Machine shops often need open die forged parts for a variety of applications, including large, custom parts, small quantity runs, or when high strength and durability are required. When this is the case, machine shops often contract with forgers for “as forged” parts and then perform finish machining and other secondary operations to achieve the precise tolerances, dimensions, and surface finishes required by the customer.
However, purchasing a near net shape forging may be a better option for a number of important reasons:
• Near net shape forging allows machine shops to reduce costs and improve their profit margins. Near net shape forgings are seamless rolled rings or open die forgings with dimensions close to the final shape of the finish machined part.
• “As forged” components, require additional costly finishing. These components, often have a coarse surface finish (500 RMS or more), may include metal scales and very uneven surfaces that must be machined away. This increases the cutting time, tool wear, and cutting fluid used, which eats into profits.
• When a customer is on a tight budget, purchasing extra stock material that ultimately becomes wasted metal swarf on the shop floor can mean the difference between winning a job and losing one.
• Near net forgings are available with tolerances within 3mm on all dimensions and a much finer surface finish. Although the initial price may be higher, the reduced machining time, wear, elimination of waste, and faster delivery time translate into cost savings and profit improvements. Reduced machining time increases machine availability for additional projects as well.
• Near net forgings are more than just ODs, IDs, and lengths. They include steps on round shafts, blocks, squares, rectangles, hubs, wheels, cylinders, blind cylinders, flanges, drive ends, tending ends, and complex shapes.
• Near net open die forgings and seamless rolled rings play a crucial role as components in gears, turbines, bearings, clutches, brakes, couplings, drives, flanges, valves, machines, and rollers. Industries that rely on these types of parts include aerospace, automotive, defense, energy, engine and turbine, food processing, mining, oil and gas, petroleum, power generation, pulp and paper, and shipbuilding.
• Near net open die forgings provide a higher level of structural integrity than any other metalworking process by eliminating structural voids and improving the directional grain flow and grain size within the material.
• Near net open-die forging is particularly advantageous when fabricating large, custom components. All Metals & Forge Group, for example, can produce near net seamless rolled rings or contoured rolled rings up to 200 inches in outside diameter, and custom forgings up to 40 feet long or 80,000 lbs. Small parts down to roughly one foot cubed can be delivered as near net shape forgings as well.
For more information, call All Metals & Forge, LLC at (973) 276-5000; or visit http://www.steelforge.com.