Rotary Forge

Cannon tube forgings are conventionally produced by press forging an ingot into a solid cylinder with approximate external dimension. Rotary forging produces hollow cannon tube forging, with dimensional control comparable to a machined press forging. The process has produced over 28,500 tubes in the lO5mm, l2Omm, and 155mm bore sizes. A heated preform is automatically transferred to the rotary forging machine, where it is automatically forged into a hollow tube, using numerical control. The machine uses a mandrel to control the internal diameter and four concentric hammers, with a capacity of 1100 tons force each, to shape the outside diameter. Tubes are forged in 8-12 minutes, employing two people. Conventional press forging would require 30 minutes and a crew of 5-6 people per tube.