Sheffield Forgemasters join British at helm of forging industry

Sheffield Forgemasters will outline its pioneering technical developments, including 3D laser metrology, material developments and world leading techniques to global forging leaders at a high-profile international conference.

The engineering specialist is partnering British giants including Rolls Royce plc, the University of Cambridge and the University of Sheffield, to confirm the country's position at the helm of the forging industry worldwide.

It will share the scope of its research, which places Sheffield Forgemasters at the forefront of manufacture for key industries including civil nuclear power production and defence, at the 19th International Forgemasters’ Meeting (IFM) in Tokyo, Japan from September 29 to October 3.

Delegates from Sheffield Forgemasters will present papers, which cover advances in metallurgical analysis, metrology and development of innovative forging methods for ultra-large forgings tailored to the nuclear power market.

Professor Jesus Talamantes-Silva, Director of Research and Development Division, Sheffield Forgemasters RD26 Ltd, said: “This research, and the papers we will deliver, are extremely important to the development of Sheffield Forgemasters’ portfolio within key industry sectors and will benefit this industry on a global level.

“Our work into such projects as the development of extrusion techniques for large-scale forgings, process modelling, the use of 3D lasers and the development of forged steels for the nuclear industry has taken many years of input and a substantial investment."

The IFM takes place every three years and is the world’s most prestigious technical large, open die forging conference. Sheffield Forgemasters has led the gathering since 2003 with its group director Peter Birtles acting as chairman. It has been hosted in Sheffield in 1967, 1985 and 2006.