November 2021 Volume 3

FORGING RESEARCH

Forging Die Repair As can be seen from the preceding section, many forge parts require expensive tooling for forging thousands of parts economically. However, the forging die life is limited because of many reasons, including cost, lead time, forging conditions, production volume, and forging demand. Therefore, forging die sets are refurbished or repaired as needed. In general, die refurbishing and repair are performed by welding the die material into the die cavity and re- sinking and finishing the cavity in the die set. Depending on the complexity and size of the forged part, the process can be costly and time-consuming. In order to reduce the cost and lead time for die refurbishing and repair, the DLA funded FDMC program has undertaken two projects demonstrating the advantages of utilizing metal AM technologies where a thin layer of the same or improved die material is cladded and re-finished without expensive addition and subtraction of material on the die cavity. A recently completed project demonstrated utilization of metal AM for die repair resulted in various advantages, including potential for lead time and cost savings as well as substantial increase in die life and improvement of die performance [16]. Nine forging companies and four metal AMservice providers worked together with academia to repair ten small forgings with half of them showing highly positive results. This project also uncovered scientific knowledge for efficient implementation of metal AM processing methods as well as significance of adequate selection of AM material and post- processing techniques. Another ongoing FDMC project focuses on metal AM processes and strategies for die repair and refurbishment. This project will uncover applicability of new AM methods, die material, and post-processing conditions for the implementation of effective and economic forging die repair for the benefit of DLA and the forging industry.

Dr. Prabir Chaudhury FORGE-IT Application Engineer

Dekland Barnum, FDMC Project Manager Phone: 843-760-3538 Email: dekland.barnum@ati.org

About FDMC The DLA-funded Procurement Readiness Optimization - Forging Advanced Systems and Technologies (PRO-FAST) program supports the advancement of forging manufacturing technologies and DOD-focused supply chain research and development. The significant project requirements include participant cost-share, demonstrated relevance to DLA supply chain readiness and technology transition to the U.S. forging industry at large. If your company is interested in collaborating with FDMC on a research project, please contact FDMC Executive Director, Charles Edens, at 843-760-3376 charles.edens@ati.org, or FDMC Project Manager, Dekland Barnum, at 843-760-3538 dekland.barnum@ati.org. For specific questions on this project please contact Prabir Chaudhury at 480-577-0772 prabir.chaudhury@external.ati.org. This research is sponsored by the DLA-Troop Support, Philadelphia, PA and the Defense Logistics Agency Information Operations, J68, Research &Development, Ft. Belvoir, VA. References 1. Wohlers Report 2020: 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing Global State of the Industry. Wohlers, T., et al. Fort Collins, CO : Wohlers Associates, 2020. 2. Dutta, B. and Babu, S. and Jared, B. Science, Technology and Applications of Metals in Additive Manufacturing. Cambridge, MA : Elsevier, 2019. 3. An analysis of defects influence on axial fatigue strength of maraging steel specimens produced by additive manufacturing. Meneghetti, G., Rigon, D. and Gennari, C. s.l. : Elsevier, 2019, Inernational Journal of Fatigue, Vol. 118, pp. 54-64. 4. Orientation dependent fatigue performance and mechanisms of selective laser melted maraging steel X3NiCoMoTi18-9-5. Damon, J., et al. s.l. : Elsevier, 2019, International Journal of Fatigue, Vol. 127, pp. 395-402.

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