A New Methodology to Manufacture Component by Closed Die Forging

Open die forging also known as free forging is mostly used for manufacturing simple parts whereas complex parts are manufactured through impression die forging. A complex geometry can be produced through open forging but it would be time consuming and expensive. The size of the component plays a significant role in the selection of type of forging method to be used. The heavy and massive components are traditionally manufactured by open forging as quantity of parts required is too small to justify the cost of dies. The parts produced through the open forging route require additional machining to fulfill the required surface finish specifications. During machining the grain flow lines get cut which results in a significant decrease in the strength of component. Another drawback of this process is that a highly skilled operator is required to give more accurate shape. In the present work a new method of manufacturing the component is demonstrated with primary objective of achieving near to shape of the component. The new method involves theoretically designing a closed die, analyzing the stresses developed in the die using analysis software. The next step is checking the feasibility of the process by using simulation software and providing the actual forging parameters. This completes the validation of the manufacturing process. The components manufactured by this process have shape close to the desired shape. Therefore minimum machining is required resulting in the reduction of machining cost and size of ingot required. Hence the presented method is more economical than open forging approach. This concept can be implemented for other similar geometry components.