Reduced Leadtimes for Forged Helicopter Parts - RAPIDTOOL Program

Development and manufacturing times for dies in precision hot forging can be as high as several months. This limits them to application in medium to high volume production. However in the helicopter industry the production volumes are often small and production lead times short. This forces them to machine the parts slabs even at the expense of time and performance penalties. This paper investigates the PROMETALTM (3D Printing) rapid prototyping technique for hot forging die application. It includes qualification testing of the material for interface tribology, heat transfer and strength, the manufacture of the dies, laboratory testing and performance of these dies in comparison to conventional H-13 dies. The results of the tests are explained by the FEA modelling and simulation of the forging process. The PROMETAL process is found to have many attractive attributes and some limitations. Approaches are suggested on overcoming the latter.