What is forging? Forging is shaping of steel or other metals using compressible forces under high pressure. Metals manipulated by forging possess more strength than parts done by other methods. Forged metals are typically used in weapons, drilling equipment, vehicles and other machinery that depend on highly reliable and stable mechanical operation. Forged steel is used to make stainless steel, alloy, etc. Here are the different steel forging methods that are used today.
Impression-Die forging creates metal parts through extreme pressure. In the impression-die forging, two dies are used, each apply up to fifty thousand tons of pressure on the heated metal. This forging is used to create basic to complex shapes and designs.
Cold forging is a very good alternative to impression-die forging. This techniques requires no or very minimal heating of the metal. It is idle for forming small parts of less than 10 lbs weight. Cold forging is used to form hollow shafts, coins and cup-shaped components.
Seamless Rolled-Ring Forging
Seamless Rolled-Ring Forging is used to produce rings as small as a few centimeters all the way to thirty feet in diameters. The rings can weigh less 1lb and maximum of 350,000 lbs. In this forging technique, a hole is punched in the middle of a rounded piece of metal to create a doughnut shape. The process includes a combination of rolling, pounding and contouring to form rings into machine parts. Seamless Rolled-Ring Forging produces highest-performance, strongest ring-shaped parts for valves, engine bearings, pressure vessels and gears.
Open die forging is used to create large-sized metal shapes. Many open and flat-faced dies continuously work on the metal until it takes the final, desired form. The open-die forging technique is used to produce shafts, rings, hollow cylinders, geometrical shapes out of any metal alloy like steel.
In roll forging, the flat or round bar stock is reduced in thickness and increased in length. Roll forging is performed using two cylindrical or semi-cylindrical rolls, each containing 1 or more shaped grooves. Examples of parts produced by roll forging include leaf springs, axles and tapered levers.