Audited Supplier
Situated in the renowned casting & forging hub of Botou, Hebei province, China, Botou Casting Machinery Factory, the predecessor of Cangzhou Metallic Crafts Co., Ltd, stands proud with a rich history spanning over three decades in the custom forging industry. Just 200km from the bustling capital of Beijing, our factory is a beacon of innovation and tradition, seamlessly blending the wisdom of time-honored forging techniques with cutting-edge technologies and machinery. As a dedicated and progressive manufacturer, we not only cherish the valuable experiences of our peers but also continuously strive to incorporate new methodologies to stay ahead in the dynamic market landscape. We are passionately committed to evolving and enhancing our capabilities to meet and exceed market demands, ensuring our esteemed clientele receive the excellence they deserve.
Forging, an age-old art in metalworking, continues to stand as a pillar of effectiveness even in modern times. At its essence, forging involves the masterful shaping of raw metal, avoiding complete melting to retain the solid state of the material. Skilled operators employ techniques like hammering, rolling, or pressing to mold the metal. Among the many variations of forging, each boasts unique advantages, yet most methods share the common practice of heating the metal to high temperatures to ease the shaping journey.
Forging offers unmatched physical properties compared to casting or other techniques, providing impressive tensile strength at a favorable cost. This superiority is largely due to the transformation of the metal's grain. Since forging avoids melting, the applied percussive and compressive forces guide the grain to mirror the finished product's flow, crafting components that surpass the strength of machined and cast pieces.
CMC Forge bridges the gap between these forging benefits and industry needs, delivering skilled forging services that cater to a diverse range of applications, ensuring that clients across various sectors can harness these advantages.
THE INTRICACIES OF THE FORGING PROCESS
Forging encompasses numerous subdivisions, and the specific steps for creating a product can vary. However, the overarching process typically adheres to a consistent blueprint.
- The forging process hinges on using dies to compress and shape metal effectively. Selecting the optimal set of tools is crucial for attaining the desired shape. Often, custom die designs are essential to ensure precise alignment with expectations. For extensive production runs, this phase may involve creating multiple dies tailored for flattening, forming, or cutting, optimizing the forging workflow.
- Following the meticulous planning and toolmaking phase, the metalworking stage commences. Initially, the workpiece, or billet, is cut to the required size, then heated to the ideal temperature, preparing it for the transformative forging process.
- Here, the forging tactics diverge based on the selected method. The billet might be heated and pressed between two dies or placed in a molded cavity for compression. Alternatively, in cold forging, the operator manually shapes the room-temperature billet with hammers, showcasing the versatility of forging approaches.
- To conclude, finishing tasks may be necessary. For example, some dies might produce excess material, known as flashing, which needs trimming to perfect the final piece.
Discover the two predominant metal forming techniques - hot forging and cold forging. Both processes are transformative, shaping metals into high-performance components, yet they achieve their impressive results through distinct methodologies.
Hot forging is an exhilarating process where metals are heated to temperatures soaring above their recrystallization point-sometimes reaching a blazing 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit. This intense heat dramatically reduces the energy needed to mold the metal, as it lowers yield strength while enhancing ductility. Beyond the ease of transformation, hot forging vanquishes chemical inconsistencies, ensuring the creation of superior quality products.
Cold forging is defined by its precision, typically performed at room temperature or any temperature below the recrystallization point. While the formidable strength of high carbon steel can challenge this method, cold forging excels with unmatched dimensional accuracy, uniformity, and exquisite surface finish. It employs a myriad of techniques such as bending, extruding, cold drawing, and cold heading. However, this precision demands advanced, powerful machinery, often necessitating intermediate anneals, which can increase production complexities.
ADVANTAGES
- Preserve the natural grain flow of metal
- Uphold the inherent strength and robustness of metal
- Achieve the flawless elimination of defects, inclusions, and porosity.
- Enjoy relatively low production costs
- Capitalize on high production output efficiency
Our company, Botou Casting Machinery Processing Co., Ltd, takes immense pride in offering exceptionally high-quality hot forging parts and components tailored for a diverse array of industries. Whether it's the precision needs of the automotive world, the hygienic demands of food and dairy, the robust requirements of machinery, the innovative challenges of medical, plumbing, and watering systems, the resilience needed in mining and petrochemical sectors, or the cutting-edge fields of electrical, energy, aerospace, and submarine technology, our products meet and exceed expectations.
Renowned for delivering some of the strongest manufactured parts, hot forging stands unparalleled among metal manufacturing processes. At Botou Casting Machinery Processing Co., Ltd, we specialize in crafting hot forging parts and components that range from mere grams to over several hundred kilograms. For those parts requiring distinct surface finish requirements, our extensive secondary operations include precision machining, advanced surface finishing, and more, ensuring every detail shines.
What Is Hot Forging?
Hot forging is a transformative process where metal is heated beyond its recrystallization temperature. This significant heating reduces the flow stress and energy required for shaping the metal, thereby optimizing production efficiency and strain rate. By making the metal more malleable and less prone to fracturing, hot forging is essential for creating intricate designs with reliability.
Iron and its alloys are predominantly hot forged for two compelling reasons: #1) Progressing work hardening makes hard materials like steel and iron increasingly difficult to manage, and #2) Economically, it is more feasible to hot forge metals such as steel, followed by heat treatment, as this can significantly strengthen the metal through various processes, beyond just cold working techniques.
The typical temperatures for hot forging various metals are as follows: Aluminum (Al) Alloys require 360° (680°F) to 520°C (968°F), Copper (Cu) Alloys need 700°C (1,292°F) to 800°C (1,472°F), and Steel demands temperatures up to 1,150°C (2,102°F).
How are Hot Forgings Made?
In hot forging, metal is subjected to temperatures surpassing its recrystallization point, enabling effortless plastic deformation without strain hardening. This method involves heating the metal above the recrystallization threshold and forming it in a mold, which can also be heated accordingly. The elevated temperature of the metal facilitates easier manipulation, empowering manufacturers to achieve more intricate shapes compared to cold forging.
For superalloys, characterized by low malleability, specialized processes like isothermal forging are employed to prevent oxidation. Isothermal forging-also known as hot forging-maintains the workpiece at its peak temperature throughout the forging process, ensuring optimal results.
This temperature maintenance is achieved by heating the mold, maintaining it either at an elevated or slightly lower temperature than the workpiece. The mold's applied force molds the workpiece, and the elevated temperature of the mold prevents premature cooling at the mold's interface with the workpiece, thereby enhancing metal flow properties.
Advantages of Hot Forging
- Greatly increased ductility
- Capability to achieve complex shapes
- Provides high precision components
- Outstanding cost-effectiveness
- Improved stiffness and strength
- Size range available: 1 inch to 30 inches
- Weight range: From ounces to over 100 pounds
| Material | Characteristics | Application |
|---|---|---|
| Stainless Steel | Corrosion-resistant |
|
| Low Carbon and Low Alloy Steel | Easily processed Good mechanical properties Low material cost |
|
| HSLA/Microalloy Steel | Good mechanical properties Low material cost Simple thermomechanical treatment |
|
| Aluminum | Good strength-to-weight ratio Readily forged |
|
| Aluminum A356.0 | Good strength-to-weight ratio Readily forged |
|
| Nickel-Base Superalloy | Oxidation resistance Creep-rupture strength |
|
| Titanium | High strength Low density Excellent corrosion resistance |
|
Secondary Operations and Heat Treatment of Hot Forging We Offer
- High Precision Machining: Our state-of-the-art technology ensures flawless precision and meticulous attention to detail, delivering exceptional quality in every component.
- Punching, Drilling, Tapping, Bending, Milling: Experience the pinnacle of engineering with our comprehensive range of services, including precise punching, exact drilling, expert tapping, innovative bending, and superior milling, all tailored to meet your unique specifications.
- Painting, Anodizing, Black Oxide, Powder Coating: Enhance and protect your products with our premium finishing solutions - choose from vibrant painting, resilient anodizing, sleek black oxide, or durable powder coating to achieve the perfect aesthetic and functional finish.
- Heat Treatment: Transform the durability and performance of your product with our advanced heat treatment processes, expertly engineered to optimize strength, resilience, and reliability, ensuring unparalleled longevity and efficiency.
