Metal Forgings:
Shaping the Industrial Landscape-
For millions of years the Earth has been formed by constant pressure. From the elements eroding mountain tops to rushing rivers carving out deep valleys, pressing and pounding has created the land we see today. The manufacturing process known as forging involves that same squeezing, pressing, or pounding metal under great pressure (and usually high temperature) to produce high strength parts known as forgings.
Just as our planet's landscape has been shaped by pressure, many important industries like aerospace, automotive, and national defense have been changed thanks the advantages offered by metal forgings. Though people have utilized metal forgings for thousands of years, the characteristics of this production method along with technological advances have allowed forgings to handle the increasing temperature, stress, and load demands of modern industry.
Strength and Safety
The defining quality of forged metal is its great strength. The forging process can manufacture parts that are far stronger than those created by other metalworking techniques. As a result, forgings are most often used where dependability and human safety are vital. When looking at the types of industries where forgings are used their importance in regards to safety becomes apparent. Forging customer markets include:
- Aerospace
- Defense
- Automotive
- Marine
- Medical
- Mining
- Oil drilling
You will rarely see raw forgings as they are usually component parts within assembled items. Nevertheless, whether it is the unseen steel forging that forms your car's crankshaft or the titanium alloy engine mounts keeping your plane in the air, forgings play a huge role in ensuring our wellbeing.
Forgings in the Aerospace Industry
The aerospace industry demands extremely durable materials, making forged metals very prevalent in this field. Forgings have high strength-to-weight ratios and offer immense structural reinforcement. These properties improve the performance, range, and payload capacity of aircraft.
Custom forging of special shapes can yield near-net pieces ready for machining, a huge time and costs savings over working with a solid block of material. Custom forged parts wed strength to the precision that is an absolute must in the aerospace industry. An average airplane can contain more than 450 structural forgings, as well as hundreds of forged engine parts. Each Boeing 747 includes over 18,000 forgings! The following aircraft use forgings:
- Helicopters
- Piston-engine planes
- Commercial jets
- Supersonic military aircraft
- Space shuttles
From nickel alloy forgings in jet engines to external titanium alloy parts on spacecraft, forgings have enabled the aerospace industry to evolve.
Automotive Forgings
In cars and trucks, metal forgings are often found at points of shock and stress. The strength, reliability, and low cost of forged parts are what make them ideal for automotive applications. Cars and trucks often contain more than 250 forgings, usually made of steel alloys. Forgings make up engine and power train parts including:
- Drive shafts
- Transmission shafts
- Differential gears
- Clutch hubs
In addition to making automobiles go, forgings also play the important role of keeping them intact. Off-road vehicles and sports cars alike have component areas where extra strength and toughness are needed. Forged steel provides this structural integrity in the form of:
- Axle beams and shafts
- Wheel spindles
- Torsion arms
- Ball studs
The impact and fatigue that forged alloys are able to withstand along with the ability to fashion specialized parts make forging a fundamental element of the automotive industry.
Enabling Industry
Metal forgings can be found everywhere and are used for applications as common garden tools, however, more often they are at the heart of major industrial projects and products. From aerospace to oil drilling, forged metal has allowed many industries to grow and strengthen.
Contact Snappy Materials for Alloy Forging Stock
Snappy Materials stocks and supplies a variety of billet stock and forgings for all kinds of international projects. Nickel alloys, including Inconel grades, Waspaloy and Hastelloy X; titanium, stainless, aluminum and alloy steel forgings are available. Forged rings, forged and rolled rings, shafts, discs, forged bar and special shapes can be provided in many alloy grades.
Call +1.203.774.3228 or Contact Us via our website. Snappy Materials is an International metals supplier, serving the aerospace, marine, defense, petrochemical, and many other industries.
