Proceedings of 2015 IFToMM Workshop on History of Mechanism and Machine Science

May 26-28, 2015, St-Petersburg, Russia

100 YEARS KINEMATICS DEVELOPMENT OF ROTARY FORGING MACHINES

L.B. Aksenov
Peter the Great Saint-Petersburg Polytechnic University,
e-mail: l_axenov@mail.spbstu.ru

S.N. Kunkin
Peter the Great Saint-Petersburg Polytechnic University,
e-mail: kunkin@spbstu.ru

Abstract:
Rotary forging is a relatively new manufacturing process with
potential for cost-effective applications. The idea of rotary
forging was appeared in the early 20th century. Currently,
machines for rotary forging are manufactured in all industrialized
countries and used worldwide in industry. Technological
capabilities of machines for rotary forging are determined by the
kinematic schemes of these machines, which very differ.
However, not all potential schemes machines, which defined by
the motion of forming tool, are actually in using. Presented
morphological analysis of rotary forging machines demonstrates
the variety of machines. It gives an opportunity to find optimal
design for machine, based on the geometry of the manufactured
parts that provides the greatest efficiency of production.

Keywords: rotary forging, orbital forming, kinematics,

morphological analysis

Introduction
Large amounts of axisymmetric parts are used in various
branches of industry. The nomenclatures of these parts are
very diverse and are regulated by various standards. The
production of such parts is carried out by various
technologies, but they have a low utilization rate of metal,
especially in the manufacture of details as rings and
flanges. Many technologies based on the hot pressing
with subsequent additional processing. Technology of
rotary forging is designed for manufacturing of the
axisymmetric parts from tube and rod work-pieces (Fig. 1).
Figure 1 Raw material for rotary forging and
rotary forged parts
This technology is representative the processes with the
local deformation of the processed metal. It means that in
contact with the deforming tool is only part of the
workpiece (Fig. 2), which reduces the contact area, the
magnitude of the contact stresses, and, accordingly, the
required forming force.
a) b)
Figure 2 Contact area between forming tool and formed
workpiece at rotary forging of rod (a) and hollow (b) parts
The first modern rotary forging machine was developed
in the U.S. in 1918 by Edwin E. Slick [1]. In 1929, H.F.
Massey, founder of B & S Massey, Ltd., designed and
patented a vertically operated rotary forging press [2].
Currently, machines for rotary forging are manufactured in
all industrialized countries and are used in many countries
over the world. Wide review about development of rotary
forging machine was done by R.Shivpuri [3]. This deep,
detailed analysis was made 25 years ago and therefore does
not cover more recent development of designs,
technologies and simulation in this field.
In recent time the research of technological processes
of rotary forging and their computer simulation have been
significantly expanded. The aim of this work is to
systematize the possible kinematic schemes machines for
rotary forging and connection of kinematics of these
machines with their technological capacity. The
importance of this analysis was defined in [4]. The
subsequent development of rotary forging machines and
technologies allows obtaining some new results. Three
different types of rotary forging machines at
Saint-Petersburg Polytechnic University (St.PTU) were
used for long time to get experience in designs of
kinematics and technologies [5].
1. The basic kinematic principle of rotary forging
machine.
The process of rotary forging is carried out at a relative
rotation of the workpiece and the forming tool. All
machines for rotary forging realize one or more motions
defined by the Euler angles [6]: the nutation, precession,
rotation (Fig. 3).
Figure 3 Family of rotary forging machines is defined by
their tool motions [6]
This leads to the theoretical possibility of the creation
of the seven groups of machines for rotary forming: P, S,
N, NP, NS, PS, NPS. Only two types of rotary forging
a) b)
Figure 4 Scheme of orbital press (a), types forming roll motions on the face of workpice (b)
and different technological operations which can be realized at orbital press (c)
The main features of axial rotary forging are as
follows:
upper die is tilted to the axis of the workpiece, it rotates
around its axis and acts on the end face the workpiece;
machines have found wide industrial application.
There are: precession machines (often called orbital
presses or rocking die) and machines with spinning
workpieces or forging rolls. In machines for orbital
forming (Fig. 4a) the workpiece does not rotate, and the
tool performs relatively workpiece set of complex
movement, which is the sum of the rotational motions
around the three axes (Fig. 4b). Wide range of movement
of the tool on the end surface of the workpiece provides the
opportunity to implement many types of technological
processes (Fig.4c). In the past, these machines were the
most used.
However, orbital presses have a very complicated
drive. At the same time the angle of inclination of the roll
does not exceed 2-3 degrees, which makes it impossible to
realize the benefits of these machines in the direction of
reduction of technological force.
Therefore, along with orbital presses, rotary
forging machine appeared with simpler kinematics. So,
are widely used machine with spinning workpiece (or
forging roll) which were called axial rotary forging
machines.
Scheme of orbital forming presented in Fig. 5a,
as scheme of axial rotary forging with a rotating
workpiece and forging roll, moving progressively along
the axis of the workpiece in Fig. 5b. The rotation of the
workpiece is performed by the drive of the machine,
while forging roll is driven by its own drive or by the
workpiece due to friction [7, 12].
c)
workpiece has the drive and rotates on its axis.
Axial rotary forging machines can use conical roll (Fig.
6a) with angle of inclination 10-25 degree and cylindrical
roll(s) with inclination 85-90 degree (Fig. 6b).
In practice, the rotary forging with conical rolls is more
common technology compared to rotary forging by
cylindrical roller, as it provides wider technological
capabilities.
2. Development of machines and technologies for
rotary forging
It is possible to identify four periods in the development of
machines and technologies for rolling (Fig. 8):

a) b)
Figure 5 Schemes of orbital forming (a) and rotary forging (b):: 1
1- axis of workpiece; 2 precession; 3- conical roll;
4 workpiece; 5- spining.

a)

a) b)
Figure 6 Schemes of axial rotary forging by conical (a) and
cylindrical (b) rolls:
1 die holder, 2 - die, 3 - workpiece, 4 - mandrel,
5 forging roll, 6 rotary forged part, 7 cross roller

However, conical rolls have more complicated

geometry, and their dimensions are linked to the
dimensions of formed components. Diameters of
cylindrical rolls in principle do not depend on the size of
formed details. So it is possible to use several rolls
simultaneously for forming. That creates an uniform
technological load on the machine. Technologically
cylindrical rolls are preferred for forming the outer
surfaces and large parts. The schemes of machines for axial
rotary forging with conical roll and cylindrical rolls are
presented in Fig. 7.
The simplest type of rotary forging machine is the b)
machine with the drive for blank rotation and passive rolls
receiving the rotation from the blank due to friction forces Figure 7 Schemes of rotary forging machines with conical (a) and
on the contact surface. The machines working by such cylindrical (b) rolls : 1 press frame; 2 ram; 3 rotary drive ; 4
way have a number of advantages: bearing unit; 5 - ejector ; 6 displacement drive; 7 inclination
the center of mass of the tool is not rotated about the drive; 8 - transverse roll.
vertical axis and, therefore, the deformation process can be
the initial period, characterized by patenting ideas and
greatly intensified by increasing the speed of rotation of the
the creation of the first machines that implement 3
blank and the blank deformation per revolution;
kinematic schemes (orbital forming machines);
reduced demands to the stiffness of the bed and to the
mass of foundation; the commercial production of orbital forming
reduced noise levels and also risk of damage for machines and determination of their technological
machine elements due to the reduction of low and high capabilities mainly for hot rolling;
frequency vibrations. the development of new types of rotary forging
machines, including machines with simple kinematics and
rotating workpiece (axial rotary forging machines), the
development of the processes of cold rotary forging;
 the present period is the expansion of technological forging rolls during forming [6 ], the use of an ejector as an
capabilities of rotary forging with the cylindrical rolls [5, additional tool and another; computer simulation of
8], the application of rotary forging for powder materials, various rotary forging processes [9,10 ].
assembly procedures, use of variable inclination of the

The initial Period of the Period of the The present

period: patenting commercial development of period: expansion
and first machines production of new types of of technological
orbital forming rotary forging capabilities of
machines machines rotary forging

1916-193X 193X-195X 195X-199X 199X-2015

Figure 8 Periods of development of rotary forging machines

3. Morphological analysis of kinematic for rotary

forging machines
It is possible to collect all known machines for rotary
forging in one multidimensional morphological matrix
(Table 1). The main independent parameters of the
morphological analysis are: X1 - the type of the forging roll,
X2 - types of drive for workpiece and forging roll(s), X3
type of forging roll(s) motion (kinematics of machine), X4
- the temperature mode of rotary forging, X5 the ability
of displacement of the forging rolls relative to the axis of
the workpiece is applied for technology of
outward-flanging, X6 - the possibilities to use ejector as
a part of forming process, X7 - axial translational
movement of workpiece or forging roll. The table gives
information about the number of potential machines for
rotary forging. Formally, can be synthesized 1008 different
types of machines, but really not more than two dozen
can be seen in industry Only four types are really used in
these machine for motion of forging rolls of seven possible
(marked in grey in the table 1).

Table 1
Morphological matrix of rotary forging machines

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
X1
Type of Conical Cylindrical
forging roll(s)
Drive Drive
X2 Drive forging workpiece
Type of drive workpiece roll(s), and forging
workpiece roll(s)
is fixed
X3
Type of Nutation Precession Spin (S) NP NS PS NPS
forging roll (N) (P)
motion

X4
Temperature Cold Hot
mode
X5
Displacement
of the forging Yes No
rolls
X6
Using of Yes No
ejector
X7
Axial Workpiece Forging Towards
translational roll(s)
movement
 The traditional method of design technology is
usually determined by the existing machine for rotary
forging and geometry of the part, which must be made.
This method is not always optimal, because there are just a
few opportunities to change the parameters of the machine
and process optimization because of the technology of
rotary forging and type of tool is very limited by the
parameters of the machine.
For industry, the main goal is production its own
parts and, therefore, companies are interested in the
purchase of machines, most adapted for this production
and are not interested in the acquisition of universal
machines, which are quite expensive, and may not be
optimal for a specific production. It is therefore wise to
start choosing the type of machine with an analysis of the
geometry of the part, intended for the production method of
rotary forging. Then make the choice of technological
design and only then, using morphological analysis, go to
the synthesis of kinematic scheme of the machine. So, as
example, for manufacturing of flanges from thin-walled
tubes with technology outward-flanging the preferred
machine is 2-1-3-1-1-2-1 (see the table 1). Design in the
sequence "from part to technology, from technology to the
tool and then from tool to the machine" was successfully
implemented for realization of new technologies [5, 11]
and in the industry in some cases of the mass production
of the same and similar types of parts [13].
Proceeding of the 6th ICTP, Sept. 19-24, 1999,
pp.1739-1744.
7. Ekonimichnye metody formoobrazovanya detaley. / Pod.
Red. Bogoyavlenskogo K.N., Risa V.V. (in Russian),
Lenizdat, 1984, p. 144.
8. Aksenov L.B., Kunkin S.N. Cold axial rotary
outward-flanging of tube blanks by cylindrical rollers.
Global Science and Innovation: materials of the III
International Scientific Conference, Chicago, October
23-24th, 2014 / publishing office Accent Graphics
communications- Chicago-USA, 2014, pp.306-310.
9. Dang Y. G., Deng X. Z., Wang B., "Elastic-Plastic
Numerical Simulation of Cold Rotary Forging for Hypoid
Gear and the Springback Error", Applied Mechanics and
Materials, Vols 633-634, pp. 826-831, Sep. 2014
10. Global Metal Spinning Solutions, Inc.
http://www.globalmetalspinning.com/
11. Aksenov L.B., Kunkin S.N. Cold axial rotary forging of
hollow shaft flanges. European Science and Technology:
materials of the VII international research and practice
conference, Vol. II, Munich, April 23th 24th, 2014 /
publishing office Vela Verlag Waldkraiburg Munich
Germany, 2014 pp.396-396.
12. Grzegorz Samoyk. Wybrane zagadnienia technologii i
teorii prasowania obwiedniowego. Politechnika Lubelska,
(in Polish), 2012.
13. http://www.mjcengineering.com/

4. Conclusions
Opportunities to create new, efficient machines for
rotary forging are not used completely. Only four types
of machines have been used out of a possible seven,
determined by kinematics of the forming tool.
Morphological analysis of rotary forging machine
allows expanding the understanding of the object of
research, which leads to a search for an optimal
solution with the extended set of possible variants.
Shown that it is essentially possible to create more than
1000 different machines for rotary forging most of
which is not yet implemented.
The morphological analysis creates the conditions for
an optimal design of machines for different groups of
manufactured parts and that is why increases the
efficiency of technological processes.

References:

1. Slick E.E. The Slick Wheel Mill, The Iron Age, 1918,
Vol. 102, No. 9, pp.491-498.
2. Massey H.F. British Patent Specification No. 319065,
(1929).
3. Shivpuri R. Past Development and Future Trends in the
Rotary or Orbital Forging Process. J. Materials Shaping
Technology, Vol. 6, No.1, 1988, pp.55-71.
4. Standring P.M., Appleton E. The Kinematic
Relationship Between Angled Die and Workpiece in.
5. Aksenov L.B., Kunkin S.N. Razvitie processov
torcevoyj raskatki v Sankt-Peterburgskom
gosudarstvennom politekhnicheskom universitete.
Cvetnihe metallih (in Russian), 2014, 4, p.24-28.
6. Standring P.M. The significance of nutation angle in
rotary forging. Advanced Technology of Plasticity, Vol. III,