Low Volume Aluminum Forging Using Metal Based Rapid Prototyping of Dies

摘要

Closed die forgings are highly competitive for large volume production but not viable for small run aluminum forgings commonly encountered in helicopter industry. One of the main hindrances for using forgings in this industry is die manufacturing time. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of die manufacturing times using rapid prototyping (RP) techniques. Direct metal RP technique, Prometal 3D printing was selected for this evaluation. Material validation was done for physical and mechanical properties, heat transfer and friction under forging conditions were determined for this material system and flow stress at room and elevated temperatures was calculated. Forging die for a component was manufactured using this technique and forging trials were done to establish its feasibility. The results show that proper die design and selection of process parameters can result in forging of satisfactory parts from dies made from metal based RP technique.