August 2019 Volume 1

FORGING RESEARCH

TimkenSteel and Finkl also spoke highly of the trips: “Finkl has long prioritized its connection to academia, and expanding the Forging Forum program to students at Ohio State was the product of a great tour of campus the year prior,” says Elizabeth Bilit, metallurgy manager at Finkl Steel’s Chicago plant. “Though the Forging Foundation, Professor Niezgoda found an enthusiastic industry partner to showcase the connection between manufacturing and metallurgical concepts. The forging industry hasn’t survived by staying stagnant; each generation introduces improvements to quality and understanding that will continue to drive change.” forging community last fall. The 51st Plenary Meeting of the International Cold Forging Research Group converged on campus for four days in October 2018, during which they focused on tooling, machines, materials and talent to advance forging operations. FIAmembers are meeting on the Columbus campus Sept. 12 to discuss ongoing Forging Foundation initiatives. The agenda will include discussing technology and workforce development opportunities, strengthening industry’s relations with academia and technical colleges and establishing a common language used for marketing to future forging employees. The meeting will be hosted at Ohio State’s Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence (CDME). Born of a desire to more rapidly transfer technology and knowledge from academia to industry, CDME provides manufacturers with a resource that bridges the gap between the fundamental research objectives of the university and the rapid product

TimkenSteel had equal praise for the effort. “As part of TimkenSteel’s commitment to developing future talent and exposing students to advanced steelmaking technology, we were pleased to host 14 students from The Ohio State University on April 17 for discussions on manufacturing, forging, and steelmaking,” says Charles (Scott) Wade, senior manager—product and process technology at TimkenSteel. “It’s great that FIA continues to support university/industry interactions that provide greater exposure to real-world manufacturing environments.” development needs of industry. The center’s full-time staff consists of industry-hardened engineers, program managers and technicians supported by undergraduate student employees. The students are paid competitive wages to work in a unique pilot-scale manufacturing facility where, they obtain training on leading-edge engineering applications, gain experience using industrial-scale equipment and get mentored by CDME’s seasoned experts. Students graduate with up to 4,000 hours of real-world manufacturing, engineering and business experience, making them ideal candidates for future employers. Advanced Capabilities Keeping the advanced manufacturing focus, CDME has a robotic metamorphic manufacturing cell that utilizes a Yaskawa robotic arm and an air-over-oil 80,000-lb press.

Ohio State Students Tour Finkl Steel

Professor Niezgoda modeled the trip based on the long-running Finkl Forging Forum trip taken by students at Colorado School of Mines, started by the inaugural FIERF Professor Chet Van Tyne and continued by current FIERF Professor Kester Clarke. “I was fortunate enough to be invited by Kester to accompany the Mines students on the 2018 trip and determined that I had to bring this experience to Ohio State,” Niezgoda says. “FIERF made this a reality by sponsoring the travel as part of a FIERF Microgrant, and we were able to have the two-day trip with zero cost to the students.” Niezgoda plans on repeating this inaugural experience by organizing annual trips in upcoming years and leveraging the initial FIERF grant into longer-term, sustainable funding for activities like it. “We are lucky to have such a strong manufacturing base in Ohio,” he says. “There are endless opportunities for visits at sites of FIA members, where other aspects of metals and manufacturing enhance the educational experience.” Attracting Businesses Back In a reversal, Ohio State is a popular visit among companies and groups who become schooled in the university’s approach to experiential learning, research programs, innovative learning spaces and industry academia collaboration. Glenn Daehn, Mars G. Fontana Professor at Ohio State, chaired the international

Metamorphic manufacturing is the real-time combination of integrated FIERF-sponsored Technology & Workforce Development Summit at The Ohio State University Thursday, Sept. 12, 8 a.m. – noon • Learn the resources available throughThe Ohio State University. • Tour Ohio State’s Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence. • Meet FIERFMagnet School Professor Steve Niezgoda and faculty. • Network with students for internships, co-ops and full-time positions. Contact the Foundation Office (foundation@forging.org or 216-862-6967) to register.

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