Due to the current trend towards lightweight design in automotive industry, also the weight of transmissions has to be reduced. An optimization of the production process is necessary as well as the reduction of input material for economical reasons. Components produced by forging feature high potential for lightweight design due to their excellent properties which can be traced back to the load oriented fibre flow. Further potential for weight reduction is provided by using hollow shafts instead of solid shafts. Various process variants based on forging technology are presented and assessed. Another possibility for weight reduction consists of forged gears. Thus, components may be shortened by using forged gears as no lead-out area of the milling tool is necessary. Additionally, geometries can be produced which can be hardly manufactured economically by machining processes. Furthermore, a concept for burr reduction of machined running gears based on forging technology is presented. Various examples of series production as well as developments illustrate the potential for lightweight design as well as the economical benefits of forging technology. New material developments are presented within the outlook.
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