The processing difficulty of forged flanges mainly depends on the properties of the material, the requirements for complex structures, and the size. Compared with cast flanges, the manufacturing process of forged flanges is more complex, requiring multiple processes including hammering, heat treatment, and machining to obtain the final product.
In recent years, many companies have adopted digital lean manufacturing technology to improve production efficiency and product quality in response to the processing difficulty of forged flanges. For example, a manufacturing company has introduced CNC machine tools and advanced CNC programming systems to achieve automated production from raw material storage to final product delivery. By using IoT technology, they can monitor the production process in real-time, significantly reducing product defect rates and production costs.
Meanwhile, some companies also use 3D printing technology to process forged flanges. This technology can directly produce prototypes based on design files without mold and cutting, with low manufacturing costs and high production efficiency advantages. However, the popularity of 3D printing technology is still low, and its application scope needs further expansion.
Example:
An aviation enterprise required M1.5 class forged flanges for production, which had high accuracy requirements and complexity. After research, the enterprise could not find a manufacturer that met the requirements. They did not give up and ultimately adopted CNC machine tools and digital processing flow. They first used CAD software to simulate the design, then calculated the tool path, and realized the automatic production of M1.5 class forged flanges. This successfully solved the problem that was previously difficult to produce, greatly improving the manufacturing level of the enterprise.
This case shows that traditional forging for flanges production has some technical difficulties, but by introducing advanced technologies such as digital lean manufacturing and 3D printing, production efficiency can be effectively improved, costs can be reduced, and complex and high-precision production requirements can be met.
