Steel Forging - Different Types of Steel Forging, Benefits, and Characteristics of Forged Steel

2023-02-08

There are various types of steel forging you can perform in your manufacturing process, and each steel forging type has their own benefits. Depending on the hardware parts you need to produce and the budget you have for the manufacturing process, you will need to pick the steel forging process that is most suitable for your needs. The different types of steel forging include cold forging, warm forging, and hot forging.

1. Cold Forging and Its Benefits

Cold forging is a steel forging process you can perform at room temperature, with no heat treatment necessary. You will need to press the metal workpiece against the die that contains the shape design for your metal parts by using various compression shaping techniques. Then, you can take the completed hardware parts out of the die and trim the outer layers before you can use it further.

Here are the benefits of cold forging:

● With no heat treatment, you can keep the costs for this process at the minimum.

● Also, you don’t need to apply additional surface finish treatments for the forged metal parts.

● You will have lower energy consumption for this process, which also contributes to lowering its production costs.

● You have the best efficiency in your production, leaving minimal waste materials in the process.

● Best mechanical strength and tolerance for the hardware parts you produce.

2. Warm Forging and Its Benefits

Warm forging is the steel forging process you can perform at above the room temperature and below the usual temperature you use in hot forging. For steel alloys, the temperature you can use for warm forging will range from 1,000 to 1,400-degree Fahrenheit. In this forging process, you will heat the steel materials at the warm temperature, which will be enough for you to ease the shaping process of the material workpiece.

Here are the benefits of warm forging:

● Easier pressing and shaping processes when compared to cold forging, as the heat treatment can reduce the pressing load in the shaping process.

● Keeping the die to work longer when compared to hot forging, as you don’t expose the die to the temperatures that are too high.

● It provides the benefits of both cold forging and hot forging processes, as it sits in the middle between cold forging and hot forging.

● You can also increase the steel ductility when shaping it using the warm forging method.

3. Hot Forging and Its Benefits

Hot forging is a steel forging process that allows you to shape the steel material at a high temperature below the steel alloy’s melting temperature. With hot forging, you can apply various shaping processes, such as hammering, pressing, and rolling, to get the final shape of the metal parts. This process requires constant heating for the metal workpiece.

Here are the benefits of hot forging:

● Easier shaping processes because of the high operation temperature below the steel’s melting point.

● You can shape the metal workpiece with the complex design geometry.

● You can use various shaping techniques, which include pressing, rolling, and hammering, resulting in various potential configurations for the steel materials.

● It provides you with more flexibility during the shaping and finishing processes.

● You can get the best surface quality with the hot forging process.

Characteristics of Forged Steel

Forged steel means the steel materials that have undergone the forging process. To create the forged steel materials, you will need to perform the alloying process of iron and carbon under high pressure. Forged steel differs with the regular steel materials because of its unique characteristics.

Here are the characteristics of forged steel:

● Improved strength and hardness. Compared to the regular steel materials, forged steel has improved strength and hardness, which makes this steel type suitable to use in construction and other industries that require harder and more durable steel frames.

● Minimal surface porosity. With regular steel, you will find quite a big potential for surface porosity, which can affect the quality of the end products you are producing with this material. However, with forged steel, the surface porosity is minimal, so you don’t need to worry that it might weaken the end products when you use this material in your manufacturing production.

● Better ductility. Forged steel also offers better ductility, so you can use this material to create thin hardware parts with no problem.

● Finer structure. The finer structure of the forged steel material will also make the end products look much more refined when you use this material in your production. This will improve the overall look and feel of the final products, along with its overall quality.

Conclusion

There are various types of steel forging you can perform depending on the metal parts you would like to produce and the budget you have for the manufacturing process. Each steel forging process will offer their own benefits, so it’s important for you to consider these benefits before picking the one to perform in your manufacturing production.