Forging Processing Selection Guide: Material Properties + Process Requirements, 3 Steps to Choose the Right Adaptation Plan

Forging Processing Selection Guide: Material Properties + Process Requirements, 3 Steps to Choose the Right Adaptation Plan

With the advantages of improving material density and enhancing mechanical properties, forging processing is widely used in high-end equipment manufacturing fields such as aerospace, automotive, and construction machinery. The accuracy of selection directly affects product reliability, production efficiency, and cost control. Many purchasers easily make selection mistakes due to ignoring the matching degree between material properties and processes. This article sorts out 3 core selection steps, combining material properties and process requirements, to help quickly choose the right adapted forging processing plan.

Step 1: Based on working condition requirements, match core material properties. Different working conditions have significantly different performance requirements for forgings, so core needs must be clarified first. For high-temperature working conditions (such as aero-engine components), high-temperature alloys and heat-resistant steels are preferred, which have excellent high-temperature strength and oxidation resistance; for wear-resistant and impact-resistant working conditions (such as automotive crankshafts), alloy structural steels (40Cr, 42CrMo) can be selected, which enhance hardness and toughness through forging; for corrosion-resistant working conditions (such as marine engineering components), stainless steel materials are suitable to improve corrosion resistance. At the same time, attention should be paid to the forgeability of the material to avoid selecting materials with poor plasticity and easy cracking.

Step 2: Combine product parameters to determine the appropriate process type. Select the process according to the forging size, precision, and batch requirements: cold forging process is suitable for small precision forgings (such as gears and pins), which have high processing precision and good surface finish without complex post-processing; hot forging process is preferred for medium and large forgings (such as wind power main shafts and construction machinery connecting rods), which have good material plasticity and low forming difficulty, and can meet the needs of large-size forming; die forging process can be selected for mass-produced standardized forgings, which have high production efficiency and strong product consistency; free forging process is suitable for customized special-shaped forgings, adapting to complex shape processing.

Step 3: Balance cost and quality, and optimize process details. When selecting, it is necessary to comprehensively weigh production costs and quality requirements. Mass production can reduce unit costs through die forging process; high-precision requirements can be combined with subsequent finishing and heat treatment processes to improve product precision and performance. At the same time, it is necessary to confirm the manufacturer's process capabilities, focusing on verifying whether the heat treatment equipment and precision testing equipment meet the standards, to avoid affecting product quality due to process shortcomings. Through the precise matching of materials, processes and needs, the optimal balance between quality and cost of forging processing is achieved.