A Brief Guide To Press Part Forgings

 

Forging is a manufacturing process in which a metal is formed by hammering, pressing or rolling. These compressive forces are delivered with a hammer or die. Forging is often classified according to the temperature at which it is performed: cold, hot or hot forging.

A wide variety of metals can be forged. Typical metals used in forging are carbon steel, alloy steel and stainless steel. Very soft metals such as aluminum, brass and copper can also be forged. The forging process can produce parts with excellent mechanical properties with a minimum of scrap. The basic concept is that the original metal is plastically deformed into the desired geometric shape, giving it greater fatigue strength and strength. The process of press part forgings is economical with the ability to mass produce parts and achieve specific mechanical properties in the final product.

History Of Forging

Blacksmithing has been practiced by blacksmiths for thousands of years. First, bronze and copper were the most commonly forged metals during the Bronze Age. Later, when the ability to control the temperature and the smelting process of iron were discovered, iron became the most important wrought metal. Traditional products include kitchen utensils, hardware, hand tools and edged weapons. The Industrial Revolution allowed forging to evolve into a more efficient mass production process. Since then, forging has evolved with advances in equipment, robotics, electronic controls and automation. Forging is now a global industry with modern forging facilities producing high quality metal parts in a variety of sizes, shapes, materials and finishes.

 

Press Forging 

Press part forgings uses slow, continuous pressure or force, rather than the impact used in drop hammer forging. The slower stroke of the piston means that the deformation extends deeper so that the entire volume of the metal is evenly affected. Conversely, with hammer forging, the deformation is often only superficial, while the inside of the metal remains somewhat undeformed. By controlling the compression rate in pressure molding, the internal tension can also be controlled.

Advantages Of Pressure Molding:

• Economical for heavy productions
• Greater accuracy in tolerances within 0.01-0.02 inches
• Dies have less draft for better dimensional accuracy
• Speed, pressure and movement of the mold are automatically controlled
• Process automation is possible
• The capacity of the presses varies from 500 to 9000 tons

Automatic Hot Stamping

In chassis forgings, mill-length steel bars are inserted into one end of the forging machine at room temperature and the hot-forged products come out at the other end. The bar is heated to a temperature in the range of 2190-2370°F in less than 60 seconds using high power induction coils. The bar is descaled with rollers and divided into blanks. At this stage, the metal passes through several forming stages, which can be coupled with high-speed cold forming operations. Usually cold forming is left to finishing. This makes it possible to exploit the advantages of cold forging while maintaining the high speed of automatic hot forging. 

Advantages Of Automatic Hot Stamping:

• High output speed
• Acceptance of inexpensive materials
• Minimum manpower required to operate the machines
• Produces little or no material waste (material savings of between 20 and 30% compared to conventional forging)

If you are looking for the best press part forgings, visit us at KDK Forging Co