Process-integrated quality monitoring and control in closed die forging

Because of the high temperatures of closed die forged parts during and after deformation, a direct, in-process acquisition of the workpiece quality is not possible. In order to improve the economic efficiency of the process by means of process-integrated methods for quality inspection, an indirect procedure for workpiece inspection has to be used. For an exemplary forging process such a monitoring system has been realised. It allows a quick evaluation of the product quality directly after the forging cycle. Additionally, a trend-detection and automatic control are integrated into this system. These modules are supposed to keep the workpiece quality constant within the tolerance limits even for trend-like process variations. Copyright © 2002 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.