Common Forging Materials and Processing Technologies

Common Forging Materials and Processing Technologies

I. Common Forging Materials

1. Carbon Structural Steel

Mainly including 45# steel and 35# steel, carbon structural steel features high cost performance with balanced toughness and strength. It is easy to forge and machine, and is widely used for conventional shaft forgings, flange forgings and general mechanical transmission forgings. It serves as the primary material for universal basic industrial forgings.

2. Alloy Structural Steel

Represented by 40Cr, 35CrMo and 42CrMo, alloy structural steel boasts high strength, excellent fatigue resistance and outstanding impact resistance. With superior high temperature resistance and pressure resistance, it is mostly applied to high-strength load-bearing forgings for heavy industry, mining, hydraulic and energy equipment.

3. Stainless Steel

Common grades include 304, 316L and 2205 duplex steel. Featuring excellent corrosion resistance and oxidation resistance, stainless steel adapts to humid, acid-base and high-temperature corrosive working conditions. It is commonly used for forging parts of chemical industry, pipeline and precision equipment.

4. Special Alloy Steel / Die Steel

Materials such as H13, 42CrMo4 and Cr12 are featured with high hardness, outstanding wear resistance and high temperature resistance. They are suitable for precision non-standard forgings used under heavy load, frequent impact and extreme high temperature and high pressure working conditions.

II. Mainstream Forging Processing Technologies

1. Open Die Forging

Open die forging shapes metal materials through pressure applied by forging hammers and presses without fixed molds. It offers high flexibility with moderate cost and strong versatility, ideal for large-size, large-tonnage and special-shaped non-standard forgings.

2. Closed Die Forging

Also known as precision die forging, this process forms workpieces by extrusion with customized molds. The finished products feature regular metal flow lines, high dimensional accuracy, good consistency, smooth surface and small tolerance. It is suitable for mass production of medium and small-sized precision forgings.

3. Precision Forging

Combining precise temperature-controlled forging with finish machining, precision forging realizes near-net forming with minimal subsequent machining allowance and high precision. It is perfectly applicable to high-end equipment accessories such as gears and precision shaft parts.

4. Heat Treatment Process (Core Supporting Process)

Including normalizing, quenching and tempering, the heat treatment process effectively refines metal microstructure, eliminates forging stress, improves the hardness, toughness and structural stability of forgings, and prevents deformation and cracking.

5. Post Finishing Processing

Including turning, milling, polishing, drilling and grinding, post finishing processing ensures precise dimensions and smooth appearance of forgings, fully meeting the precision assembly requirements of mechanical equipment.