February 2026 Volume 8

FORGING RESEARCH

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR UPDATE Announcing Awarded Projects for RFW 24-01 By Dekland D. H. Barnum

Projects Awarded In March of 2024, FIA announced a request for white papers, in collaboration with the Army Research Lab (ARL) and on behalf of the Army Futures Command (AFC). While the projects were selected in June 2024, we could not announce the winners until all project agreements were finalized. Project team kickoffs occurred from August 2025 to December 2025, based on when project agreements were finalized for each project team. Unlike grant funding, the projects awarded are tied to a government contract with specific deliverables the project teams will be held accountable for. Additionally, with the timing of the government shutdown, we were unable to receive approval to publish an announcement in the November 2025 edition of the FIA magazine. FIA acknowledges the support and time commitment from all our committee members, the engagement from ARL, and the response from the industry for this white paper call. The number of submissions made for a highly competitive selection process for the two assembled committees, the Defense Technical Committee (DTC), and the Defense Executive Committee (DEC). A large amount of work went into these submissions in a short amount of time, and this was a highly competitive first year. FIA is proud to serve the forging industry, and without further ado, the projects awarded with strong support from both industry and defense stakeholders are provided below. The project entitled Shorter Lead-Time and Life Extension of Forging Dies by Robotic Direct Energy Deposition Repair is led by Canton Drop Forge in association with Cleveland State University, Eureka Welding Alloys, and Bohler-Uddeholm Tool Steel. The project will focus on the application of robotic Direct Energy Deposition (DED) process to repair forging dies, accounting for die features, material compatibility, post-repair machining and the risk of developing a heat affected zone (HAZ). The objectives of the project are to 1) extend the life of forging dies, which contribute to the price of forgings 2) reduce lead times for forged components and 3) promote the application of robotic DED in the forging industry. The project entitled Iterative Testing, Deployment, and Evaluation of Robotic-Assisted WAAM/WAAR to Extend Forge Tool Life is led by Trenton Forging Company, in association with Eureka Welding Alloys. The project will focus on Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) and Remanufacturing (WAAR) for impression die forgings, optimizing the wire arc path for the design of the die. The objectives of the project are to 1) increase production capacity, reduce costs, improve die life and improve component quality with robotic-assisted WAAM/WAAR and 2) share insights gained regarding installation, maintenance, operational efficiency, and cost savings to promote broader adoption of the technology.

The project entitled Engineered Grain Structure of Forged Materials Using Process and Microstructure Evolution Modeling is led by Accuride Corporation in association with Scientific Forming Technology Corporation (SFTC). The project will focus on new manufacturing and material tools to forge near net aluminum components, considering factors such as grain size, precipitate size, and volume fraction during forging, heat treatment and aging components. The objectives of the project are to 1) generate material property data for 6xxx series alloy; 2) demonstrate grain size and precipitate evolution models and; 3) validate grain size, precipitation and strength models available in DEFORM. The project entitled Forging Hot Part Inspection is led by Manufacturing Automation Systems (MAS) LLC in association with an FIA producer member. The project will focus on non-contact hot part inspection enabling increased press uptime and increased throughput on forging components. The objectives of the project are to 1) design and develop a prototype for hot part inspection and 2) test the prototype at an FIA producer member facility using production components to validate prototype capabilities and share the results with the industry to promote technology transition. Why Now? As a reminder, the two committees provided recommendations on the awarded projects. The DTC is a committee comprised of technical experts within the forging industry and ARL. The committee provides recommendations to the DEC for projects to award, reviews project milestones, and provides direct industry buy in on the projects. The DEC is a committee comprised of key leaders, representing both ARL and the forging industry. The DEC provides final assessment on all submitted projects and ensures the projects benefit both the forging industry and the warfighter. During the DTC meeting at FIA offices in June 2024, the committee discussed the merits of each project submission that had been reviewed and scored by each committee member. To maintain fairness and integrity, the DTC was not allowed to grade their own applications, or those their organization had supported via a letter or was otherwise affiliated with. The DEC met virtually the following week and reviewed the submissions as well as the DTC recommendations. The DEC validated the recommendations and assessed if the needs of the industry were being addressed. While ARL was represented in both committees, they retain final decision-making authority in the selection process due to their role as both the defense stakeholder and having final sign-off on funding.

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2026 62