Forging from Trushape UK

Closed Die forging for strength and durability

Steel Forging Process for Small to Medium Parts

Material selection
A suitable steel grade is chosen based on the part’s required strength, toughness, wear resistance, and machinability. Common choices include carbon steel, alloy steel, stainless steel, and tool steel.
Cutting the billet Steel bar stock is cut into smaller pieces called billets.
The size is calculated to provide enough material for the final forged shape, including allowances for flash and machining.
Heating The billet is heated in a furnace to temperature, around 900°C to 1,250°C, depending on the steel grade. Heating makes the steel more ductile and easier to shape without cracking.
Forging The hot billet is placed between dies & hammered /press.
Force is applied to deform the steel into the required shape.
For our parts, this may be done by Closed-die forging, for more accurate, repeatable parts.
Trimming Excess material, known as flash, is squeezed out around the die parting line.
This flash is removed using a trimming press or cutting operation.
Heat treatment The forged part is heat treated to achieve the required mechanical properties.
This may include normalising, annealing, quenching, tempering, or stress relieving.
Cleaning Scale and surface oxidation from heating are removed by shot blasting or grinding.
Machining Forged parts are often machined to achieve final dimensions, tolerances, holes, threads, or surface finishes.
Forging provides the near-net shape, while machining provides precision.
Inspection Parts are checked for dimensions, surface defects, cracks, and material properties.
Inspection may include visual checks, hardness testing, magnetic particle inspection or dimensional measurement.
Key Benefits
• Produces strong parts with improved grain flow.
• Gives better fatigue resistance than cast or fully machined parts.
• Reduces material waste compared with machining from solid stock.