Today, metal forging is still an extremely important part of the manufacturing industry and a crucial piece in the production of metal parts. Every year nearly 40 million tons of forgings are produced worldwide. Forging metal often involves raising temperatures to approximately 1000 degrees Celsius.
What are Forgings?
Forgings are the manufacturing process that comes under the category of metal forming. This process produces pieces with a shape of a prototype by using die and hammering. The whole process of forging includes heating the metal to the forging temperature, shaping, and cooling.
A tool known as a die is used to make the metal piece’s shape. There are many advantages of forging such as high strength, better fatigue strength, etc. The cost of forgings is also comparatively less than other metal forming processes.
Forgings are typically used for more critical applications than castings because with castings it is easier to develop and maintain consistent material properties throughout the casting.
Forging process and its types
The forging process shapes metal workpieces by using compressive forces produced by hammers or other forging machines. It is a material forming process that uses hammer blows to deform the metal. Forging can be done on a variety of materials, including alloy steels, tool steels, carbon steels, cast irons, etc. It is the most ancient metalworking process.
Forging is usually done in a forge, but it can also be done with a hammer, a press, or even a building fire. The material is usually heated to a high temperature in the forge.
There are three common types of forging:
- Open Die Forging
- Closed Die Forging
- Cold Forging.
Open die forging is the most common type of forging. You can think of it as a dynamic version of stamping. A punch is placed on the die, and then is hammered into the material. This process produces stronger parts because there is more of a force in the drawing process.
If you are looking for parts to be lighter weight, closed die forging is the way to go. This process uses two dies, one fixed and another movable. The punch is placed in between the two dies and is stamped into the material. If you are more interested in low cost parts, then closed die forging is the way to go.
Closed die forging is very common in the automotive industry. Closed die forging uses a die with a cavity to press material into the desired shape. Closed die forging can be further sub-divided into Segmental die forging and Integral die forging.
Cold forging is a metalworking process that uses a hammer and die to deform or shape a material that is not hot enough to melt. It is a forging process just like hot forging but uses cold metal.
It is a versatile manufacturing process that can be used to make complex three-dimensional parts with relatively small quantities of thermally stable materials. Cold forging is similar to the process of cold rolling or cold extrusion.
When used to make metal parts, cold forging typically results in a finished product that is stronger and of better quality than the same item produced with a machining or casting process.
Where are forgings used?
Forgings are commonly used in automotive parts, hinges, metal furniture, and many other equipment and parts. Open die and closed die forging processes have been used to make large production parts for decades.
They not only create high-quality parts but also allow for quick turn arounds and low costs. The process of forging involves taking metal and deforming it into the desired shape under pressure.
Parts made using forges are stronger and more durable than parts made using other processes. They are also more cost-effective because of low production costs. Forged parts do not require finishing operations like machining and the parts are stronger.
The Industries that use forging are:-
- Automotive
- Agriculture
- Mining
- Construction
- Railways
- Nuclear
- Aerospace
- Chemical
- Power Generation
The different types of forgings
Some common components that can be forged include gears, shafts, fasteners, rails, ball and roller bearings, and cylinder heads. There are different types of forging processes and different types of forging materials to forge.
The different forging types are:
- Hot Forging
- Ring Die Forging
- Spiral Forging
- Roll Forging
- Bending Forging
- Plate Rolled Ring Forging
- Cold Forging
- Open Die Forging
- Closed Die Forging
- Precision Forging
- Upset Forging
what is upset forging process?
Upset forging is a technique that uses a forging hammer to stretch the metal of a workpiece. The workpiece is inserted into a die, which controls the height of the piece during the forging process. The die can be open or closed, and the amount of metal that is stretched into the final piece is called the upset. The method of stretching through the use of a hammer is called power hammer forging.
what is machining in forging?
Machining refers to the process of shaping of metal, usually by cutting or crushing it. In forging, machining is the shaping of metal by the use of a machine tool, usually called a die in the forging industry.
what are forging defects?
Forging defects can be divided into the following categories: First category: workmanship defects, Second category: Material defects, Third category: design defects, and Fourth category: Process defects.
what is drop forging?
Drop forging is a metal shaping process that uses a drop hammer to form the metal. The hammer usually weighs more than 10 tons, and drops onto a heated piece of metal which is held between two dies.