In this posting, we share with you an interview with Dr Mohd Hafis Sulaiman, 33, a lecturer at the School of Mechatronic Engineering at Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), who formulated an alternative method to reduce cost and increase efficiency for manufacturing motorcycle sprockets.
Dr Mohd Hafis is one of the first two winners of the Subject Matter Experts (SMX) Solutions Programme organised by Steinbeis Malaysia Foundation. He received cash incentive of RM10,000 for his innovative solution to assist Kilang Sprocket S.A. Sdn Bhd in Seberang Perai, Penang.
The SMX challenge aims to incentivise the formulation of solutions for SMEs and mid-tier companies by subject matter experts. STMY is the industry-academia facilitation arm of AIM. The programme which is based on a crowdsourcing model provides a platform for Malaysian companies to pose their problems to an unlimited number of SMX to find solutions to their problems; questions that require answers for issues covering technical and non-technical issues.
AIM speaks to Dr Mohd Hafis on his winning solution and how he came up with a solution for “warm forging and stamping to make cost effective motorcycle sprockets”
Dr Mohd Hafis Sulaiman, 33 receiving cash incentive of RM10,000 for his innovative solution from En Naser Jaafar, CEO of Agensi Inovasi Malaysia
AIM: What is the difference between cold and hot forming (ie. forging and stamping)?
Dr Mohd Hafis: Hot and cold forming are two different metal forming processes that deliver similar results. Forging/Stamping is the process of deforming metal (bulk metal for forging / sheet metal for stamping) into a predetermined shape using certain tools and equipment—deformation is accomplished using hot, cold, or even warm forging processes. Ultimately, the manufacturer will look at a number of criteria before choosing which type of metal forming is best for a particular application.
My rule of thumb for the forming process is likely explained as below.
*Tm melting point of metal material
When a piece of metal is hot formed, it must be heated significantly. The average temperatures necessary for hot forming are recrystallization point of workpiece material; up to 1150 degrees Celsius for steel, 360 to 520 degrees Celsius for aluminium alloys, and 700 to 800 degrees Celsius for copper alloys.
During hot forming, the temperature reaches above the recrystallization point of the metal. This kind of extreme heat is necessary in avoiding strain hardening of the metal (exists in cold forming process) during deformation.
Meanwhile, cold forming deforms metal while it is below its recrystallisation point. Cold forming actually occurs at or near room temperature. Cold forming is generally preferred when the metal is already a soft metal, like aluminum. This process is usually less expensive than hot forming and the end product requires finishing work.
AIM: Why do motorcycle sprockets need to be warm stamped/forged?
Dr Mohd Hafis: The high temperature during warm forming enables the highest possible level of material deformation and the access to complex 3D geometries. Warm forged/stamped components possess increased ductility which makes them desirable for many configurations. Also, warm forming technique is more flexible than cold forging, since customized parts can be manufactured. And less heat is used to heat up the workpiece material before the forming process in comparison to hot forming, which requires very high heat to heat up the workpiece material.
In comparison to that of cold forging process, the disadvantage of warm or hot forging process is that a wide range of finishing work, ie. polishing, coating and painting, are necessary to tailor the end product to achieve excellent surface quality in order to meet customers’ specific need. The most disadvantages of employing warm forming is that, too much heat generated at the tool surface as a consequence of repeated warm workpiece material sliding onto the tool itself implying a lower tool life.
AIM: Did you already have the hot stamping/forging technology to offer Kilang Sprocket S.A. Sdn Bhd or did you do a bit of research and development to come up with the solution?
Dr Mohd Hafis: The company proposed their own production problems with short tool life and techniques to produce sharp tooth of the sprocket product. As of now, they performed single-stage warm forming process to produce the sprocket, in which the raw material is heated up before the forming process.
This procedure will let them to produce the desired sprocket shape with confidence. Unfortunately, tool life is shortened due to this warm forming process applied in their production. I proposed several solutions based on my knowledge on metal stamping/forging. The solutions are focused towards tribology with assumption that the material is carbon steel. I believe the solutions would help the company to solve their problem in order to prolong tool life. For instance, optimisation of tool design using Finite Element software, optimisation on die lubrication, optimisation of the die by surface treatment and coating, improvement of lubrication by surface texturing, and multi-stage plate forging in progressive dies.
AIM: Please describe and share, if any, the moment of inspiration when you came up with the solution.
Dr Mohd Hafis: I get these ideas from my own working experience in the previous companies such as Shimano and Yongnam Engineering; as well as research experience throughout my experience working in the field of tribology and metal forging/stamping. Not only that, I have also visited renowned manufacturing industries like Toyota, Nichidai Corp, Asahi Sanac, and Gaishou in Japan; Grundfos, DFT Presswork, BGR Borgensen, Streccon,, and AaoSteel in Denmark, BMW and Audi in Germany, and the Rolls Royce company in England.
I have learn a lot by visiting these companies and was able to see and observe the technologies involved in these companies and also by sharing the knowledge from both the key players from industries and also the academicians.
AIM: Tell us a bit about your vision on Mechatronics and how your expertise can be applied to improve services/products for local businesses?
Dr Mohd Hafis: I believe both the academicians especially from the Mechatronics department in the university and the industries can work together to obtain greater advantages that can benefits both sides. As an academician and researcher, we always look forward to come out with potential solutions to the industrial problems, and by having good relationship with the industries, we will be able to know and study the real problems in the industries. Meanwhile, from the industry side, they will also be able to always have a good or new solutions for the problems faced in their factories.
Below are two diagrams by Dr Mohd Hafis showing the basic schematics of his own future hot and cold stamping machine design.
Warm/ hot forming (forging/stamping)
Cold forming
Agensi Inovasi Malaysia (AIM) was created to jump start wealth creation through knowledge, technology and innovation to stimulate and develop the innovation eco-system in Malaysia. We lay down the foundation of innovation that inspire and produce a new generation of innovative entrepreneurs. We facilitate collaborations between government, academia and industry in advancing the consolidation and execution of new ideas in innovation.