May 2022 Volume 4

EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY

iForge Traceability: Tracking Capability for Every Single Forging By Martin Scholles and Axel Rossbach

Imagine the benefit of being able to track the manufacturing data for every forging throughout its lifetime. Now you can. SMS group has created a unique solution called iForge Traceability for the digitalized and smart tracking of every single forged part, from which forging shops and their customers can profit over the long term. This is done by the ability to verify the carbon footprint for every forging with a precise CO2 value. If for some reason a part should be rejected by your customer, instead of major recall campaigns, you can narrow a quality issue down to just a few individual forged products and pinpoint the cause. Additionally, you could verify the carbon footprint for every forging with a precise CO2 value and even identify new optimization potential along the entire process and value chain. New Traceability Module Added to the Range of Integrated iForge Solutions iForge is the cutting-edge solution that enables plant owners to take process performance, product quality, cost optimization, and environmental evaluation to a completely new level. This link connects measuring technology, programming, engineering, and process and control technology to enable better control of forging processes. Forging lines equipped with state-of-the-art sensor technology and high-resolution cameras will in future be capable of making intelligent, independent decisions based on the relevant data and evaluations. As Axel Rossbach, Forging Technology Manager at SMS group, says: "iForge is the future of closed-die forging." For example, iForge modules, which are used to detect cracks and predict wear in forging dies, show what this looks like in real world applications. With the crack detection function, for instance, a crack that is starting to develop in the die is clearly identified before it can cause a failure and affects the quality of parts or the process. A wear prediction capability boasts similar advantages. With iForge Traceability, forging shops now have another powerful tool at their disposal with the actual process data being stored for every forging in a data record that is kept for the product throughout the entire process. The Innovation Lies inThe Combination The difficulty of tracking individual parts throughout the manufacturing process has been how to put a unique identifier on a part that can stay with it through the complete process.

Previous tracking methods were unsuccessful due to the ambient conditions of the forging process itself. A laser code was not able to withstand the heat and mechanical stresses. The solution is the SMS group patent-pending process combining two marking techniques – dot peen marking and laser marking. In the forging process, a code is applied to the forging with a dot peen-marking machine. This code lasts through all subsequent processing steps. It is only when the final work piece surface is produced that the dot peen marking code is removed during machining and the laser code is applied immediately afterwards. The dot peen-marking procedure is performed directly downstream of the forging press where work pieces are automatically fed into the marking station that applies a standardized matrix code in an area of the part that is eventually removed during machining. The dot peen-marking code is extremely resilient and fault-tolerant. Even if 25 percent of the code surface area were destroyed, it would still be possible to read it. To ensure that the code information is retained right up to delivery of the component, the dot peen marking code is scanned immediately before machining and stored in the sequential data record to be replaced immediately after machining with a permanent code imprinted by laser that now contains all the unique data relating to the component. Automotive Manufacturers Demand a Precise CO2 Value for Forged Components iForge Traceability is opening up entirely new perspectives for forging companies. The best example of this is the ability to obtain a CO2 value for every forged part. Increasingly automotive manufacturers need to calculate the carbon footprint for their products, and this includes their suppliers. OEMs are asking their suppliers to provide verifiable emission values for their components. With the appropriate input data from the various phases of the manufacturing process, the carbon footprint of a part can be identified and recorded as part of the unique identifier code along with other information such as material batch numbers, heat temperatures, press forces etc. By implementing iForge Traceability, forging companies not only fulfill a basic requirement stipulated by automotive manufacturers but also benefit from additional possibilities offered by the solution. "An important aspect here is that the companies are able to identify components with high carbon emissions," explains Martin Scholles, Technical Sales Closed-die Forging at SMS group.

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FIA MAGAZINE | MAY 2022