Research progress on energy-saving in metal material forging and heat treatment industry

The forging and heat treatment processes of metallic materials are characterized by high levels of pollution and energy consumption. Optimizing these processes for energy efficiency is of great importance for promoting green industrial upgrading. Numerous scholars have proposed optimization strategies from various perspectives,including experimental methods, numerical simulations, and artificial intelligence. These advancements have not only enhanced production efficiency for enterprises but also improved energy utilization, contributing to low-carbon development. This paper provides a systematic overview of the forging and heat treatment processes for metallic materials, categorizing energy-saving optimization strategies into three main approaches: experimental methods,numerical simulations, and artificial intelligence. The advantages and limitations of each approach are analyzed and discussed. Among them, numerical simulations enable comprehensive analysis to optimize production processes but are limited by the long computation time. In recent years, numerical simulation techniques have increasingly evolved toward digital twin applications, allowing real-time interaction between predictive results and actual production processes, thereby achieving dynamic optimization.