Forging and related metal forming processes are key industrial technologies since they are required to produce economically many highly reliable parts. Over the last decades, these industrial processes have been improved through many RTD projects in materials science, mechanical engineering and more recently in numerical simulation. The goal of ViF-CA is to gather and analyse this scattered knowledge in order to solve some of today's industrial problems and to incorporate into industrial practices the recent advances in virtual production, supply chain and life-cycle management. The strategy is to create a forging knowledge community through several scientific, technological, training and educational activities. These activities are designed to :

- identify current industrial and societal needs, analyse and use the existing knowledge to solve these problems

- define, validate and use reference benchmarks for virtual process simulations and materials testing

- create an e-Forging environment

- determine the needs for material data and define a blueprint for an e-Database

- design a structure for the virtual integration of process simulations from raw materials to product design

- promote transversal educational programmes and a roadmap for an e-learning forging platform

- organise workshops for gathering the current necessary knowledge and disseminate the results of the project

- promote programmes for mobility of researchers, students and industrial staff.

The consortium gathers educational and research organisations, experts in the various scientific areas, and a large number of forging, software and IT industries from 17 European countries. The Deliverables include a Book of forging, projects for an e-Database and an e-learning platform, benchmarks for process simulations and materials testing, and a structure for a virtual supply chain.