Open-Die Forging Team Skill Competition Held to Temper Solid Forging Practical Ability

The open-die forging process is highly dependent on the practical skills of operators. With the same raw materials, heating equipment and forging hammers, workpieces forged by different operators will have obvious differences in dimensional accuracy and surface quality. To promote skill exchange and identify capability gaps among team members, the workshop recently organized an open-die forging skill competition. The competition selected two basic forging processes, shaft drawing out and blank upsetting, as the assessment content, focusing on practical results, with forging efficiency, dimensional accuracy and surface defect control as the core evaluation criteria.

On the day of the competition, the workshop had a warm atmosphere. The contestants included senior forgers with 20 to 30 years of experience and young apprentices who had just graduated from training. The furnace fire was bright red, and the forging hammer operated with a steady and powerful sound. After the steel billet reached the specified temperature, the contestants quickly clamped the workpiece and transferred it to the anvil. They continuously flipped and adjusted the workpiece position between hammer blows, and the force and angle of each forging strike were accurately controlled. The onlooking employees followed the competition throughout the process and exchanged operation techniques from time to time, creating a strong competitive and communicative atmosphere on site. Judges used calipers and micrometers to inspect workpiece dimensions and check appearance quality piece by piece, with a rigorous and standardized evaluation process.

Finally, senior forger Master Wang won the first place in this competition. The dimensional tolerance control of his forged workpieces was better than the drawing requirements, with a flat and smooth surface and slight forging marks. Master Wang said at the award ceremony that there is no shortcut in open-die forging, and solid operating feel comes from day-to-day practice accumulation.

This competition provided an intuitive learning reference for young employees, helping them clearly recognize their skill gaps. Senior employees also exchanged practical skills through communication, sharing practical experience in aspects such as material flipping during drawing and temperature control. After the competition, the overall forging practical level of the team has been effectively improved.