Forging and Lubricant Particle Size

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Forging and Lubricant Particle Size

COST CONTROL TAKES PLACETHROUGHOUT THE MANUFACTURINGPROCESS

In applications for industries likeautomotive, where a die might producea part every few seconds, there’s no timeto make adjustments between forgings.Precision is particularly important, andimprecise processes lead to higher ratesof part failure, increasing costs. “A lot oftimes, manufacturers don’t realize thatthey have a problem until a number ofparts are produced,” says Bingham. Henkelhas a market advantage in this area due totheir superior product breadth, providingmore options for a precise match ofparticle size distribution and application.

For optimum process control, customerscan take advantage of Henkel’s thermalimaging testing, which can help identifyhot spots relating to improper die man-agement. Thermal imaging is a tool thatallows customers to make adjustmentsto improve the process and output. It canalso compare Henkel products to othersources, demonstrating the performanceimprovement in a real-world productionscenario.

MOVING TOWARDS A MORE PRECISEFUTURE

As technology and trends toward light-weighting and power density impact everyarea of manufacturing, greater precisionwill become critical to all manufacturingprocesses. Today, manufacturers mightthink they’re controlling costs in purchas-ing, but they might actually be increasingthem in other areas, such as die wear, partfailure, and even in dilution. Where acompetitive product may appear to havemore solids in the shipped product, afterdilution, Henkel’s graphite lubricantproducts provide greater precision,leading to a better performance andlower overall cost.

Graphite is still the most common forg-ing lubricant, but Henkel’s BONDERITE®

synthetic lubricant compounds are alsodemonstrating superior performance com-pared to past generations of synthetics.Synthetic compounds are growing in pop-ularity due to the waste management andcleanup costs associated with traditionalgraphite. Tests show that BONDERITE® syn-thetic compound lubricants provide supe-rior film formation coverage, especiallyat higher temperatures. Whichever typeof compound is used and no matter howcomplex the science, the goal remains thesame: “You want the die to be completelycovered and for it to be uniform cover-age,” says Bingham. “Uncovered areas maycause a wear spot, lowering die life.”

A PRECISE PAYOUT

Precise particle size and distribution mightseem like “nice-to-haves” when manufac-turers are on a strict budget, but precisionactually saves production time and money.

One Henkel customer, a company thatformed and forged piston connectingrods, switched away from BONDERITE®

L-FG F31 for a time. After switching, theyfound they required frequent productionstoppages for cleaning and an increaseof graphite inclusions and dimensionalissues. Graphite buildup also increasedwear on die beds and bolsters. Whenreturning to BONDERITE L-FG F31, theyexperienced:

• 30% reduction in time cleaning dies

• Lower consumption

• Improved metal flow

• Lower overall forging costs

• Increased production throughput

LT-8266

In the forging process, lubricant particle size matters, but meeting tight tolerances is really all about control.

APPLYING TODAY’S SCIENCE TO ANANCIENT PROCESS

“There’s a lot of science in coming up withthe right product” in forging lubrication,says Bingham. “The point is properlymatching the particle size to the applica-tion.” According to Bingham, someapplications have an extremely tighttolerance, while larger parts might bemoving less metal and have a widertolerance, but that’s only one aspect.Another factor to control is that thegraphite in a typical formula can providemore functions than lubrication. Additionalfunctions might include scale reductionin billet coatings, release enhancementor heat transfer barrier, all of which mayaffect the optimum match of lubricant toapplication and process.

In short, particle size does matter, butit’s not that simple. Factors like particledistribution in the material and filmformation also greatly affect the results.“With BONDERITE®, we tend to have moreconsistency in managing the particle sizethan some other suppliers. We controlthose blends much better,” says Bingham.

BETTER LUBRICANT MATCH MEANSLONGER DIE LIFE AND REDUCED COSTS

In the most common scenario, Henkel maybe optimizing the lubricant formula to animpression die in either a Hot or WarmForging process. The lubricant is oftenapplied with an atomized spray. Thegraphite particles in the lubricant allowthe liquid to flow, properly filling andcoating the die. Lubrication is especiallyimportant on sharp corners, where rapidmetal movement generates heat andsoftens the die, leading to wear or defor-mation. The finest particle size distributionresults in the fastest and most consistentformation of the protective lubricant film,helping to increase the life of the die.

A die is an expensive tool, up to 15%* ofthe process cost. Lubricants are typically1%** of the process cost. A small invest-ment in improving lubrication can meana significant increase in die life, often asmuch as a 20% increase, reducing overallproduction cost. And there are other costsassociated with die life to consider, suchas machine downtime and labor costsresulting from a die changeover.

Using grUsing graphite lubricants in foraphite lubricants in forging has been arging has been aroundoundfor about a hundrfor about a hundred years, but todayed years, but today, ther, there’e’s finelys finely--tunedtunedmodern chemistry included in the prmodern chemistry included in the process. The newocess. The new, mor, moreescientific carriers can help crscientific carriers can help create important benefits in theeate important benefits in theforforging prging process and in the rocess and in the resulting outputesulting output. Accor. According toding to

SSteve Bingham, Business Development Manager for Henkelteve Bingham, Business Development Manager for HenkelCleaners and LCleaners and Lubricants, “how well you contrubricants, “how well you control the particle size”ol the particle size”

is an important aspect of impris an important aspect of improving proving processes throcesses through lubrication,ough lubrication,which imprwhich improves proves process rocess results and cuts costs.esults and cuts costs.

ALL REMAINING COSTS:MATERIAL, ENERGY, LABOR, EQUIPMENT DEPRECIATION

AND OVERHEAD, MAINTENANCE AND SCRAP

DIE LUBRICANTS 1%**DIE COST 10-15%*

FFororging Costsging Costs

Above: BONDERITE L-FG 185 SyntheticFilm Formation @ 350 °F

Below: BONDERITE L-FG 185 SyntheticFilm Formation @ 500 °F

L-FG 185 Synthetic1.9% Solids 1.6”

L-FG 185 Synthetic1.9% Solids

1.60” L-FG 185 Synthetic

1.55” L-FG 185 Synthetic

1.10” Comp B

1.35” Comp B

1.3”

Competition B1.9% Solids 1.4”

Competition B1.9% Solids 1.1”

*Source: Forging Magazine, 2013 – http://forgingmagazine.com/forming/lubricant-choices-and-forging-cost?page=1**Source: Henkel research