A joint Air Force, Army and Navy “Purple Program” effort involving a critical suspension lug was moving from a forged part to one machined from bar stock. This direction was undertaken despite tensile data provided by Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center personnel showing that the bar stock properties actually increase the risk of catastrophic failure. FORGE-IT was contacted by CCDC AC in December of 2019 to provide additional technical review of the details.

FORGE-IT reviewed the technical information associated with this part, concluding forged suspension lugs are superior to machined bar stock and necessary for safety and mission criticality. As a result of this recommendation, the technical justification FORGE-IT provided was communicated out by the requestor along with their report and supporting data.

In February 2021 a Lead Engineer at Eglin Air Force base contacted us through familiarity with our team and on the recommendation of the individual who wrote the report described above. FORGE-IT was invited to a joint call with the Air Force, Navy, and Army, where the team provided technical recommendations and answered questions from those involved in the project.

In addition, FORGE-IT reached out to forge shops via the relationship with FDMC to gauge interest in having new sources qualified to make this forging. The Lead Engineer expressed gratitude for our recommendations and support, and our team remains committed to working with DOD on this project, providing support and recommendations during this ongoing effort.​