Measure, record, and verify the carbon footprint for every forging with a precise CO2 value. Instead of major recall campaigns, you can narrow a quality issue down to just a few individual forged products and pinpoint the cause. Identify new optimization potential along the entire process and value chain. Those are the key benefits of iForge Traceability for closed-die forging lines. SMS group has created a unique solution for the digitalized and smart tracking of every single forged part, from which forging shops and their customers can profit over the long term.
Traceability module added to the range of integrated iForge solutions
iForge is the cutting-edge solution from SMS group that enables plant owners to take process performance, product quality, ecologization, and cost optimization to a completely new level. It is the link that connects measuring technology, programming, engineering, and process and control technology to optimize and enable better control of forging processes.
Equipped with state-of-the-art sensor technology and high-resolution cameras, machinery will in future be capable of making intelligent, independent decisions based on the relevant data and evaluations. As Axel Rossbach, Forging Technology Manager at SMS group, says: "iForge is the future of closed-die forging."
For example, the iForge modules, which are used to detect cracks and predict wear, show what this looks like in real world applications. With the crack detection function, for instance, a crack that is starting to develop in the die is clearly identified before it can affect the quality of parts or the process. The wear prediction capability boasts similar advantages
With iForge Traceability, forging shops now have another powerful tool at their disposal. The actual process data are stored for every forging in a data record that is kept for the product throughout the whole process.
The innovation lies in the combination
Previous tracking methods were unsuccessful due to the ambient conditions of the forging process. A laser code was not able to withstand the heat and mechanical stresses. Axel Rossbach: \"Our patent-pending process combines two marking techniques – dot peen marking and laser marking. In the forging process, we apply a code to the forging with dot peen marking machine. This code also lasts through all subsequent processing steps. It is only when the final workpiece surface is produced that the dot peen marking code is removed during machining and the laser code is applied straight away.\"
Automotive manufacturers demand a precise CO2 value for forged components
iForge Traceability is opening up entirely new perspectives for forging companies. The best example of this is the ability to obtain a CO2 value for every forged part. Automotive manufacturers need to calculate the carbon footprint for their production and for their suppliers. At the same time, OEMs make their suppliers provide verifiable emission values for their components.
By implementing iForge Traceability, forging companies not only fulfill a basic requirement stipulated by automotive manufacturers but also benefit from additional possibilities offered by the solution. \"A more important aspect here is that the companies are able to identify components with high carbon emissions,\" explains Martin Scholles, Technical Sales Closed-die Forging at SMS group.
Cost savings and significant minimization of recalls
Quality issues with a forged product can have a wide variety of reasons. Typical forging defects such as underfills, overlaps, or notches are very difficult to capture and measure. Thanks to the high level of quality assurance in forging shops, such defects are extremely rare. However, when they do occur, the economic damage is considerable.
With iForge Traceability, forging companies can now trace the defect to see if it's a one-off error or a systemic fault. In most cases, the defect can then be narrowed down to just a few products, so significantly less damage is caused. Automotive manufacturers also benefit from this, as only the vehicles in which the parts identified are installed need to be specifically recalled. The same goes for mass-produced goods that are used in the aviation industry. Here, the part history can be read and traced directly on the aircraft using the laser code.
Where quality assurance and process optimization start
The built-in sensors continuously gather process data, store them in an endless database, and assign them right at the start to a single part number, which is applied to the workpiece immediately after forging.
SMS-Metrics is a suitable and effective tool for acquiring, storing, and evaluating machine data in real time and the data from the iForge Traceability module. The evaluations can be easily created in the browser, dynamically adapted, and retrieved from any location worldwide.
High cost efficiency
In addition to the indirect advantages described, iForge Traceability also directly contributes to improving cost efficiency. For example, defective components can be identified and removed quickly and early, before a large part of the added value has gone into the part. Processes can be stabilized and the overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) enhanced by making automatic corrections during manufacturing. In this way, safety stocks can be reduced or eliminated completely. In conjunction with optical systems that perform a last check, the final inspection process, which up to now has been very labor-intensive, can be largely automated.
The process: The best of both worlds in one solution
In developing iForge Traceability, the R&D experts at SMS group have combined two processes in one solution: Dot peen marking for code marking in the high-stress process part and laser marking (with additional information such as customer and supplier details) for the finished part with final contour. This ensures that every single workpiece has its own fully traceable data record.
The dot peen marking procedure is performed directly downstream of the forging press. Here, robots feed the workpieces into the marking station in a fully automated process. A standardized data matrix code (ECC200 per ISO/IEC 16022) is applied. The dot peen marking code is extremely resilient and fault-tolerant. Even if 25 percent of the code surface area were destroyed, it would still be possible to read it. The dot peen marking code is applied in an area that is eventually removed during machining.
To ensure that the code information is retained right up to delivery of the component, the dot peen marking code is scanned immediately before machining and stored in the sequential data record. This unique data record also contains the information from the laser code that is created as a final label using a laser marking system.
A must-have: for retrofits and new equipment
In terms of both the equipment and control technology, the new system can be integrated into existing facilities. Klaus Merkens, Sales Manager Closed-Die and Open-Die Forging at SMS group. \"As part of our digitalization strategy for our customers, we are already equipping all new plants with a basic digitalization package that is ready for the future and has extension capability. With iForge, customers can decide what individual services and solutions they would like to implement to meet their requirements.\"
Setting the course today for the digital world of tomorrow
iForge Traceability is an excellent example of the digitalization strategy of SMS group that offers customers an array of possibilities. Dr. Thomas Winterfeldt, Head of Forging Plants at SMS group: \"With our subsidiary SMS digital, we have the know-how, the experts, and the research and development capacities to digitalize a host of other processes in the field of forging technology and to generate real and effective added value for plant owners. At the same time, our Technical Service team at SMS group is a lifecycle partner who not only ensures your forging equipment remains available on an ongoing basis but also implements new solutions in existing plants and offers innovative and cost-cutting service concepts. In this way, we meet our objective of being the Leading Partner in the World of Metals in every respect – and I think that is unique in our industry.\"