What is drop forging? Exploring The Process and Benefits of Drop Forging

1. What is drop forging? Exploring the Process and Benefits of Drop Forging Forging is a kind of manufacturing process in which various types of metals are shaped by using various methods such as hammering, pressing, and rolling. Drop forging is a kind of metal forging process in which the metal pieces are given shape by inserting the metal into a die and is hammered until the metal takes the shape of the die. This type of forging is named so because in this process a hammer is dropped continuously till the metal is molded as per the requirement. In the drop forging process, you can give shapes to various types of metals such as steel, aluminum, brass, copper, stainless steel, magnesium, etc. along with their alloys. If you are interested in knowing what is drop forging, then go through this blog to know more. Types of Drop Forging Drop forging is mainly of two types and they are as follows: Open-die forging This type of forging is also called smith forging. In this type of forging a hammer is used for striking and deforming the metal into the shape of the die. In this type of forging, metal does not gets confined completely in the dies rather the metal flows in all the areas of the dies, and the operator is used to orient and position the metal for giving it the required shape. This type of forging is used for making both simple as well as large parts and when some specialized

2. shapes are required flat dies are used. As compared to close-die forging, open-die forging always has better fatigue resistance and strength. Moreover, in this type of forging the chances of error or getting holes is less and that is the reason why open-die forging is highly used. Close-die forging This type of forging is also called impression-die forging. Unlike, open-die forging the metal in this type of forging is placed in a die and remains attached to an anvil. When the hammer drops on the metal it used to flow until the die cavities are filled. The hammer of this type of forging comes in contact in milliseconds and when the metal becomes excess it gets pushed out from the die cavities and it results in flush. The best thing about this type of forging is that the flash gets cooled very quickly due to which the metal becomes stronger. When the process of the forging is over the operator removes the flash. The biggest advantage of this forging is that you can produce parts up to 25 tons in this forging. Moreover, heavy production can be done very economically. Key Benefits of Drop Forging Knowing what is drop forging is not enough, knowing its key benefits will help you understand the reason behind the surging benefits of drop forging: Drop-forged parts possess enhanced strength. With controlled deformity, it offers improved structural integrity. The overall production process is cost-effective in the long term. Design flexibility is enhanced that enables complex shapes and intricate designs of metal parts. Metal parts formed through the drop forging process exhibit excellent fatigue resistance. Endnote Various components and spare parts such as levers, gears, spanners, etc. that are produced with the help of open-die and close-die forging are used in several industries like automotive, defense, heavy engineering, and agricultural sectors.