The University of Strathclyde’s Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) has made a £2.3m investment in new kit as it seeks to enhance the competitiveness of the UK’s automotive, aerospace and medical manufacturing sectors. A radial forge from Austrian company GFM GmbH has been purchased, making it the only machine of its kind available in the UK for R&D and demonstration purposes. The AFRC will use it to trial and prove the viability of new ways of manufacturing parts for hip implants, automotive transmissions and aerospace components, among other products.

Radial forges are much more common in Germany and Austria, where they are frequently used in manufacturing parts for the automotive industry. However, a large upfront investment has curbed their adoption in the UK. Developed specifically for the AFRC, the radial forge will enable manufacturers to try new alloys and other materials in a range of applications. Featuring two pairs of hammers, the forge allows engineers to incrementally develop more complex shapes, improve materials, work at lower temperatures and create parts that are nearer net shape.
The machine also offers induction heating, which allows it to control how parts are being heated, be more flexible, and produce components more quickly. With a maximum forging force is 1500 kN, the machine can work with parts of up to 950 mm in length and a diameter of 125 mm. Cold working internal and external tolerances of ±0.15 and ±0.25 mm are offered, as well as hot working tolerances of ±0.25 and ±0.5 mm, respectively.
Dr Alastair Conway, senior manufacturing engineer at the AFRC, says: “By working with a range of materials and proving the advantages that the process offers over traditional hammer and drop forges, we hope to show our manufacturing industries how they can compete more effectively
on the international stage.”
For further information www.gfm.at