Shaping and manipulating metal is one of the most important things that humans have learned to do in our existence. Whether be the heat and pressure of a forge, or by the precise cutting of a mill, taking metal and making it literally bend to our will is how we have the modern world that we do today. Even though the science has existed for millennia, there’s still lots of fascinating things in watching the process unfold. We may KNOW what a crank looks like as a finished product but there’s something totally hypnotic in sitting and watching the machinery actually create that shape and seeing how the skilled machinists in charge of the project actually keep tabs on the progress.
When it comes to springs, the video basically starts out with some guys making hot rolled springs and we’re so impressed with their size that we cannot for the life of us figure out what they would be used for. Far too massive for any vehicle we have ever seen, and made from LOTS of steel, these things are carrying some significant weight in their everyday lives.
If you hang all the way to the end you will see an awesome and modern robotic forging hammer being used to shape a glowing mass of metal. This thing literally starts out as a huge glowing hunk of steel and ends up in a shape you won’t expect. All done with precision on a machine that weighs as much as a small ocean going ship…or a mid-size ocean-going ship. Awesome!
What strikes me is how this was done without all the cab/cnc machinery in the past. Great video Brian.