Select appropriate metal materials according to the requirements of the parts, such as carbon steel, alloy steel, aluminum alloy, etc.
The raw materials are usually in the form of billets or bars. They need to be inspected for quality to ensure that they meet the specified chemical composition and mechanical properties.
Heating
The prepared billets are heated to a suitable forging temperature range. This is to reduce the strength of the metal and increase its plasticity, making it easier to deform under the action of forging force.
The heating process is usually carried out in a furnace, such as a gas furnace or an electric furnace. The temperature is precisely controlled to ensure uniform heating of the billet.
Forging Operation
Hammer Forging: Use a forging hammer to strike the heated billet. The forging hammer can generate high impact force to make the metal billet gradually deform into the desired shape. This method is suitable for producing small and medium-sized forgings with simple shapes.
Press Forging: Utilize a press to apply a slow and continuous compressive force to the billet. The press can provide a large forging force, which is suitable for forging large-sized parts or parts with complex shapes.
Die Forging: Use a set of dies, including upper and lower dies. The heated billet is placed between the dies, and under the action of forging force, the metal fills the die cavity to form a forging with precise shape and size. Die forging can improve production efficiency and forging accuracy, and is suitable for mass production.
Finishing
Trimming: After forging, excess flash (the extra metal that squeezes out during forging) needs to be removed. This is usually done by using trimming dies or cutting tools to make the forging surface more smooth and the size more accurate.
Machining: Some forgings require further machining operations, such as turning, milling, drilling, and grinding, to achieve the final dimensional accuracy and surface roughness required by the parts.
Heat Treatment: In order to improve the mechanical properties of the forgings, heat treatment processes such as quenching, tempering, and normalizing are often carried out. This can refine the grain structure of the metal, improve hardness, strength and toughness.
Inspection and Quality Control
Visual Inspection: Check the surface of the forgings for cracks, pores, scratches and other defects. The surface quality of the forgings has a significant impact on its performance and service life.
Dimensional Inspection: Use measuring tools such as calipers, micrometers and coordinate measuring machines to measure the dimensions of the forgings to ensure that they meet the design requirements.
Mechanical Property Testing: Test the mechanical properties of the forgings, including hardness, tensile strength, yield strength, impact toughness, etc., to ensure that the forgings have the required performance.
Nondestructive Testing: Use nondestructive testing methods such as ultrasonic testing, radiographic testing and magnetic particle testing to detect internal defects of the forgings without damaging the forgings.
