Machined Forgings
Custom Metal Forgings
With over 35 years of custom metal service experience, Deeco Metals offers you reliability and quality for high-performance custom machined forgings. As a global supplier for OEMs, we can create custom machined forgings that meet your specification requirements, in a wide variety of metal materials.
Deeco Metals excels in supplying only the finest quality made metal forging for your application, at ultra-competitive prices. Our highly qualified technical team will find a way to reduce your costs by 20% or more, with the added convenience of a one-stop-shop for all your metal part needs. We specialize in high-volume production runs, with short lead times and fixed order pricing.
If you are unsure which metal material is best suited for your custom metal forging project, please contact us or call us at 1-800-272-7784. Our technical team can help determine which metal material type will be most beneficial for your project needs.
Closed Die Forging Capabilities
Closed die metal forging creates custom forged shapes that incorporate strength, leak-resistance and superior surface conditions at a price that fits your budget. By utilizing our closed die metal forging capabilities, we can create a precise replica of your design that can be produced repetitively and have close tolerances. Closed Die Forging is an inexpensive and efficient way to manufacture metal parts with numerous types of metals, depending on the application.
We can take any design and metal and turn it into a metal component through our closed die metal forging capabilities. Our closed die forging techniques allow us to create forged metal parts for many industries including:
Architectural | Door & Window | Marine | Plumbing | Pump & Valve | Hydraulic | Electrical | Gas | Sports Equipment | And More
Custom Metal Forging Material Types
We can create custom metal forgings from a wide variety of metal materials. Our closed die metal forging techniques can create forged metal parts for countless industries. The metals that we regularly forge include the following:
|
Metal Forging Materials |
|
|
|
Forged aluminum components combine robust strength with the benefits of decreased weight, an attractive appearance and relatively low cost. Forged aluminum is generally used in applications where the high integrity of the part is of utmost importance. Aluminum forging is used primarily to produce structural components |
|
|
Bronze and copper forgings offer several outstanding advantages over parts produced by other manufacturing processes such as casting. These advantages result from bronze and copper’s superior corrosion resistance and high electrical and thermal conductivity. These benefits are in addition to bronze and copper’s excellent inherent mechanical and physical properties imparted by the forging process. |
|
|
Magnesium alloys exhibit excellent mechanical strength and stiffness, high dent and impact resistance, and damping qualities that promote quieter machine operation and maintain these properties at elevated temperatures. These characteristics make magnesium alloys ideal for forging lightweight, durable parts for a wide variety of structural and nonstructural applications. |
|
|
Stainless steel forging offers numerous advantages such as a good cosmetic surface finish, corrosive resistance, and superior strength. In addition, stainless steel forging results in parts with excellent surface conditions and mechanical properties thanks to internal grain structures that form during the forging process. |
|
|
Steel forging is a versatile process that has been used for centuries to manufacture a wide range of high-quality parts. When you rely on Deeco Metals for steel forgings, you can be certain the result will be a superior quality part. |
Closed Die Forging Parts
Some examples of machined forged parts we can manufacture include:
- Door hardware, window hardware, and lock hardware
- Pump and Valve bodies, parts and valve handles
- Archery bow clamps, risers, and other parts
- Many different electrical parts, electrical contacts and even Pole Line Hardware
- Nuts of all shapes and sizes
- Commercial weighing equipment and parts
- Various parts of the Oil and gas industry
- Gears and pulleys
- Water meter parts
- Hydraulic cylinder parts
- Synchromesh parts - gearboxes
- Fire sprinkler parts and fittings
- Faucet and shower parts
- Various fan blades
- Cable Fitting parts
- Hydraulic fitting parts
- Pipe and tube fittings
- Gas fittings and gas valve parts
- Sports and recreational equipment parts such as Golf putter heads, etc.
Forging offers a wide range of advantages, including high strength, leak resistance, close tolerances, and low cost.
Custom Metal Forging Advantages
- Leak Resistance. The dense, non-porous aspect of metal forged parts permits the designer to specify thinner sections without the risk of leaks due to flaws and voids. Often the thinner forged metal parts result in lighter weight and lower piece cost compared to other manufacturing processes.
- Close Tolerances. Custom metal forgings produced in a steel die with close tolerances offers several advantages. Overall part dimensions are held closer than in sand casting. Dimensions show minimum variation from part to part and permit automatic chucking and handling in subsequent machining and assembly operations. The precise designs on the die surface can produce sharp impressions or depressions on the forging surface for company id or name, which is normally not the case with other forming processes.
- Low Overall Cost. Mass production of machined forged parts lends itself to maximum savings. However, smaller quantities of copper alloy forgings can also prove economical.
Metal forgings have superior surface condition compared to castings and therefore good for surface coating treatments like chrome or nickel plating, various painting options and anodizing.
Metal Forging and Metal Casting Comparison
-
Metal forged parts are stronger.
Hot and cold working strengthens parts in a way that casting cannot match. Forged metal forgings surpass castings in predictable strength properties, producing superior strength for every part -- guaranteed. -
Metal Forging refines defects from cast ingots or continuous cast bar used to cut into billets.
A casting has neither grain flow nor directional strength and is always subjectable to gassing (Porosity). The casting process cannot prevent formation of certain metallurgical defects and surface imperfections. Pre-working forge stock produces a grain flow oriented in directions requiring maximum strength. Dendritic structures, alloy segregations and like imperfections are refined in forging. Metal forgings do not have porosity so are sound throughout the part! -
Machined forged parts are more reliable, less costly.
Casting defects occur in a variety of forms. Because hot working refines grain pattern and imparts high strength, ductility and resistance properties, forged products are more reliable and have fewer imperfections. And they are manufactured without the added costs for tighter process controls and inspection that are required for casting. -
Custom metal forgings offer better response to heat treatment.
Castings require close control of melting and cooling processes because alloy segregation may occur. This results in non-uniform heat treatment response that can affect straightness of finished parts. Forged metal parts respond more predictably to heat treatment and offer better dimensional stability. -
Metal forging is flexible, cost-effective production that adapts to demand.
Some castings, such as special performance castings, require expensive materials and process controls, and longer lead times. Open-die and ring rolling are examples of forging processes that adapt to various production run lengths and enable shortened lead times. Once tooling is in place, Close Die Forgings are quickly produced.
For more information, see our complete breakdown of Casting vs. Extrusion vs. Forging.
Closed Die Forging Process
Creating custom metal forged shapes is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compressive forces. The blows are delivered with a hammer (often a power hammer) or a die. Custom metal forgings are often classified according to the temperature at which they are performed: cold forging (a type of cold working), warm forging, or hot forging (a type of hot working). For the latter two, the metal is heated, usually in a forge. Forged parts can range in weight from less than a kilogram to hundreds of metric tons.
Metal Forging Steps
The first step in producing a good quality forging involves the cutting of slugs (billets) from round, square or special shaped bar by sawing to the desired length of metal to fill the die. The slugs (billets) are then heated to forging temperature for the specific alloy (i.e.1200° to 1600° F for brass, 700° to 900° F for aluminum, etc.). After heating, the slug is placed with tongs or special automatic/robotic clamp on the bottom forging die on the forging press. The action of the press is to then move rapidly downward with top die in place and slams down on the billet. The press exerts tremendous pressure, squeezing the metal into the shape of both die cavities and causing the forged metal parts to take form. This action also imparts strength to the part and refines the grain structure.
When forging a part, there is always excess metal that comes out of the two cavities where they close together. Therefore, the mass of the billet is more than the part so that the two die cavities will be filled. As the metal part takes shape under pressure, the excess metal is squeezed out into a "gutter" around the die cavities. Excess metal is called "flash" and remains attached to the forging when ejected from the die. Most of the flash is later removed by a trimming die operation normally performed on a punch press. Once trimmed, the forging is finished. However, it can now be acid treated or shot blast to enhance the surface finish. If machining is required, the forged part can easily be turned, drilled, tapped, milled, etc.
Metal Forging Presses at Deeco Metals
- Our metal forging presses range in size from 45 tons to 1600 tons and our technology ranges from mechanical crank to friction screw. Heating is either gas or electric depending on the alloy being forged.
- Cold metal forging has also been used to manufacture aluminum alloy forgings. A total of 47 forging presses as well as other state-of-the-art equipment are used to produce over 10,000 different components in large or small runs.
- Automation is used to facilitate high output rates for volume items, while difficult products with technical challenges are manufactured using manual operations.
Choose Deeco Metals for your Metal Forging Project
Create Your Custom Forged Metal Parts with Deeco
