Closed die forging is a metal forging tecnology for precision parts. Such process is usually considered especially for safty factor because of its good performance and strength. So closed die forging is quite popular in producing automotive and non-automotive sectors. And we can see a lots of closed die forging factories in different scales all over the world, some are for steel forgings, some for aluminum forgings, and others are for copper forgings. There is no doubt that advantages of closed die forging over investment casting are obvious, so many people may put forward a question: "Are closed die forgings expensive?"

In the past forging production,our 1,600t forging press is limited to closed die forgings no more than 30kg. To meet our customers' demands for larger products, we imported 2,500t automatic hot forging press for closed die forging production. Below are the photos of 2,500t automatic hot forging press:

Closed die forging requires two or more dies for production, which are also referred to as tooling. These dies first must be manufactured with CNC machine to reach high accuracy. The billet will be heated up to proper temperature for well deformation and is then pressed or hammered between these dies.

The restriction of the metal flow inside the dies allows the production of parts that are more complex in shape than a part being produced by the open die process. Additionally, closed die forging process allows for closer tolerances than those produced in open die (see the difference between open die forigng and closed die forging). Relatively simple shapes can also be processed this way, but the decision is usually driven by economics and meeting some of the conditions listed below.

Our company customizes different kinds of closed die forging products,for instance,drive and axle components for the commercial automotive industry,drilling attachment for mining technology,forged fittings for oil and gas industry,as well as other complex geometrical structures for construction&agricultural machinery,offshore industry,aeroplane industry,ect.

Wide range closed die forgings with superior quality and reasonable price from our company bring us an excellent reputation all over the world,so we are now growing fastly and exporting products at an increased capacity.The use of high-grade steels means that our products offer a particularly long working life.

According to the advantages of closed die forging,it has become one of the main metal forming processes in modern manufacturing.For its wide range of material specifications and shapes,closed die forging can be useful for lots of metal components,such as componets for aeroplane,cars and heavy trucks,shipbuilding,ect.

With the characteristics of closed die forging,we can make precision components with different wall thickness,complex shapes,narrow tolerance.And we are all equiped with full range of machining equipments,so machining is also feasible in our company.Maybe sometimes you could also consider casting process instead,but by comparison,there  are both price advantages and quality advantages over casting,we will no need to worry about production defect.

1. Background
Metals and alloys are able to be formed into desired shapes by plastic deformation.In deformation process,they also produce a wide range of properties particularly strength and toughness.The working of the metals into shapes by means of closed die forging methods refines grain structure,develops inherent strength giving characteristics,improves physical properties and produces structural uniformity free from hidden internal defects.What's more,the special feature of flow lines along the contour of the clsoed die forging produce marked directional properties.These features in closed die forgings give the automobile designers great confidence regarding the reliability of the vehicle.Learn more about advantages and disadvantages of closed die forging in detail...

Closed die forging is a metal forming process for small precision parts.We can take use of closed die forging process to desired shapes starting from steel billets.So closed die forging is widely used for all industries served for its unique advantages.Below are the advantages of disadvantages of closed die forging:

Advantages
*After heating by medium frequency furnace,steel billets will be placed between upper and lower dies and forged in several times at high speed,so that the shape will be deformed quickly.Such press process will make internal grain flow and increase the tightness and strength of products.
*It is no scientific to say closed die forging is expensive for its high tooling cost.Tooling cost of closed die forging is actually higher than that of investment casting for its high die material cost and complex processing process.But for large production runs,we must say it is more cost-effective.

Closed die forging is applied for almost all the metal materials, but in actual production,only part of the materials are used for the different characteristics of each kind. Material is also one of the main factors that affect the cost of closed die forgings. Below is the common material that used in closed die forging:

Steel
Steel is most commonly used material that for closed die forging. Such steel normally refers to alloy steel, carbon steel and stainless steel. In comparison, the metal flow of stainless steel is worse than other steel, so it is difficult to forge stainless steel billets into complex shapes. Stainless steel material is often used for components that require corrosion resistance and rust resistancel. Alloy steel and carbon steel are the most widely used in closed die forging production for its competitive price and easy deformation. We could choose alloy & carbon steel for almost all the industries. As a professional Steel forgings manufacturer, we can produce closed die forgings ranging from 0.2kg-50kg.

With API certified,Fly Drop Forge is good at supplying drop forgings for oil&gas industry.We have been manufacturing various forged fittings  to oil&gas developing equipment manufacturers or component dealers for more than 10 years.Worked as the fuction of connection,they require prefect assembling and could bear high pressure.Such pressure will be tested by air or water.With our closed die forging process,we could creat drop forged fittings with near net shape or net shape,so that machining cost can be reduced or avoided.The biggest advantages of drop forgings for oil*gas application by closed die forging process is that grain flow can greatly improve the properties of products and no internal defects will appear,so that the whole working condition is safe.

Near net shape manufacturing technologies produce components that are close to the finished size and shape,requiring a minimal amount of finishing process such as machining.Closed die forging is such a near net shape forging process that requires less or no machining.It will be helpful for us to save machining cost.

Why closed die forging is near net shape forging?

*Compared to machining process,closed die forging is a precision forging process with flash,so the only waste of material is just the flash section.We could also use machining to replace closed die forging process sometimes,but as the desired shape by total machining has be reached by machining equipments,so much of material will be wasted.

Here the "closed die forging" and "machining" are the two different metal forming processes for the same product.

Closed die forging is a forging process that made from special bar quality steel. As steel bars are usually rolled, the grain structure within the steel is forced to flow along the centerline of the bar.When a forging is produced from the bar,this inherent grain flow bends to follow the contour of the forged shape,thus producing a superior part.The structural reliability of forgings allows designers to trust the material to adhere to the safety factors of the design.It also can provide more uniform response to heat treatment and machining operations.

Machining is a precison processing process that machines from bars directly with machining equipments.Machining will by definition cut through part of the grain flow.This renders the material more liable to fatigue and more sensitive to stress corrosion cracking.

The good quality in the drop forging is resolute by just a selection of variables.Generally,the decision of steel ingots with really smooth and refined surface at the same time as improvement made towards the entire operation approach can make excellent difference to the quality in the steel components that are to be drop forged.

Usually,the steel ingots or steel billets of which the alloy mold is created have several defects around the surface,like cracks,mixtures,scab,and so forth.So as to steer clear of these defects or avoid them from being worse throughout the method of heating and forging,there’s a need to dispose of those defects.The prevalent disposal techniques for the surface of these ingots include grinding,flame cutting,sand blasting for example.