Metal Forging and the Demand for Global Infrastructure
The movement for major global infrastructure has never been more essential to our nation's future and leadership as it is today. Within the next 15 years, countries around the world will invest in hard infrastructure. These infrastructure projects, emphasizing transport, energy, information, communications technology (ICT) and water sectors, have been long-recognized as the backbone of modern economies.
A 2019 report published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies predicts the world needs an estimated $94 trillion in infrastructure by 2040 . Reconstructing the world's foundation will unveil opportunities for US contractors, energy producers and suppliers, tech developers and service providers and investors, leading to the growth of the US economy, jobs and a return on investment. Additionally, maintaining the stability of ports, bridges, pipelines, fiber-optic cables and other essential infrastructure is imperative to US security and our nation's military presence.
Infrastructure and clean energy stocks have been on the rise since the presidential election, according to CNBC.com . Infrastructure has been at the top of Joe Biden's plan since the beginning. He's had a $2 trillion plan that's going to invest in roads, highways, airports, ports as well as digital infrastructure and cleantech," says Jay Jacobs, senior vice president and head of research and strategy at Global X ETFs.
Considering these stakes - among several others - the US is now making global infrastructure projects a significantly higher priority.
An Opportunity to Set Global Standards
In addition to short-term economic boosts, the US investment in infrastructure implies a list of broader, longer-term interests to promote sustainable and inclusive development of global standards, ensure high-quality infrastructure, and mitigate impacts on stability ensuring optimal performance of the global systems.
Forgings, which appear in roughly 20 percent of products representing the US GDP, are essential to the US industrial economy society and its national security.
Metal forging technology has evolved over the past couple of decades due to industry demands seeking a greater return on investment, increased capital productivity, and customer expectations for increasingly higher quality and part performance levels.
Today, forging is the most trusted, preferred process for manufacturing components due to its output of superior quality, integrity and performance required for critical and demanding applications.
Over the past 20 years, forging industry leaders have created cost-efficiencies through materials development and usage, process application, energy management and efficacy, environmental sustainability and effective human resource performance.
Forging delivers advantages that few processes can replicate. Designers and users of forged components understand the edge forging provides:
- Forgings are manufactured from readily available bar ingots and/or billets.
- Nearly all metals and alloys can be forged.
- Virtually no restrictions exist on part size.
- Forged parts possess high tolerance attributes.
- Products are fully recyclable.
- Forged components have higher strength and reliability.
- Forgings offer low life cycle costs.
Modern forging facilities today, such as Scot Forge, feature automated, fully-integrated processing equipment that controls processing variations and produces high-quality, superior consistency and dimensional control products.
US forging companies have the opportunity to set forth international standards in which components for heavy equipment, bridges and pipelines are built with the highest integrity, safety standards and longest life span.
What Types of Forged Parts are Used in Infrastructure?
Forgings are the perfect choice for many infrastructure applications, delivering the high-structural strength required in movable bridges, locks and dams, and other large civil engineering structures. Below lists the types of forgings used in infrastructure construction:
- Shafts: Pinions, trunnions, floating shafts, crankshafts, tower sheave shafts, rope shafts, Gudgeon pin, strut pin, link pin, diagonal fin
- Flats: Curved or flat racks, tracks and treads, lock bars (we can transition between round and rectangular cross-sections), receiving sockets, receiving shoes, guide housings
- Rings: Ring gear, hex sleeves and hex jam nuts, gudgeon collars
- Hubs: Sheave hub, trunnion hub, winch hub, pintles
- Torch Cut: Clevis, gudgeon links, anchor rods
Scot Forge: Prepared to Meet the Challenge
As plans emerge and investments in global infrastructure take form worldwide, Scot Forge is positioned to lead the way.
At Scot Forge, it's our mission to ensure you succeed in your most critical initiatives. We produce components through innovative processes that offer forged solutions for everything from the world's physical infrastructure, energy and transportation to manufacturing, mining and national defense.
Our unique manufacturing processes have taken the place of outdated alternate metalworking methods. Using our vast inventory of loose tooling, we can develop near-net shaped solutions to meet your drawing requirements. Our extensive forging capabilities enable us to reduce forged section sizes and improve mechanical properties.
Engineers, professors and researchers come to Scot Forge for our core competencies in metal chemistry, behavior and shaping. We have helped solve challenges in historic designs with groups such as the Army Corps of Engineers by converting casting into forgings, forging components with eccentric geometries, and aiding in the design of unique shapes.
Our technical experts embrace the challenge of creative solutions and have experience working with specialty grades for applications from particle physics to prototyping for applied research. We have an on-site staff of metallurgists, four of which have Ph. Ds, and our team of forging engineers are ready to help you understand the implications and capabilities of your material and heat treat choices.
Uniquely equipped to produce low-volume, non-repeating forgings, Scot Forge can help provide everything from simple bar stock to 300,000 lbs. tubes. We have also developed a unique semi-closed die forging technique that allows for the flexibility of open die forging with the closed die's near-net shape. This is that method that allows us to convert pieces originally designed as castings or fabrications to forgings that were once not possible or cost-effective.
Simulation capabilities enable precise tool design and optimal forge process plans. As a result, material and machining requirements are reduced, minimizing costs and turnaround times.
Our accurate simulations model a wide range of metalworking and material characteristics, including:
- Complex shapes
- Upsetting
- Forward extrusion
- Back extrusion
- Gear forming
- Stress analysis
- Heat treat modeling
- Grain flow characteristics
Scot Forge engineers and metallurgical experts can help your team study and evaluate alloy compositions. Our team can create a material capable of meeting the strict criteria for forged components, resulting in the development of alloys that offer better properties with potential material cost savings.
Our extensive material inventory, production capabilities and experienced technical support combine to meet your most demanding requirements. Our technically trained account managers possess experience working to ASTM A668, ASTM A182, ASTM A291 and other various AREMA, AASHTO and DOT requirements. We are capable of meeting short lead times and offering breakdown services, too.