FORGING
 

Forging is Westray’s historical strength and we have in excess of fifty years experience in the closed die forging process. Forgings are always specified where high strength, low weight are required.

Other critical applications that use forgings extensively are:

  • hooks, shackles and other lifting gear.
  • High strength bolts for a vast array of applications where failure cannot be tolerated.


The forging process can be broadly divided into “open die” and “closed die”. The open die process is used for parts weighing from approx 100kg to many tonnes. Typically, the heated billet is manipulated between flat or shaped die faces to form an approximate shape that is subsequently machined to final dimensions. Open die forgings are used extensively in industries such as mining, oil & gas, aerospace and shipping.

Closed die forging can be further subdivided in to “cold”, “warm” and “hot”, depending on the metal forming temperature. Cold and warm require much higher tonnages to forge the steel and parts are therefore smaller and more symmetrical than is the case with hot forging.
The typical temperature for hot forging is 1200DegC, at which temperature the metal is plastic, but not molten. The forging process forces the metal to flow into the tooling cavity, which when completely filled, produces the required shape and importantly, the required grain flow to achieve the strength properties.

The main limitation of closed die forging compared to other manufacturing processes is the initial cost of tooling to make the part. It therefore requires high quantities to justify the cost.

For further information on the forging process and the industry worldwide, please refer to the following links:

 

Consultancy
 
Forging
 
Casting
 
Fabrications
 
Machined Parts
 

Not sure which manufacturing technique to use for your projects? Click Here