Summit Tool Company (www.summittoolcompany.com)is an impression and open die producer of standard and custom forgings for the Military, Fleet Aftermarket and Tire Service markets.  Rockford Tyson, Director of Marketing and Sales will serve as the company's official representative to FIA. (330-535-1957)
 
Troy Forge Company (www.troyforge.com) is a cold forging producer of custom forgings for the industrial machinery and equipment, off-highway and oil and gas markets.  This facility was formerly a FIA Member under FormTech Industries' membership.  Chris Jones, President, will serve as the company's official representative to FIA. (248-362-8505)
 
Despite difficult economic times, FIA membership held up well over the fiscal year ending May 31, as follows:
 
                                                                            
                         Company    Supplier   Total
June 1, 2008            118          85         203
May 31, 2009           111          85         196
 
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This is a 4-day training program providing forging-specific information regarding the application of various types of presses as well as guidelines for designing tooling for forging and trimming.  Taught by experienced academic and industry experts, the specific goals of the course are:
   · Broaden knowledge about press forging
   · Provide a basis for objective press selection
   · Furnish useful tool design guidelines
   · Compare approaches to press automation
   · Review guidelines for matching the press to the 

     part in terms of size and operational features
 
Who should attend: The course is a blend of theory and practical information on the subject of press forging and die design.  There are no specific background requirements for attendees, although attendees should have some drafting, design, and/or forging exposure.
 
This program is only offered every two years. The next presentation is scheduled for 2011. If you are interested in attending, it is suggested that you register early. 
 
(Click here) to view/print complete program and registration form.
 
 
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Sales and marketing professionals from company and supplier companies are encouraged to reserve September 29-30 for the 2009 Marketing Workshop. The meeting will kick off with an opening lunch, followed by the keynote session:"Making the Most of Difficult Situations - Changing Markets; Changing Times".This will be followed by three short sessions on oil & gas, steel and defense markets. The work day will end with a look at "How to Market Smart in a Down Economy". A two hour reception and cruise of Lake Geneva will be held the first evening.
           
 
The day will begin September 30 with two dynamic sessions by training expert Crestcom: "How Our Thinking Affects Our Performance" and "Face to Face Selling - What is the Prospect Really Thinking". The Workshop will wrap up with Global Insight's forecast for major forging markets.  Look for more information and registration materials here and in the mail this July.
 
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What's Happening in Washington, DC these days?

In recent weeks FIA has been actively engaged in several key issues being debated in Washington. Our voice is definitely being heard, BUT we must continue and increase our efforts in the coming months to protect the interests of the U. S. forging industry.

Within the past two weeks, FIA has urged its members to communicate with their Members of Congress in opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA-also known as "card check"), and in opposition to President Obama's proposed repeal of the LIFO (Last-in, First Out) accounting method.  We have also updated our position on energy and climate change in response to the recognition that many U. S. forge shops could be severely impacted by proposed "cap and trade" legislation aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

1) The Employee Free Choice Act:  HR 1409 and S 560 would deny employees the right to a secret ballot when deciding whether to be represented by a union, and mandate binding arbitration for many contracts.  The legislation is the top priority of Big Labor and has the support of the President.   It has been stalled in Congress due in part to a massive, unified effort by a broad cross-section of business interests, including FIA, but a group of Senators are actively working on a so-called "compromise" to move the bill forward, so continued contact with Senators is critical.

 
  . Click here for FIA's Action Alert on this issue,

    including information on how to contact your

    Senator and a sample letter for your use.

2) Repeal of LIFO:  FIA has been an active member of a broad coalition working to preserve the use of this important accounting method.  FIA's Washington Representatives have met with key Members of Congress to urge their opposition to LIFO repeal, and recently issued a call to FIA members to communicate with their Senators and Representatives.

   · Click here for FIA's Action Alert on this issue,

     including a list of Members of Congress who need

     urgent attention and a sample letter for your use

3) Climate Change:  On their last day in town before the July 4th recess, the House of Representatives passed HR 2454, a 1200-page bill (including 300 pages of amendments that were not even available until 3 am the day of the vote) designed to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases by 83 percent by the year 2050.  As laudable as that goal might be, the "cap and trade" mechanisms in the bill could place energy-intensive U. S. manufacturers like forgers at a severe disadvantage against competitors in countries that do not adopt similar measures.  Due to those potential negative impacts on forgers, FIA convened an ad hoc task force made up of members of the FIA Public Policy Committee, the Board of Directors, and member company technical representatives to review and revise FIA's position paper on energy and climate change (click here for the updated position paper). Following this revision, FIA's Washington Representatives communicated FIA's concern and opposition to key Members of the House of Representatives who were orchestrating the opposition to passage of the legislation.

Ultimately, HR 2454 passed the House by the slimmest of margins (219 to 212-218 votes are needed), but its future is far less certain in the Senate.  Be on the lookout for more information from FIA on this legislation, how it may affect your business, and what you can do to protect your interests, in the near future.
 

FIA is evaluating best practices and experiences among our members who conduct, or are contemplating the utilization of Webinars/Video Conferencing, and would like to understand your experiences and approaches.
 
Please (click here) to view/print the One-Minute Video Conferencing Survey. If you have any questions, please e-mail me at: glayne@forging.org. 
 
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The Foundation continues to encourage and fund university based industry collaborative research with the goal of increasing productivity and addressing technical issues of importance to the forging industry.  The value of these projects are most immediate and direct to those companies who participate directly or work with our university partners for solutions to problems encountered on the shop floor.  Call 216.781.5040 for information on how your company can benefit by forming partnerships with FIERF Magnet Schools.
 
Estimation of Die Stresses and Wear in Warm Forging of Steel Pinion Shafts (pdf) Adam Groseclose, Changhyok Choi, Jose Luis Gonzalez-Mendez, Thomas Yelich and Taylan Altan, Engineering Research Center for Net Shape Manufacturing, The Ohio State University, 2009. Report summarizes the results of the study on warm forging die wear funded by the Forging Industry Educational and Research Foundation.
 
The Effects of Forging on the Microstructure and Tensile Properties of Magnesium Alloys AZ31 and ZK60 (pdf)David Poerschke, Case Western Reserve University, This FIERF Graduate Fellowship research demonstrated desirable mechanical properties can be obtained in magnesium alloys by forging.

 
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Magnetic field processing is directly applicable to a multitude of alloys. The new high-payoff industrial processing methodology of this research is the development of alloys and microstructures with superior properties that normally would be impossible to manufacture with conventional thermomechanical processing techniques. For example, magnetic exposure during continuous cooling was shown to produce ferrite with a higher carbon content and therefore greater hardness. Thus, the process may lead to more energy-efficient, lighter-weight structures in industrial and automotive applications.
 
Similarly, novel microstructure evolution paths and enhanced transformation kinetics may be achieved without the need for further thermal processing or cryogenic heat treatments.  Conceivably, cryogenic processing treatment or the alternate double-temper thermal process to transform any retained austenite to martensite in quenched hypereutectoid steels may be completely eliminated through ultrahigh magnetic field processing, resulting in reduced energy consumption and improved process efficiency. To view the entire report, click on the following link: Magnetic Field Processing.

 
This project will have a significant Impact on the Forging and Heat Treating Industries. It is also a high priority item detailed in the Forging Industry Technology Roadmap (1997).

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The Foundation has awarded the following $10,000 Graduate Research Fellowships for the coming year:
 
· "A Modern Look at Decarburization", Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
 
· "Feasibility Study of Al7075 Near Net Shape Superplastic Forging", Missouri University of Science and Technology
 
· "Forging Process Monitoring and Diagnosis through Signature Analysis of Tonnage Signals" University of Michigan
 
· Modeling and Microstructural Development of INCOLOY® 945 During Hot Deformation", Colorado School of Mines
 
The Foundation awards Fellowships to Magnet School universities on a competitive basis each year.  The goal of the program is to engage graduate students in research of value to the industry while providing an introduction of the process and industry to the students.
 
Contact the FIERF Office at 216.781.5040 if you'd like more information on these projects or if have a problem or idea that could be addressed through a university partnership.
 
 

In an effort to engage university engineering students in forging curriculum, a paper competition for Magnet School students was reenergized this year by the selection of a one topic for all submissions.    This year's theme for the FIERF Forging Achievement Award centered on the theme of Gears:  Alloy Effects and Cost Reduction - Maximizing Performance for Cost Reduction.
 
The $1000 grand prize was awarded to Kenneth Craymer, John Dalton and Michael Lyrenmann of Case Western Reserve University's Department of Materials Science and Engineering for their submission - An Exploration of Cost-Effective Solutions for Gear Production.   Professor David Schwam is the FIERF Magnet School Professor at Case.  Click here to read their report.
 
The same topic will be used for the 2009-10 program to build a group of papers looking at the same topic from different approaches and perspectives.  

 

FIA will represent its Member companies through exhibition at the Power Gen International Show, December 8-10, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Over 18,000 attendees are expected  for the power industry's three-day information exchange designed to share practical experiences, knowledge and ideas on the latest trends and challenges. Plenty of Forging Capability Guide CDs promoting member custom forging services will be distributed. It's expected that many domestic and offshore forging operations will send personnel to prospect this growing market segment. See http://www.power-gen.com for more information on attending or exhibiting.
 
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Commercial Nuclear Reactors are being permitted at an unprecedented rate. Forgings are critical to the building of these new reactors and are in short supply. For the location of these new reactors and the major systems builders involved, click on the following web site: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-reactors/col/new-reactor-map.html
 
Reactor Designs that are scheduled for installation include:

   . General Electric Nuclear Energy - Advanced

     Boiling-Water Reactor (ABWR)

   . Westinghouse Electric Company - Advanced

     Passive 1000 (AP1000)

   . AREVA Nuclear Power - U.S. Evolutionary Power

     Reactor (U.S. EPR)

   . GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) 0 Economic

     Simplified Boiling-Water Reactor (ESBWR)

   . Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. - U.S. Advanced

     Pressurized-Water Reactor (US-APWR)

 
Forged Components for the Westinghouse AP 1000 Nuclear Reactor
 
Click on the following link to see a small list of the larger forgings needed for the Westinghouse AP 1000 Nuclear Reactor: Reactor Forgings.

 

Long time FIA-featured speaker and economist, Dr. Ken Mayland of Clearview Economics, will now make available his monthly 'takes' on the current state of the economy. Like his industry meeting presentations, Dr. Ken's Comments & Reviews are short, direct and understandable-most no longer than one page. However, each report carries a varied look at the many aspects of the economy that are shaping our current financial situation.
 
FIA Members click here to view the reports.
 
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