For the third consecutive time, Cleveland played host to the biennial Forge Fair, which was held on the shores of Lake Erie May 21-23, 2019. Nearly 2,000 attendees and 169 exhibitors made Forge Fair 2019 the largest ever.

Forging technology has undergone continuous development during the past few years.

Primetals Technologies and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) will acquire ABP Induction Systems (ABP), a global manufacturer and servicer of induction furnaces and heating systems. ABP provides state-of-the-art equipment for ferrous and nonferrous metal casting, forging and steelmaking. Its main products are induction melting, holding and pouring furnaces as well as induction heaters. MHI and Primetals Technologies will jointly take ABP’s shares, and future business activities will be conducted in close cooperation with and under the leadership of Primetals Technologies.

India’s Bharat Forge Ltd. (Kalyani Group), a manufacturer of heavy-duty diesel crankshafts for commercial vehicles, rolled out its one millionth finish-machined crankshaft in mid-May. Bharat Forge, a long-standing supplier to Daimler AG, produces crankshafts that power Daimler’s heavy-duty engines. The company supplies machined crankshafts for the 13L and 15L engine platforms to Detroit Diesel in the U.S. Additionally, Bharat Forge shares the 13L platform with Daimler’s Mannheim plant in Germany. 

Allegheny Technologies Inc. (ATI) agreed to sell two non-core forging facilities to Chicago-based Wynnchurch Capital LLC for $37 million. The transaction will close during the second quarter of 2019. The facilities, located in Portland, Ind., and Lebanon, Ky., are part of ATI’s High Performance Materials & Components (HPMC) segment. They use primarily traditional forging methods to produce carbon-steel forged products for use in the oil and gas, transportation, construction and mining industries. Their capabilities include comprehensive forging processes complemented by in-house design and engineering, product machining and heat-treating services.

Without the ability to forge steel and other metals over the past century and a half, industry would have lacked the parts needed to manufacture cars, build aircraft, drill for oil, mine for minerals or lay down rail tracks.

We have noticed an uptick in the number of blacksmithing stories over the past few years. Here’s an opportunity to find out what the buzz is all about.

This third article in a series about Germany’s Lightweight Forging Initiative (begun April 2016) focuses on potential weight savings through innovative material selection and forging part and process design. In this segment, potential weight savings on a hybrid vehicle and heavy-duty truck are considered.

History should never be ignored when solutions are needed in the forging industry.

The productivity of closed-die forging lines and ring-rolling plants strongly depends on the right handling equipment.