Creating forged stainless steel parts

The design office transforms your drawings of finished parts into drawings of as-forged parts.

All your parts are reproduced in 3D using Solidworks™ so that they can be manufactured in the forging process. Our design office checks several technical points, including dimensional tolerances, form tolerances, radii, drafts, positioning of the parting line, etc.

Once you have validated the forging drawings, the design office uses the CAE system to finalise the creation of the metal parts by creating the forging and trimming tools. It creates a 3D simulation of the machining path of each tool to ensure the optimum visual appearance of the parts after forging.

Project manager

The project manager is responsible for your project from beginning to end, from the design of your forged part right through to its series production.

CAE team

There are 5 people in the design office. All the members of the team are trained in the use of design and machining software and have technical qualifications. They all have at least 5 years’ professional experience working in a design office and using CAE in an industrial environment.

CAE equipment

• FORGINAL industrie’s technical rules :

These are general rules governing tool design. They are defined in-house by the technical teams and represent the company’s experience gained over 35 years in the industry.

They are a mixture of traditional forging rules and FORGINAL industrie‘s own specialist skills.

• SOLIDWORKS™ software
• MASTERCAM™ software
• Forge 4 software (forging simulation)

Methods department – responsible for the overall process

The methods department checks the feasibility of your forging projects. It pays particular attention to :

• The dimensions and tolerances specified on your drawings
• The raw materials (suitability for forging, ease of supply, quality, etc.)
• Standards (forging, raw material, final appearance of parts, testing and checking)
• The specifications and requirements for your parts

Following a full analysis, the Methods Department determines the manufacturing process for each of your parts.

It defines the appropriate production facilities, and details the subcontracted operations and the tests to be carried out during and after production.

Series production is always preceded by forging trials to validate the process defined by the process planners. Their specialist experience and their constant interaction with all the other teams in the company ensure that the production processes are optimised.

Methods Department

This is made up of 2 people with technical and mechanical training. They have over 20 years’ experience in forging.

Tooling department: a company within the company

The Design Office sends the CAE drawings and data to the Tooling Department for it to create the machining programmes. Several tool assemblies are required to make your forged parts :

Equipment in our Tooling Department

• 2 HSM (high-speed machining) centres
• 2 3-axis machining centres
• 1 FANUC wire erosion machine
• Various milling, piercing, turning and spark erosion machines

Tooling team

This is made up of 10 people with mechanical engineering/machining qualifications. They all have at least 15 years’ professional experience, most of them at FORGINAL industrie.

FORGINAL industrie’s expertise

Research & Development

FORGINAL industrie applies its know-how to innovation. This commitment has enabled it to develop very high quality forging :

• Guaranteed tolerances among the tightest on the market, excluding sizing
• Thin parting lines for a better visual appearance of your parts
• Standardisation of the tools for ease of assembly and adjustment of the forging tools, and optimisation of production times
• One of the best qualities of finish on the market, in particular in terms of the surface of the parts

Forging Equipment

• 2 Montbard board power hammers (600 kg and 1,200 kg)
• 2 compressed air power hammers (2,500 kg and 3,600 kg)
• one 750 tonne press
• New generation induction heaters with temperature traceability during production
• 4 hot trimming presses
• 1 steel shot-blasting machine
• 1 pneumatic hammer for drawing

Forging team

This is made up of 14 people including 2 team leaders and one forge manager. The average forging experience of the staff is 10 years.

Markings

There are several options for marking parts :

• Directly in the hot forging tool: most frequently, marking in a cassette
• During adjustment, after forging on the cold part: most frequently, indented or punched marking
• Tool with marking die and punch

Assembly

FORGINAL industrie can create assemblies on sets of parts, as you require. Our teams have bending or pressure machines for any type of finish. We can also offer you specific packaging on request (individual protection of parts, packages by weight, etc.). Please feel free to request a quotation.

Machining

FORGINAL industrie has been working in partnership with a number of machining companies for many years, so that we can give you the finish you need.
Our subcontractors are listed and inspected annually to validate the quality of their services from all aspects (technical, quality, price, logistics, etc.)
Our partners are located in the immediate vicinity of FORGINAL industrie, which greatly simplifies contact and means that the production lead time is not affected.

Finishing equipment

• 4 trimming and bending presses
• one 750 tonne sizing press
• 2 abrasive polishing belts
• 1 straightening machine

Finishing team

5 people including 1 foreman. Click on the link above to see the photos of our teams and details of their experience.

Testing & dispatch | goal : optimum quality

Zero defects due to the rigorous testing system

Each testing programme is defined after a risk analysis: according to the end use of the part, your requirements and past manufacturing at FORGINAL industrie.

The testing programme is formalised in the context of a quality assurance plan. This plan is submitted to the customer for validation for each part. Any significant modification of the production and/or testing process is also systematically submitted to the customer.

Inspection Department

We carry out numerous tests on your parts and we adapt them to your specifications for each part. The main tests we carry out are listed below :

The critical dimensions of your parts are checked throughout the manufacturing process, to prevent any deviation. The functional measurements are checked prior to dispatch, against your drawing and specifications.

The testing programme that is devised takes account of the requirements of your drawings and specifications, to ensure the parts comply fully with your expectations.

A variety of tools are used for these tests (callipers, profile projectors, gauges, and manual and automatic 3D machines).

This is carried out on 100% of the surface of the parts by staff with COFREND (French confederation for non-destructive testing) level 2 qualifications. The quantity of parts tested is defined by the customer. By default, 5 parts are controlled per production batch.

The tests are carried out in accordance with standards NF EN 10228-2 and ISO 3452-1 with sensitivity level S3 products. The dye penetrant inspection line is an SREM line specifically for final NDT (non-destructive testing).

Technique: The parts are dipped in a red penetrant liquid, and then a powder developer is applied to their surface. The developer absorbs the penetrant, and reveals any surface defects under white light

This is carried out on 100% of the surface of the parts by staff with COFREND (French confederation for non-destructive testing) level 2 qualifications. The quantity of parts tested is defined by the customer. By default, 5 parts are controlled per production batch.

The tests are carried out in accordance with standard NF EN 10228-2 with sensitivity level S3 products, from the same standard.

This test can only be carried out on magnetic parts, which excludes all parts made of titanium, stainless steel and specific grades such as Duplexes, Monels, Hastelloy, etc.

Technique: The parts are sprayed with a product containing fluorescent particles and then subjected to a magnetic field. The particles are attracted to any surface defects, which can be seen under UV light.

Packing – Dispatch

Inspection Department equipment

• 1 dye penetrant inspection line, sensitivity level S3 (SREM)
• 1 Crysta-Apex automatic 3D machine
• 1 Crysta+ M544 manual 3D machine
• Micrographic testing equipment
• 1 universal hardness testing machine
• Various measuring tools: callipers, profile projector, measuring column, etc.

Testing / Quality team

This is made up of 8 people, 2 of whom are COFREND (French confederation for non-destructive testing) level 2 qualified dye penetrant inspection and magnetic particle testers. The average experience of the team is over 15 years. It is a multi-skilled team, which is a real strength.