In the hot and warm forging of steel, there is a clear trend to replace graphite-based die lubricants with synthetic lubricants. This is driven by the need for cleaner work environments, easier handling and to avoid graphite-induced galvanic corrosion of equipment.

Protective coatings continue to play a major role in increasing productivity and reducing costs in hot forging and heat treatment. This paper presents details and successful case studies of three such protective coatings.

Miyake Forging, a Japan-based supplier of hot- and cold-forged bearings and a provider of heat-treating and machining services, opened a new 48,000-square-foot plant in Surgoinsville, Tenn. The facility will produce bearing components for the automotive industry. Miyake Forging already operates two plants in Japan and one in Thailand. The Tennessee venture, the company’s first in the U.S., currently has 14 employees, but employment is expected to increase in the future.

Cooper & Turner (C&T), the U.K.'s largest producer of hot- and cold-forged bolts, was acquired by Watermill Group (WG) of Lexington, Mass., a private investment firm.

A drawing press that is suitable for both cold- and hot-forming processes has been developed for the forming of titanium parts.

Ajax TOCCO Magnethermic shipped a 1,000-kW induction billet heating system to LC Manufacturing of Lake City, Mich., a supplier of closed-die hot forgings.

The Lightweight Forging Initiative was formed to emphasize the contributions that forging makes to the automotive megatrend of lightweight design.

AirForge 4027 is a newly developed protective lubricant for the hot forging of steel and alloys. It delivers outstanding results when metal protection against oxidation, gas diffusion and heat is required.

This article introduces a practical technique that enables the reduction of burning loss or mill scale and increases yield in most kinds of steels. The technique is most successfully adopted in open-die hot forging and hot rolling of stainless and other expensive alloy steels.