. And so, during the best of economic times and the worst of pandemic times, we offer the following question: What do Brand- Erbisdorf, Germany, and Sanford, North Carolina, USA, have in common?

Left, a simulation of the cross wedge rolling of aluminum preforms (right) for final forging. Courtesy of Transvalor Americas Corp.

transformed from a steel forge to aluminum in 1996 and became a supplier of aluminum components to the automotive industry. Under the Bharat Forge banner this company became known as BF-AT. During subsequent years, investments in BF-AT improved the plant’s capacity and efficiency through automation and other investments. In 2019, BF-AT completed the installation and commissioning of a major melting facility to produce HCM (Horizontal Cast

Material) feedstock to the plant. In 2019, BF-AT started the commissioning the new forging line in Brand-Erbosdorf. The success of the BF-AT operation in Brand-Erbisdorf, coupled with increased global demand for aluminum automotive components, got Bharat Forge thinking of starting up its first aluminum line in the U.S. In September 2019, Bharat Forge America Inc. announced its acquisition of a 92-acre greenfield site in Sanford, North

A Tale of Two Cities On November 23, 2003, Bharat Forge Ltd., Pune, India, a leading maker and exporter of crankshafts and axles, officially acquired the assets of Carl Dan Peddinghaus GmbH, one of Germany's biggest forging firms. As part of this transaction Bharat Forge (a Kalyani Group company) acquired Peddinghaus’ aluminum division, CDP Aluminiumtechnik, located in Brand- Erbisdorf, Germany. This facility was

incorporated new dimples and fluting within the part to save weight without affecting part strength or performance. Conceptually redefining parts was also considered, such as in the use of a Hirth gear assembly for torque transfer. Phase I of LFI showed that a weight reduction of 42 kg was clearly possible on the vehicle that was studied. The implementation of these lightweight designs would be best achieved early in the design phase of each part and, of course, cost considerations are always a part of the entire lightweighting effort. With the promising results and interest generated by Phase I, the LFI team decided to proceed with Phase II, in which a year-old light commercial vehicle (LCV) with 23,000 miles on it was subjected to the same engineering analysis as the diesel auto in Phase I. However, LCVs have had a history of increasing in weight over the years, generation to generation. Also, the cost of vehicle ownership is more important to LCV owners and vehicle weight reduction means a higher payload can be transported. During two workshops, engineers examined about 2,500 parts and classified them according to weight reduction impact, cost impact

Germany’s Lightweight Forging Initiative In 2013 a group of German forging companies and steel producers formed a privately funded research effort called The Lightweight Forging Initiative (LFI) to study lightweight forging design in automobiles. The group, sponsored by the German Forging Association and the VDEh steel institute, purchased a diesel car and engineers from the sponsoring companies basically disassembled the car, all the while looking for areas and techniques in which forged products could be redesigned for lighter weight. Using this methodical and hands-on approach, engineers studied forgeable powertrain components accounting for slightly less than half of the vehicle’s weight, and some fasteners as well. There are a few directions from which to approach the weight reduction of automotive components – material selection, design modifications, and conceptual modifications. They can be used individually or in combination. In this diesel car, for example, engineers felt that a rear axle chassis bearing could be switched from steel to high-strength aluminum, along with some weight saving geometric modifications. The re-design of existing parts often

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