12/5/2018 What are Forgings - A Guide to Learning all about Forgings

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WHAT IS FORGING?

Forging is the process of heating, deforming and nishing a piece of

metal. Forgings are made by forcing materials into customized shapes
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either by the force of a falling ram upon an anvil or by a die press

enclosing a piece of metal and squeeze-forming the part. Due to the
realigning of the grains of metal when heated and deformed, forgings
can withstand extreme pressure and maintain structural integrity
under stress. Once produced, forgings have a broad range of uses
across a variety of industries ranging from heavy trucks, medical
supplies, automotive parts, to aerospace. The industries we serve can
be found here.

The forging process creates parts that are stronger than those manufactured by any other
metalworking process. Forging takes advantage of the metal’s natural grain ow, shaping the
grain ow to conform to the contours of each part’s unique geometry. This grain ow
contouring is lost when cutting through the grain by machining it and is also lost when casting
parts. Forging o ers a single piece versus a welded unit, as the weld quality can be hard to
replicate without additional inspection.

Forgings can be nearly any shape, which reduces the need for joining multiple pieces. Reducing
the joint can improve the overall strength of the unit as the forging does not need to be welded
or otherwise fastened together.

HOW DO FORGINGS COMPARE TO CASTINGS?

Forgings are stronger. Castings do not have strengthening bene ts yielded by hot and cold
forgings. Forging surpasses casting in predictable strength properties and produces superior
simultaneously more ductile and resistant pieces with uniform quality assured across the
production run.

Forging re nes defects from cast ingots or continuous cast bar. A casting has neither grain ow
nor directional strength and the casting process cannot prevent formation of certain
metallurgical defects. Pre-working forge stock produces a grain ow oriented in directions
requiring maximum strength. Dendritic structures, alloy segregations, and similar
imperfections are also re ned in forging.

Forgings are consistently more reliable and often less costly over time compared to castings.
Casting defects occur in a variety of forms. Because hot working re nes grain patterns and
imparts high strength, ductility, and resistance to each forged piece they are also more durable.
Also, they are manufactured without the added costs for tighter process controls and
inspection that are required for castings.

Forgings also o er better response to heat treatment. Castings require close control of melting
and cooling processes because alloy segregation may occur. This results in a non-uniform heat
treatment response that can a ect the straightness of nished parts. Forgings respond more
predictably to heat treatment and o er better dimensional stability.

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Production of forgings allows for exible, cost-e ective adaption to  market demand. Some
castings, such as special performance castings, require expensive materials and process
controls, and longer lead times. Open-die and ring rolling are examples of forging processes
that adapt to various production run lengths and enable shortened lead times.

HOW DO FORGINGS COMPARE TO WELDMENTS/FABRICATIONS?

Forgings o er production economies and material savings. Welded fabrications are more costly
in high volume production runs. In fact, fabricated parts are a traditional source of forging
conversions as production volume increases. Initial tooling costs for forging can be absorbed
by production volume and material savings. Forgings’ production economics lower labor costs,
scrap and rework reductions through reduced inspection costs.

Forgings are stronger. Welded structures are not generally free of porosity. Any strength
bene t gained from welding or fastening standard rolled products can be lost by poor welding
or joining practice. The grain orientation achieved in forging makes stronger parts.

Forgings also o er cost-e ective designs. A multiple-component welded assembly cannot

match the cost-savings gained from a properly designed, one-piece forging. Such part
consolidations can result in considerable cost savings. In addition, weldments require costly
inspection procedures, especially for highly stressed components. Forgings do not.

Forgings o er more consistent, better metallurgical properties. Selective heating and non-
uniform cooling that occur in welding can yield undesirable metallurgical properties such as
inconsistent grain structure. When in use, a welded seam may act as a notch that can
contribute to part failure. Forgings have no internal voids that might cause unexpected failure
under stress or impact.

Forgings o er simpli ed production. Welding and mechanical fastening require careful

selection of joining materials, fastening types and sizes, and close monitoring of tightening
practices both of which increase production costs. Forging simpli es production and ensures
better quality and consistency.

HOW DO FORGINGS COMPARE TO MACHINED BAR/PLATE?

Forgings o er a broader size range of desired material grades. Sizes and shapes of products
made from steel bar and plate are limited to the dimensions in which these materials are
supplied. Often, forging may be the only metalworking process available with certain grades in
desired sizes. Forgings can be economically produced in a wide range of sizes, from parts
whose largest dimension is less than 1 inch, to parts weighing more than 450,000 lbs.

Forgings are grain oriented to shape for greater strength. Machined bar and plate may be more
susceptible to fatigue and stress corrosion because machining cuts into material grain patterns.
In most cases, forging yields a grain structure oriented to the parts’ external contours, resulting
in optimum strength, ductility and resistance to impact and fatigue.

Forgings make better, more economic use of materials. Flame cutting plate is a wasteful
process, one of several fabricating steps that consumes more material than needed to make

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such parts as rings or hubs. Even more material is lost in subsequent machining.

Forgings yield lower scrap and increase e ciency of production. Forgings, especially near-net
shapes pieces, make better use of material and generate little scrap. In high-volume production
runs, forgings have a decisive cost advantage.

Forgings require fewer secondary operations. As supplied, some grades of bar and plate
require additional operations such as turning, grinding, and polishing to remove surface
irregularities and achieve desired nish, dimensional accuracy, machinability, and strength.
Often, forgings can be put into service without expensive secondary operations.

WHAT DOES FRG OFFER?

We are the premier closed-die solutions provider. Operating out of six production facilities
across the Midwest, one of our greatest strengths is in the diversity of solutions we o er. The
types of forgings we produce can range from a fraction of a pound up to 350 lbs. Our
capabilities in materials include multiple grades and types of metals, depending on the end
use. Carbon, alloy and stainless steels, as well as aluminum, brass and titanium can all be
forged. We also o er a range of additional services, allowing us to stay competitive and directly
supply nished product to our customers.

WHY FRG?
We are a comprehensive forging solutions provider committed to excellence in everything we
do.  In addition, we are ISO 9001 and AS 9100 certi ed and ITAR compliant. Our engineering
team utilizes various computer modeling techniques and the latest technological capabilities,
as well as extensive physical testing. We o er our partners a dependable link in their supply
chain by constantly focusing on quality, short lead times and competitive pricing.  Each forging,
no matter how complex, is also backed by our ongoing customer service and expert
engineering.

CERTIFICATIONS
FRG is ISO 9001, AS 9100 and ITAR compliant. Continuous improvement is achieved by
ongoing Six Sigma and active 5S programs. All facilities abide by our corporate quality
policy and vision statement.

ISO 9001 CERTIFICATIONS

AS9100 CERTIFICATIONS

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