May 2023 Volume 5

AUTOMATION

Summary The digital twin is a virtual model that digitally replicates the behaviour of an actual forging process. To create this model, the process must be simulated in a virtual environment using computer aided design (CAD), Industry 4.0, the Internet of Things, and simulation software platforms. There is an emerging trend toward digital modeling of existing processes and systems and, inversely, the use of digital modeling to improve equipment and processes in their design stages. This simulation can help to identify potential issues and optimize the process before it is implemented on the shop floor. Simulation plays a key role in creating a digital twin of a forging process. The digital modelling of an existing process and the subsequent data analytics of the process can yield performance, quality, and operational benefits heretofore unrealized. Overall, simulation is a critical component in creating a digital twin of a forging process, as it allows engineers to accurately model and test the process before it is implemented in the real world, reducing costs, and improving efficiency and quality. In 2019, The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS) published the results of a study it organized called Metamorphic Manufacturing – Shaping the Future of On-Demand Components . This study defined Metamorphic Manufacturing (MM) as a flexible manufacturing approach that bypasses the limitations of CNC and AM “by combining the incremental thermo-mechanical deformation of a metalsmith with the precision and control of intelligent machines and robotic systems.” This has become known as robotic blacksmithing.

The laboratory setup at Colorado School of Mines includes an Interlaken Technology Company (ITC) SP400 dual action press (125-ton punch and 250 ton table) with continuous load output, upon which will be installed a specific tooling design that includes a low force robot able to change tools and position work, heating equipment including a furnace and an induction coil, heated dies to control heat transfer, and thermal and imaging cameras to monitor temperature and deformation during forging.

Author Dean M. Peters has covered metal working markets, including the foundry, welding & industrial gas, heat treatment and forging industries for more than 30 years. His journalistic credentials are enhanced by his BS in metallurgical engineering, MBA in finance and a decade of experience in market research. He can be reached by e-mailing ForgeOpEd@gmail.com.

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