Stainless steel is utilized in various industries and is most sought-after in forging applications. Alloy forgings are designed to be extremely durable and resistant to corrosion and heat. Thus, stainless steel’s best properties — corrosion resistance and strength — are leveraged and magnified by forging.
As the demand for stainless steel grows, the number of companies offering stainless steel forging services is bound to increase. However, this high-precision process requires a high level of manufacturing expertise and experience. Hence, you must consider several factors when choosing the best forging manufacturer.
Stainless Steel Forging and Its Applications
Since forging produces grain flow that conforms to the shape of the workpiece, stronger items can be produced by forging than by other techniques like machining or casting. In addition, stainless steel is strengthened and made more durable during the forging process, creating robust components ideal for harsh environments or applications.
Alloys made of stainless steel often have chromium as a secondary component, making up between 4% and 30% of the alloy’s overall composition. In addition, carbon, aluminum, titanium, copper, nickel, and other elements are frequently included in these alloys.
Several types of industrial-grade stainless steel alloys are utilized in various applications, including the following:
Architecture and construction
Chemicals and pharmaceuticals
Energy and industry
Medical equipment manufacturing
Shipbuilding and marine engineering
Qualities of a Good Stainless Steel Forging Supplier
To determine whether a steel forging company is the best partner, it’s crucial to consider product quality, price, availability, dependability, and customer service. Other qualities you should look for include the following:
High Level of Standards Compliance
A reliable steel forging supplier can deliver custom services compliant with industry standards. They must offer competitive prices while delivering unmatched, high-quality, and undamaged products on time. Working with someone capable of doing all these helps increase your manufacturing ROI and streamline your operations.
Effective Collaboration Skills and Processes
Constant and clear communication with a forging company saves you time, minimizes errors, and allows adjustments in areas and circumstances that require it. It also ensures that you receive your orders on time and with the highest quality, avoiding delays in your production. A forging provider that respects your time restrictions and deadlines can also save you a lot of money in the long run.
Proficiency and Industry Expertise
The ideal steel forging provider can serve as a resource for information and advice. For instance, they can assist clients in evaluating new production techniques, such as switching from casting to forging, where applicable. When relationships are built and nurtured to this level, you are guaranteed consistent, reliable, and high-quality components every time.
Cornell Forge: The Right Stainless Steel Forging Manufacturer for You!
Cornell Forge is an ISO 9001:2015 and PED certified business that exceeds customer expectations with dedicated and high-quality work at every production level — from RFQ to the order’s delivery! Our team has a wide range of capabilities for your most challenging stainless steel forging needs.
Contact us to start working with our forging experts today!
Forging is a process of forming and manipulating metal workpieces. Depending on the forging method, the metal can be formed warm, hot, or cold. Here we will describe the features and benefits of two main types of forging: hammer forging and press forging. Understanding these methods can help you determine the ideal forging process for your project.
Hammer Forging
Also called drop hammer forging, hammer forging consists of inserting metal into a die and hammering it into a desired shape. This method uses fast and heavy blows to shape the workpiece, which can be worked hot or at room temperature. Hammer forging offers several benefits, including:
Uniformity: Hammer forging eliminates air pockets or voids that could otherwise cause failures under stress or impact. The grain size uniformity of hammer forged parts prevents weakness, removes porosity, and minimizes defects.
Predictable grain structure: When the metal is put in the die and hammered into place, the grain structure conforms to the part’s shape. An expert metalworker can optimize the grain flow for maximum reliability and strength. Eliminating exposed grain ends can also protect the workpiece from corrosion and fatigue.
Faster process: Compared to press forging, hammer forging can have quicker overall production rates based on the potential to run parts in higher multiples.
Press Forging
Press forging applies continuous pressure to manipulate the interior and exterior of the metal workpiece. This process can be done on cold or hot metal. The benefits of press forging include:
Cost savings for high-volume production: While the cost of setting up some automated press forging lines can be higher, it is more cost-effective in the long run. At high volumes, a press forging operation will eventually yield parts at a lower cost per piece than hammer forging.
Less machine stock: Press forgings are typically more near net, especially for thicker parts, due to requiring fewer draft angles.
Easily controlled strain rate: With press forged parts, a knowledgeable metalworker can easily control strain rate, which is the amount of deformation over time.
Alloy Forging Services at Cornell Forge
Cornell Forge has nearly a century of expertise in the forging industry. Our facility can accommodate alloy and carbon steel workpieces weighing as much as 100 pounds and stainless steel workpieces weighing up to 30 pounds. We provide a wide selection of tooling and design services, including concurrent engineering, in-house tooling, optimal forging design, and metallurgical consultation. We can also perform various value-added services, such as assembly, hardness testing, Magnaflux inspection, shot blast cleaning, painting, plating, heat treating, machining, and sawing.
We are an industry leader and serve major markets, including the off-highway, agriculture, and construction industries.Contact us to speak with a representative about our forging capabilities or request a quote today.
Cornell Forge is an ISO 9001:2015-certified company that specializes in forging design, tooling, and metal forging services to create custom-engineered products and parts. We offer a diverse array of metal forging capabilities, including closed die hot forging, as well as finishing and value-added services that simplify your supply chain. Our turnkey forging solutions are part of our commitment to excellent customer service.
If you need custom-made metal parts, Cornell Forge is here to help during every stage of design and production. Start the process by determining whether forging or casting processes are a better fit for your specifications. The difference between casting and forging comes down to the shaping process. Casting reduces metals to a molten form while forging shapes the metal workpiece while in a solid state.
Advantages of Forging Metal
Forging processes involve rolling, pressing, hammering, or otherwise shaping metal billets while still in a solid form into a precise shape through mechanical force. The heating and deformation process refines the metal’s internal grain structure by allowing metallurgical recrystallization to occur, giving a uniform structure throughout the metal form. This process strengthens the metal and makes it more resistant to impact and shear damage.
The internal grain structure conformity is the core benefit of forged metal that gives it many of its advantages over cast and plate metal components. Because the flow of the grain aligns with the geometry of the shape, it becomes very tough and resistant to damage.
Advantages
Here’s a quick breakdown of the advantages of forged metal to consider when choosing the right metal forming process for your component order:
Toughness: The material is more resistant to physical damage, including impact damage, and deformation.
Resistance to Wear: The grain structure aligns with the form of the piece, reducing the risk of wear.
Strength: Forged metals have more relative strength than cast and plate metals, even when the parts are formed using the same alloy.
Reduced Likelihood of Defects: Other processes may result in metal pieces with shrinkage and cold pour issues, cavities within the cast, or porosity.
When you need solid, hardworking, and strong parts that you can rely on for rugged industrial or commercial applications, the forging process is an excellent option.
Advantages of Casting Metal
In metal casting, molten metal is poured directly into an existing mold, where it cools and hardens into the mold’s shape. Casting processes can use a wide variety of different mold types depending on the size of the order and the complexity of the part. While metal casting has been used for centuries, today’s manufacturers generally reserve this process for parts that are too large or unwieldy for metal forging. Casting is a superior method for more complex geometries that are difficult to achieve through the application of force alone.
At Cornell Forge, we can forge simple and complex parts that are up to 18 inches long and 100 pounds in weight. Some die forgings can even be made that weigh up to 5000 pounds or more. However, casting is often more appropriate for parts of this size.
Advantages
Metal casting is a suitable alternative to forgings in some circumstances because of these unique advantages:
Fewer Size and Complexity Restrictions: Castings can be done for parts of virtually any size or complexity level.
Metal Options: Castings can be made with a wider range of specialty alloys because chrome, nickel, and molybdenum can be more easily incorporated into the molten metals during the casting process.
Low-Volume Production Capabilities: Castings can cost-effectively produce small production runs, especially because the tooling is cheaper than that for equivalent forging dies.
Casting vs. Forging: Which Is Better?
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Both forging and casting processes can be used to create high-quality metal parts. However, each method works best for different types of products based on the size, metal composition, order volume, and other factors.
Because casting involves pouring molten metal into molds, it can be used to create highly complex parts. Casting processes can also accommodate products made from complex alloys or which weigh up to 200 tons upon completion. Forging processes use hammering and mechanical force to form metal into a certain shape, which makes the finished parts tougher, stronger, and more shatter-resistant. Overall, if your part can be forged, your end product will be stronger and more durable. But realistically, forging is not a viable option for every component, and casting is an excellent production method in these cases.
Why Choose Cornell Forge for Forged Parts
Cornell Forge is a leading provider of high-quality forged parts that we produce using our in-house manufacturing services. We provide quality assurance during every stage of production, and we have been a trusted name in the industrial forging market for more than 90 years.Contact us today to learn more about our forging capabilities orrequest a quote to start your order.
