November 2025 Volume 7

FOUNDATION NEWS

Careers in Forging The final section of the course presents various careers in the forging industry and provides guidance on how participants can work toward their professional goals. The forging process, which involves shaping metal through compressive forces, creates some of the strongest and most reliable components used in critical applications. This fundamental manufacturing process supports industries that are essential to modern life and national infrastructure, making careers in forging both stable and meaningful. The forging industry offers a wide variety of career paths for individuals with technical, mechanical and engineering interests. Careers in this industry include hands-on roles with operating forging presses, advanced design, engineering and management positions. This industry and its numerous career pathways offer high job security and long-term opportunities for growth and advancement because it plays a critical role in sectors like automotive, aerospace, defense, and energy. Forging career pathways are available to everyone, regardless of prior experience or skill level. This portion of the course is led by Dr. Samantha Trzinski, Director of Education Outreach and Workforce Development for HAMMER, and explores some of the entry-level and advanced careers available in the industry and helps participants determine how they can get started with these pathways and continually grow and advance through professional development opportunities. The course concludes with this discussion of careers in forging and opportunities for professional development to help participants learn how they can pursue interests that may have developed throughout the previous modules. Additional Resources for Participants Each module includes a list of additional resources so that participants can learn more about the topics presented in each lecture. Recommended readings, videos, and links have been curated by the HAMMER team to help participants strengthen their understanding of course material. These resources include textbooks, handbooks, articles, YouTube videos, and websites that were recommended by industry members, academics, and people from the educational sector. These additional resources are intended to jumpstart participants’ learning and support their continual learning beyond the scope of the METAL course. Continual Improvement As a METAL hub, NSF HAMMER-ERC will also engage in industry testing and feedback loops to ensure the curriculum remains practical and forward-looking. A Process Improvement Team comprised of members from the forging industry and educational sectors recently completed their initial review of the course, and this feedback will be used to revise and strengthen the course materials. Members of the Process Improvement Team took the online course and provided detailed feedback at the end of each module on the course content, delivery, and relevance to industry. This feedback was then compiled into a document with recommended revisions for the HAMMER team to take into consideration. Our team is actively making the recommended changes to ensure that the class helps support people in the forging industry as best as it can, and the revised curriculum will be released throughout the coming months. Through collaborations with educational institutions and workforce training centers, the NSF HAMMER-ERC team will help build a strong, sustainable pipeline of forging professionals

equipped to meet modern manufacturing challenges. This end goal is only possible through continual improvement, informed by members of industry who know best what skills are necessary in the current and future workforce. Conclusion NSF HAMMER-ERC’s advanced forging course developed in partnership with IACMI METAL is a new professional development opportunity intended to strengthen the U.S. workforce and encourage more people to pursue careers in the forging industry. The integration of robotics, artificial intelligence, computer numerical control, and digital simulations will help improve the efficiency of metalworking and manufacturing, and this course is intended to strengthen familiarity and skill with these aspects of Industry 4.0. Those who are interested in taking the advanced forging course should register at www. metalforamerica.org/training. Dr. Samantha R. Trzinski Director of Education Outreach & Workforce Development

NSF HAMMER-ERC Phone: 614-247-0550 Email: trzinski.1@osu.edu

The author would like to acknowledge support from the U.S. National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Hybrid Autonomous Manufacturing

Moving from Evolution to Revolution (ERC‐HAMMER) under Award Number EEC-2133630, and from METAL, led by IACMI – The Composites Institute® with funding from the Department of Defense’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program.

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Contact Tricia Abruzzino for more information at tricia@forging.org

FIA MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2025 58