Recent development of process simulation for industrial applications

Manufacturing technologies have advanced over the past decades in many areas. These include process control, manufacturing tolerances, die design, CAD/CAM and process simulation. The constant pressures on manufacturers to reduce cost, minimize lead times and improve quality are ongoing. Automotive, aerospace, energy products, fastener, metals producers and other manufacturing industries are very competitive. Margins are tight even during strong periods of the business cycle. In this paper, the application of process simulation, as applied to the forging, cold heading and heat treatment is discussed. Several applications are presented, with an emphasis on industrial cases.