THE IMPACT OF AI IN TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT ON FORGE SHOPS OF THE FUTURE
By THORS eLearning Solutions
As one of the oldest and most reliable manufacturing
processes, the fundamentals of forging – such as controlled deformation, heat,
force, and material flow – have changed little over time. Yet the industry
itself is anything but static. Competitive pressures, workforce demographics,
and expectations around productivity and consistency continue to rise.
Forging leaders routinely evaluate investments in equipment,
tooling, and process improvements to meet these demands, but what is less
visible, but equally critical, is employee development – evolving how people
learn and how knowledge flows through the organization. Structured training
programs are designed to develop people’s skills, which in turn directly
influence quality, safety, production, and risk. As modern-day AI (artificial
intelligence) tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, CoPilot and others become a
normal part of how people learn and solve problems, the cost of relying solely
on traditional or conventional training approaches is becoming harder to
ignore.
With new classes of AI tools emerging and advanced AI
capabilities now embedded in many commercial LMS platforms, the question for
forging organizations is no longer whether AI-powered learning solutions are
too futuristic for this industry. It is whether organizations can afford not to
adapt as employee learning behavior itself changes.
There are many benefits to be gained from adding AI-based
learning tools to the forging work environment, which we’ll explore in this
article.
Learning Behavior Has Changed, While Training Systems
Have Not
Outside the workplace, many employees already rely on AI
tools to answer questions, summarize information, and explore cause-and-effect
relationships. For new workers entering forging roles, this behavior is not new
or experimental; it has become normal and natural.
When new employees encounter shop-floor training systems
built around printed materials, physical manuals, or scattered digital files,
friction appears. Initially, this shows up as lost time spent searching for
answers or seeking help from a knowledgeable co worker. Over time, it becomes a
deeper issue. Employees either accept “time-outs” for knowledge retrieval as
standard operating procedure or they develop informal workarounds to get the
information they need.
These all-too-common “blind spots” reflect a growing gap
between how people expect to learn and solve problems – and how organizations
provide information. When internal systems are difficult to navigate, employees
do not stop learning – they simply look elsewhere.
Let’s look at ‘Closed-Die Forging’ as an example because it
is widely used on shop floors.
Typical shop-floor challenges
New operators often learn the sequence of steps quickly:
billet heating, placement, press operation, and part removal. What takes much
longer to develop is the understanding behind those steps. How billet
temperature affects die fill. How forging force influences flash formation. How
lubrication impacts die life.
This difference – between knowing what to do and
understanding why – matters. Operators who lack cause-and-effect understanding
may struggle when conditions change, defects appear, or equipment behaves
unexpectedly. Traditionally, this knowledge develops slowly through experience,
trial and error, and mentoring. While effective, this approach consumes time,
scrap, and supervisory resources, putting a strain on limited resources.
In contrast, AI-powered learning tools offer a way to
accelerate this understanding without increasing production risk.
Why Traditional Training Struggles to Scale
Conventional forging training relies heavily on experience.
Shadowing and mentoring new team members remains essential, but it can be
difficult to scale this model consistently across shifts, facilities, and
workforce turnover.
Documentation helps standardize expectations, but static
instructions are unable to convey dynamic processes such as metal flow or
defect formation. Manuals explain procedures, but they rarely build intuition.
As a result, learning often remains reactive – focused on trial and error to
gain experience, and correcting problems after they occur rather than
preventing them.
With AI-powered learning solutions, hands-on training is
paired with a learning layer that allows operators to explore processes,
visualize outcomes, and build their decision-making skills before mistakes
occur on the shop floor.
Practical Applications of AI in Closed-Die Forging
Training
The following examples illustrate how AI-powered learning
tools can support closed-die forging training in practical, shop-floor-relevant
ways.
1. Parameter–Effect Exploration
AI-based learning tools allow learners to explore parameter
effects virtually by enabling them to adjust variables such as billet
temperature, forging force, lubrication level, and die alignment and
immediately see the impact. Outcomes such as underfill, excessive flash, or die
damage can be explored virtually using AI.
This approach builds cause-and-effect understanding rather
than rote memorization. Operators develop intuition that helps them respond
more effectively to real-world variability – without scrap or downtime.
2. Visual Demonstration of the Forging Sequence
Certain aspects of forging, such as internal metal flow and
die cavity filling, are difficult to observe during production. AI-driven
visual demonstrations address this gap by showing animated simulations of the
forging sequence.
Operators can replay steps, isolate stages, and explore
“what if” scenarios. For example, seeing how insufficient billet temperature
leads to underfill reinforces concepts that are difficult to convey through
text alone. It’s like having instant, interactive video replays – directly in
the flow of work.
3. AI-Based Defect Recognition Training
Defect recognition is a skill typically built through
experience. AI-based learning tools accelerate this process by presenting real
images of forged parts and prompting learners to identify defects, probable
causes, and corrective actions.
This reinforces the connection between process variables and
outcomes, strengthening diagnostic judgment on the shop floor.
4. Voice-Based AI Assistants
Voice-based AI assistants allow operators to ask questions
in plain language and receive concise explanations supported by images or short
clips. This type of “hands-free” interaction is especially valuable in
fast-paced environments – or for operators with limited English reading
proficiency.
By reducing reliance on manuals or informal guidance, these
tools help standardize understanding without slowing production.
5. Skill-Level Adaptive Learning
AI-powered learning tools can adjust content based on the
learner’s experience level. New operators can focus on fundamentals, while more
experienced personnel can explore more advanced skills such as process control,
defect prevention, and die wear considerations.
This allows a single system to support multiple roles,
reducing the need for separate training tracks.
The examples outlined above show how AI-powered learning
tools can support learning at the individual skill level, making employees more
efficient, confident and empowered. Moreover, giving employees easy access to
accurate, approved knowledge not only improves overall efficiency, but also has
direct consequences for consistency, safety, and risk across the operation.
When Access to Knowledge Falls Behind, Risk Increases
When access to accurate, approved information is
inconsistent, variability follows. Operators rely on memory, coworkers,
supervisors, outdated files, or whichever source is most readily available.
When SOPs change, different teams or shifts may unknowingly work from
obsolete/outdated versions of procedures or specifications. Over time, the
impact of information gaps can compound – increasing rework, complicating
audits, and introducing risk that is difficult to trace back to a single cause.
As all-purpose AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and
others become common outside the workplace, another risk emerges. Employees may
turn to these tools for explanations – without knowing whether the information
they provide aligns with company-specific standards or safety requirements. The
issue is not the AI tools themselves, but the lack of control over how
knowledge is accessed and applied to company-specific challenges.
Commercially available AI tools from companies like OpenAI
(ChatGPT), Google (Gemini), Anthropic (Claude), and Microsoft (Copilot) can be
purchased and installed inside a company firewall to secure and protect any
proprietary knowledge and information that’s shared. When properly implemented,
this type of AI assistance can reduce risk by consistently surfacing approved
procedures, specifications, and vetted institutional knowledge.
The Strategic Cost of Losing Control of Organizational
Knowledge
Forging is a knowledge-intensive industry. Decisions related
to die wear, press behavior, and process sequencing reflect years of
experience. When the appropriate subject matter experts are not accessible – or
if they retire – the company stands to lose the context, judgment, and
continuity of their decision-making rationale.
AI assistants and AI-powered learning tools cannot replace
expert judgment, but they can make that judgment accessible and reusable. The
greatest cost of doing nothing is not measured in training hours, but in the
gradual loss of control over how knowledge is shared and applied.
For forging leaders, the question is no longer whether or
not AI-powered learning tools have an important role to play in employee
training and development. The choice is whether to proactively embrace AI tools
to shape employee learning and knowledge sharing – or allow that decision to be
made informally, one workaround at a time.
Final Takeaways
AI-powered learning does not replace experience – it
harnesses the knowledge that’s already there. By providing a way to capture and
share the valuable knowledge the company has built up over time, AI learning
tools democratize access to expertise.
When considering whether AI-powered learning tools are right
for your organization, here are the key factors to remember:
- Workforce learning has changed faster than traditional training systems.
- AI-powered
learning tools help operators build cause-and-effect understanding without
scrap or downtime.
- When
properly used, AI tools can reduce risk by keeping learning aligned with
approved processes.
- The
greatest risk is not adopting AI but losing valuable knowledge that benefits
the wider organization.
In forging, knowledge has always been a competitive
advantage. Using AI-powered learning tools helps companies leverage their
knowledge as an asset, while ensuring that it remains controlled, accessible,
and scalable, so that organizations can thrive and employees can excel.
About THORS eLearning Solutions:
THORS eLearning Solutions is a leading global provider of
online technical courses and AI-powered productivity tools specifically
designed for the manufacturing industry.
Founded in 2010, THORS eLearning Solutions has been
transforming manufacturing education through THORS Academy, a visually engaging
and ever-expanding eLearning library of over 230 expert-developed courses.
Covering topics from manufacturing fundamentals and materials to quality
standards and emerging technologies, THORS Academy empowers professionals to
increase their knowledge base to keep up with today’s fast-paced manufacturing environment.
To date, over 250,000 manufacturing professionals worldwide have advanced their
expertise using THORS Academy.
The company’s newest offering, MFG Genius, is a powerful
generative AI assistant providing technical knowledge on demand at the point of
need. Trained on the vetted manufacturing knowledge of THORS Academy, as well
as customer-supplied content, MFG Genius enables manufacturing teams to quickly
resolve production challenges and optimize operational efficiency —all while
supporting continuous improvement initiatives.
Trusted by Fortune 500 companies and their Tier 1 and
Tier 2 suppliers across a diverse array of manufacturing sectors, THORS eLearning
Solutions helps organizations boost productivity, empower learners, and
optimize decision-making, while saving time and money.
Learn more at www.thors.com.
Senthil Kumar
Founder and CEO
THORS eLearning Solutions
Phone: 330-576-4448
Email: senthil.kumar@thors.com