Case of forging dies at an automotive heavy factory in Ji'an, Jiangxi

In the field of automotive heavy industry, the quality of die forgings directly affects the vehicle's safety and performance. A large automotive heavy factory located in Ji'an, Jiangxi, has long faced challenges such as insufficient molding precision, low material utilization, and short mold lifespan when mass-producing complex structural die forgings. To address these issues, the plant introduced a comprehensive die forging solution provided by Jianing Forging, achieving dual improvements in production efficiency and product quality.

Customer pain points

Previously, this heavy factory used traditional open-die forging and segmented die forging processes, which had the following prominent issues: First, poor dimensional consistency of forgings, large machining allowance, and severe material waste; Second, complex rib plates are difficult to form, and local insufficient filling leads to a high defect rate; Third, molds develop early cracks due to concentrated impact loads, with average service life below 60% of conventional levels. These pain points not only increase the cost per piece but also limit the release of production line capacity.

Product advantages

To address these pain points, Jianing Forging has customized the following solutions for this heavy factory:

• Fine mold design: Uses multi-directional die forging technology to optimize the parting surface and flash groove parameters, ensuring uniform deformation of the forging, controlling dimensional fluctuations within ±0.3mm, and reducing subsequent machining allowance by 40%.
• Specialized materials and heat treatment: Using wear-resistant and impact-resistant mold steel, combined with graded preheating and isothermal annealing processes, the mold lifespan is extended to 1.8 times that of traditional processes, reducing mold change frequency.
• Process Simulation and Optimization: Using finite element software to simulate metal flow, manually adjusting billet shape and striking energy to achieve near-net forming of complex rib plates, reducing the defect rate from 8% to below 1.5%.
• End-to-end control: From raw material entry to finished product shipment, an online monitoring system has been established for key parameters such as forging temperature, deformation, and cooling rate, ensuring that every batch meets customers' stringent mechanical performance requirements.

Through these measures, the cost of forgings for die forgings at this heavy plant was reduced by about 25%, capacity increased by 30%, and it successfully passed relatively high strength fatigue tests by vehicle manufacturers. Jianing Forging will continue to deepen its presence in the die forging field, providing more competitive integrated forming solutions for automotive heavy industry customers.