Forging

We're wasting tons of money by welding successive billets together prior to induction heating. What is the accepted industry best practice for induction heating billets prior to forging? Is it more effective to cut to length before heating? Please provide some technical references if possible...

THANK YOU!!!

 A lot will depend on how you form after heating.  I came from a plant that had 15 to 20 sec cycle time per platter.  How and what kind of forging are you doing?

For reference, our current cycle time is 32 seconds, limited by the 3 induction heaters (in series arrangment) followed by a hot shear. I honestly don't know much about the process because I just started here 2 months ago, but I believe it's open die.

 We use a 2500T press for billets approx 4" square and 10-12" long. We use our 4000T for 5-7" billets of about the same length. In both presses, the part (wheel hub) is forged in two blows. Both presses are completely mechanical, and about 30 years old of Russian design if that helps.

I've searched a bit online and it looks like industry practice is generally to cold cut the billets (since it's more accurate?) and then heat them individually. Could you comment on the cost effectiveness of this method vs. heating the 5-6 feet of billet and then hot shearing the required portion?

 Thanks.

Heating and shearing is not preffered because of forging defects at shear end and not precise size. ( It also depened on how keep billet)

Better to go with saw cut machine.

T-sune machine will do your work.

Please let us know what type of job you are doing.

Why you are welding billets together before induction heating.

From your discussion it seems that your are doing closed die forging not open die forging.

( We forge car crank shaft where billets are induction heated and it runs with 18 sec cycle time. No need to weld billet.)

Please write your forging process step by step.