What is forging?

Forging is the process of shaping a solid metal using compressive forces. It is usually conducted when the metal is hot (say 1000degC) as the forces required to shape the metal will be much lower than if forging is attempted at intermediate ‘warm’ temperatures or at room temperature when ‘cold’ forging.

The forge itself can vary in size considerably, from the very largest units with the capacity to impact of load equivalent to > 50,000T, down to units for forging small, individual components in a single blow.

The forge is equipped with tools to transfer the load and help shape the metal. A hammer forge uses a simply-shaped tool to ‘hit’ the metal, and relies on the metal workpiece being manipulated to achieve the desired shape. A die forge uses shaped tools to achieve a particular cross section, for instance square bars. An open-die allows the workpiece to be moved through it on consecutive blows to shape a relatively longer component. Whereas a closed die, as the name suggest, consists of a pair of dies which when brought together can impart of more complex shape upon the metal workpiece.

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If you have any more questions about sourcing forged components in austenitic or duplex stainless steels, nickel alloys or high-performance copper alloys, please contact us today. A member of our team will be more than happy to help and can also advise you on the best option for your application.