Die forging is a forging method that uses a die to plastically deform a metal blank and obtain the desired shape and size. It is usually used to produce parts with complex shapes, high precision, and high strength, such as gears, connecting rods, shaft parts, etc. The production process of die forging usually includes the following steps:
1. Material Preparation
Material selection: Select suitable metal materials such as carbon steel, alloy steel, stainless steel, aluminum alloy, etc. according to the performance requirements of the parts.
Cutting: Cut the raw materials into billets of appropriate sizes, usually bars or ingots.
2. Heating
Heating the billet: Heat the billet to the appropriate forging temperature to increase the plasticity of the metal and reduce the deformation resistance. Heating is usually carried out in an electric furnace, gas furnace, or induction heating equipment. Typical temperature ranges are:
Steel: 900°C - 1250°C
Aluminum alloy: 360°C - 520°C
Uniform heating: Ensure that the temperature of each part of the billet is uniform to avoid cracks or other defects during the forging process.
3. Forging
Preforming/Blocking: The heated billet is placed in a die, and pressure is applied through forging equipment (such as a hammer forging machine, a press, etc.) to preliminarily shape the billet to a state close to the final shape. Preliminary forging can reduce the resistance to material flow and improve the internal structure of the material.
Finishing Forging: The final forming is carried out in the finishing forging die, and the required shape, size and surface quality are achieved through further forging. The forging pressure in this step is relatively high, and the details and dimensional accuracy of the parts are guaranteed in this step.
Trimming: During the forging process, excess metal (such as flash) will be squeezed out, and these excess parts will be removed through the trimming process after forging.
4. Cooling
Controlled cooling: Forged parts are usually cooled in a controlled manner to avoid the generation of internal stress or uneven structure. For some materials, slow cooling or a specific cooling process (such as air cooling, oil cooling or water cooling) is required.
5. Heat Treatment
Heat Treatment: In order to further improve the mechanical properties of forgings (such as strength, hardness, toughness, etc.), forgings usually need to be heat treated, such as quenching, tempering, normalizing or annealing.
6. Finishing Operations
Machining: After forging and heat treatment, forgings usually need to be finished, such as turning, milling, drilling, grinding, etc., to achieve the final size and surface accuracy.
Surface Treatment: As needed, forgings are surface treated, such as spraying, rust prevention, plating, etc., to improve their corrosion resistance and aesthetics.
7. Quality Inspection
Dimensional Inspection: Use measuring tools to check the size, shape, and surface quality of forgings to ensure that they meet the design requirements.
Non-destructive Testing: As needed, non-destructive testing techniques (such as ultrasonic, X-ray, magnetic particle testing, etc.) are used to detect internal defects or cracks.
Mechanical Property Testing: Test the hardness, strength, ductility, etc. of the material to ensure that it meets the use requirements.
8. Packaging and Shipping
Packaging: Pack qualified forgings according to customer requirements to prevent damage during transportation.
Shipping: Ship finished products to customers or downstream processing links.
Summary:
The die forging production process includes material preparation, heating, forging, cooling, heat treatment, finishing, quality inspection, packaging and shipping. Each step needs to be strictly controlled to ensure that the quality and performance of the final product meet the requirements. The die forging process is suitable for mass production. Due to the use of die production, the production efficiency of the die forging process is relatively high, especially with the support of modern automation equipment, high-speed and efficient production can be achieved. Although the initial investment in die forging dies is relatively high, die forging has good cost-effectiveness in mass production due to its high material utilization, high production efficiency and reduced subsequent processing requirements.
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