Development of Variable Mold for Transition Nozzle Automation Process using TRIZ and DEFORM

A transition nozzle is used for an industrial heat exchanger, and as an important part to convey heat energy between heat sources and working fluids, this is broadly used in industrial sites. The global market requires transition nozzles with diverse materials and shapes depending on usage environments. This paper aims to improve the transition nozzle forging process, which suits small quantity batch production by applying the 6 step creativity of TRIZ(6SC) technique. The existing transition nozzle forging method costs a lot to manufacture, since different molds suitable for individual shapes are required. In order to improve efficiency and reduce costs, this paper will derive the method of designing one variable mold instead of several molds. For verifying the suitability of the method devised by the TRIZ technique, this paper will perform 3dimensional modeling of the mold using SolidWorks. Then using DEFORM, a commercial program for plasticity analysis, this study will carry out forging analysis of transition nozzles of various schedules for one variable mold and inspect thickness strain by transformed materials during the forging of nozzles with various shapes. Based on the analysis finding, it is anticipated if the method suggested in this study is applied to the transition nozzle forging equipment, it will contribute to the improvement in efficiency of the forging process and thereby its automation.