Hill Engineering Blog

H.E. presents at the 33rd Forging Industry Technical Conference

Hill Engineering is presenting at the 33rd Forging Industry Technical Conference in Erie, PA, from September 17th through September 18th. We invite you to come see us.

This event is geared towards both people in industry and academia, showcasing the best in forging technology and current research. Hill Engineering’s presentation, titled Implementation of a Rapid Design Software System for Impression Die Forgings, will highlight the advantages of our Rapid Forge Design software, which allows forging suppliers and forging consumers/OEMs to quickly and reliably design 2-piece, closed-die impression forgings. The abstract text is presented below.

The impression die forging design is critical to the quoting process where accurate statistics like material weight, plan view area, and periphery length are paired with 3D graphical renderings and cross-sectional renderings that demonstrate how the forging design envelops the final as-machined part. Later optimizing the forging’s parting lines, stroke direction, flash guttering, and optionally nesting multiple parts or versions of parts into a single impression die set is possible. Using a traditional, non-customized CAD system this process can be tedious and time consuming. In this talk, we cover the history of past rapid or automated forging design software. We then outline the requirements and features needed for a successful CAD software system specific to impression die forgings. We demonstrate the implementation of a rapid forge design software system developed at Hill Engineering. We cover advanced features such as: instant calculation and display of the maximum heat treatment section thickness, automatic part orientation to minimize stroke and plan view area, automated detection and construction of planar or lock-die parting lines, automated draft matching on the forging periphery, and automated construction of a convex periphery, with a shelf. Finally, we cover advanced design features in development such as blocker design and flash gutter design.

If you are planning to attend the conference, please stop by to discuss Hill Engineering’s capabilities in helping achieve your forging design goals, or contact us for more information.