Forging
Forging is a manufacturing process in which a metal alloy (aluminium, steel, stainless steel, copper, etc.) is heated to a temperature at which it becomes plastic and then is hammered or pressed into a desired shape.
Through forging, the desired material is brought to a temperature above its recrystallization temperature. This makes the material malleable while retaining the improved mechanical properties that it loses during a casting process.
In forging, these heated metal alloys are subjected to high pressure using hardened steel dies and forging forces ranging from 100T to as much as 8,000T. Due to the immense forces applied to the malleable metal, the material deforms to the shape of more complex dies. Additionally, due to these immense pressures, the malleable material precisely fills the die, allowing for the easy production of complex and thin-walled shapes without the need for extensive post-processing.
With forging, products can be continuously produced, allowing for small to medium-sized productions ranging from 500 to 50,000 pieces. Due to the series quantities, production speed, and relatively low die costs, production costs are relatively low.
Advantages
The main advantages of forging are:
- Small to medium-sized series of 500 to 50,000 pieces can be produced.
- Excellent accuracy and surface quality of products.
- Improved strength, toughness, and fatigue resistance compared to cast products due to the retention of mechanical properties.
- Materials can undergo heat treatment to improve mechanical properties.
- Lower die costs compared to complex casting processes.
Consequences
- Thin-walled and complex products may need to be adapted for production.
- Wall thicknesses from 3.0mm are workable. There is no maximum limit.
- For product release from the die, we recommend using a draft angle between 2.0 and 4.0°. This depends on the complexity and size of the product.
- Forged products can be subsequently machined using CNC machining to achieve desired fits or tolerances.