support of companies like Rolls-Royce (Aerospace), Tim- ken, Ford Motor Co., GKN and others, led to the design and development of a unique 50-ton capacity Nutation-Spin RF machine having full microprocessor control over its four axes. Te key to this leap forward was the ability to move the
axis of Nutation during a deformation process between 0 and 45°. Previously, all other machines had been mechanically limited to movement of only a few—typically two—degrees of Nutation the rest had the Nutation axis fixed during the pro- cess. Te angle of Nutation on most machines was less than 5° from the vertical, the Slick Mill being an exception at ~10°. Parts and materials formed on the Nottingham NSRF
machine, were predominantly net or near-net-shape automo- tive in both high and low volume, ferrous and nonferrous. Te starting stock included: bulk, sheet, tube and metal powders. Commercial takeup of the process by industry has been
highly focused with some companies integrating RF into their corporate core technologies. However, because of its commer- cially sensitive nature, this takeup has oſten been lost to sight. Global manufacturing requirements for smarter, environ-
mentally friendly, energy efficient and flexible output have once again thrust RF into the “serious consideration” category because of what it can offer to obtain high-added-value, low- cost manufacture. An example of the wheel coming full circle was the ability
of the Slick Mill to be able to amortize the tooling costs of a 1.6-m diameter wheel to a batch size of only 300 components. It is in this context that AFRC—working with its five Tier One industrial partners—commissioned MJC Engineering to develop this new machine.
How It Works Rotary forging can be defined as a two-die forging process
that deforms only a small portion of the workpiece at a time, in a continuous manner. Te reduced instantaneous area of tool and workpiece contact means lower forging forces are required to cause deformation in the material. Typical com- ponents for rotary forge operations are round or cylindrical hollow parts that deploy expensive or exotic alloys, require extreme material property targets or involve very complex geometries. At AFRC, the rotary forging machine provided by MJC is processing AerMet 100, Inconel 718 and Allvac 718Plus, Ti-6Al-4V as well as the creep-resistant Ti-6242 and some beta alloys. Onboard the machine, the bottom and top spindles pivot
from 0 to 45º, operated by AC vector motors and drives, plus an overall motion control CNC, all provided by longtime supplier to the builder, Siemens. Te CNC is a Sinumerik 840D, which controls all the axis and spindle motion, hydro and servo positioning valves, plus the synchronization of up to four cylinders for the integrated motion of the rotary dies. In the processing of the workpiece, the control is monitoring
The new rotary forge press from MJC, built spe- cially for the Advanced Forming Research Centre at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland.
all machine conditions, while maintaining the synchronized angles of the twin rotary dies. Programmed motion sequences on the machine must be
maintained with high precision to avoid improper deforma- tion of the materials during the cold-forming process. In a manufacturing environment, where the high production output of parts is critical, this process must remain extremely well-regulated, documented and monitored. Te CNC has the capability to upload all data in real time. “Tough the concept of the rotary die forge is certainly
not new, the computer-controlled synchronized dual rotary dies on this machine offer a number of unique advantages in the cold-forming process of metals,” noted MJC Engineering’s Lorentzen. “Te idea originated in a somewhat different form in the automotive market with the development of a front wheel hub hollow shaſt. Te cold-forming of metal around a bearing was combined with robot loading in production. Te concept, combined with the Siemens CNC and its ability to control all the motion so precisely, made the development of this machine more practical for us.” ✈
This feature edited by Yearbook Editor Michael Anderson from information provided by Siemens Industry Inc.
Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing 2014 75
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208 |
Page 209 |
Page 210 |
Page 211 |
Page 212 |
Page 213 |
Page 214 |
Page 215 |
Page 216 |
Page 217 |
Page 218 |
Page 219 |
Page 220 |
Page 221 |
Page 222 |
Page 223 |
Page 224 |
Page 225 |
Page 226 |
Page 227 |
Page 228 |
Page 229 |
Page 230 |
Page 231 |
Page 232 |
Page 233 |
Page 234 |
Page 235 |
Page 236 |
Page 237 |
Page 238 |
Page 239 |
Page 240 |
Page 241 |
Page 242 |
Page 243 |
Page 244 |
Page 245 |
Page 246 |
Page 247 |
Page 248 |
Page 249 |
Page 250 |
Page 251 |
Page 252 |
Page 253 |
Page 254 |
Page 255 |
Page 256 |
Page 257 |
Page 258 |
Page 259 |
Page 260 |
Page 261 |
Page 262 |
Page 263 |
Page 264 |
Page 265 |
Page 266 |
Page 267 |
Page 268 |
Page 269 |
Page 270 |
Page 271 |
Page 272 |
Page 273 |
Page 274 |
Page 275 |
Page 276 |
Page 277 |
Page 278 |
Page 279 |
Page 280 |
Page 281 |
Page 282 |
Page 283 |
Page 284 |
Page 285 |
Page 286 |
Page 287 |
Page 288 |
Page 289 |
Page 290 |
Page 291 |
Page 292 |
Page 293 |
Page 294 |
Page 295 |
Page 296 |
Page 297 |
Page 298 |
Page 299 |
Page 300 |
Page 301 |
Page 302 |
Page 303 |
Page 304 |
Page 305 |
Page 306 |
Page 307 |
Page 308 |
Page 309 |
Page 310 |
Page 311 |
Page 312