Abstract: A forging press includes a die set having a stationary die, a movable die in facing-but-spaced-apart relation to the stationary die along a press axis and defining a workpiece volume therebetween, and an exterior constraint extending circumferentially around the workpiece volume. The movable die has a base level region lying generally in a workpiece plane perpendicular to the press axis, and three rotationally symmetric segments raised above the base level region. Each of the segments forms an angular segment of a disk having an included segment angle and that is angularly separated from the other segments. A press mechanism includes a axial drive operable to move the movable die in a direction parallel to the press axis, and an indexing drive operable to rotate the movable die about the press axis by an indexing rotational angle.

Abstract: A forging press includes a die set having a stationary die, a movable die in facing-but-spaced-apart relation to the stationary die along a press axis and defining a workpiece volume therebetween, and an exterior constraint extending circumferentially around the workpiece volume. The movable die has a base level region lying generally in a workpiece plane perpendicular to the press axis, and three rotationally symmetric segments raised above the base level region. Each of the segments forms an angular segment of a disk having an included segment angle and that is angularly separated from the other segments. A press mechanism includes a axial drive operable to move the movable die in a direction parallel to the press axis, and an indexing drive operable to rotate the movable die about the press axis by an indexing rotational angle.

Abstract: Two pieces of metal are bonded together at a surface by placing the two pieces into contact at the surface and forging the two pieces in a die which causes substantial displacement of the metal originally at the surface in a direction parallel to and outwardly from the edges of the surface. In this way, many of the defects which are potentially present at the original surface are displaced with moving metal away from the original contact between the two pieces of metal into sacrificial ribs and the remaining defects are exposed to significant strain. A portion of the displaced metal which contains many of the defects and which forms the sacrificial ribs is removed from the resulting bonded work piece as the sacrificial ribs are removed from the work piece. The result is a bond with superior properties and with a bond surface which can be located very precisely.