Better tools for European forges
The European forging industry, which is dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), is steadily being forced to reduce production costs and increase production volumes as well as the quality of the parts it produces. One opportunity to meet these challenges is the use of innovative surface treatments to significantly increase the lifetime of the forging dies used to give shape to the forged products. In the CURARE project, funded by the EU, two experienced research performers linked up with seven SMEs involved in parts manufacture from five EU countries. They have developed surface treatments that can reduce the overall cost of the dies through longer lifetimes. These are based on improved deposition methods for thin, hard nitride coatings on the dies that extend their use. Project partners first designed an industrial applicable machining system based on an automated five-axis diode laser surface treatment. Diode lasers were chosen after evaluating other laser sources. Flexible geometric machining strategies were then developed for the laser alloying and dispersion process involved in applying the coating all over the die. Layers of tungsten carbide–cobalt–chromium with a combined plasma-nitriding process gave the best results for the abrasive wear resistance of the dies. Different process gases and laser beam geometries were investigated to achieve the optimum thin-film–alloying process. The partners then benchmarked their process against existing nitride-coating technologies and demonstrated that plasma nitriding has more rapid penetration than other techniques. The industrial SME partners then tested coated dies in their own production lines. These achieved 50 % higher lifetime with a much improved geometrical stability that enhances reproducibility in the final products. The new process was found to be more economical for complex tool and die geometries. The CURARE automated surface treatment will boost the competiveness of the partner SMEs and others through lower costs and better product quality. The close and permanent cooperation with the European forging association EUROFORGE and their national member associations ensures a sustainable Europe-wide dissemination of these new technologies for the benefit of industry.
