May 2026 Volume 8

CONTENTS

MAY 2026 | VOLUME 8

p. 38

p.42

p. 18

PRESIDENT'S NOTE 3 President's Note WASHINGTON UPDATE 6 "Here to Help" ENERGY 8 Is it Time for a Longer-Term Energy Contract? 10 Don't Blame AI for Rising Electric Bills EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY 12 Rate Readiness at Risk 18 Seeing the Heat 22 The Critical Role of Forgings in the Defense Industry 24 Meeting Aerospace Manufacturing Demands with Advanced Forging Technology

MAINTENANCE 26 Maintaining Plant Automation Systems Under Forging Conditions SAFETY 28 Automation is Rewriting the Safety Playbook in Forging 32 FIA Announces 2025 Safety Award Winners AUTOMATION 34 Fundamentals of Lubricant Spray Atomization in Closed-Die Metal Forging 38 Starting Smart with Automation 40 Rethinking Automation in a Job Shop 42 Teaching Robots MATERIALS 45 Nickel Alloy Forgings – Commercial and Technical Landscape OPERATIONS & MANAGEMENT 52 ICE Interaction Guidance 54 2026 Forging Performance Looking Up 56 When is it Time to Replace Computer Hardware? 58 Doing Business with the Government

INDUSTRY NEWS 61 NUTEC Acquires ETS Schaefer 61 Rodrigo González Appointed President of NUTEC Bickley 62 Expanded FIA Theory & Applications of Forging and Die Design Course Returns in 2026 63 FIA Lifetime Achievement Award 64 FIA Announces Addition of Two New Directors 65 FIA and Forging Foundation Announce New Board Leadership and Class of 2029 67 Faces of Forging 68 Welcome New Members 70 FIA Upcoming Events FOUNDATION NEWS 72 From Research to Industry 74 Donor Spotlight: Auction Donors FORGING RESEARCH 76 Improving Forging Die Life through Advanced Alloy Coatings MEMBERS SPEAK 80 Stronger Together AD INDEX 83 May Advertiser Index

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE FORGING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION | FORGING.ORG | MAY 2026

SEEING THE HEAT WHY ROBOTS, MACHINE VISION, SMARTER CONTROLS, AND AI ARE GAINING GROUND IN ONE OF MANUFACTURING’S TOUGHEST ENVIRONMENTS PAGE 18

STARTING SMART WITH AUTOMATION PAGE 38 TEACHING ROBOTS PAGE 42

For advertising contact info@forging.org

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FIA MAGAZINE | MAY 2026