Aluminum Forging | The Ultimate FAQ

Aluminum forging is one of the major processes to create lightweight but energy-efficient secure parts. Forging uses a highly pressurized process for aluminum which gives it a better durability and tight microstructure. As a result, it gives you the freedom for your vehicle parts as far as you like.

What Is Aluminum Forging?

Forging is a process associated with pressure. Any metal can be forged with extreme pressure to be pressed or pounded. As a result, a squeezed high-strength part is produced with better durability. With aluminum forging, you get parts with high durability and strength but lightweight and energy-efficient. Aluminum has been forged for a long time for its good properties that align with the processes of forging.

Why Is Aluminum Good For Forging?

Aluminum forging can be very useful. As a material, it’s in perfect resonance with the criteria a material needs to fulfill for becoming a good forging material.

• Aluminum naturally has low density. As a result, it can be forged in low temperatures. The capacity of retaining is not very high. So, you may need the cooling system necessary for the working area. Although alloys may vary at melting points, most of the alloys have similar low melting points to work with.
• While forging, you may need to turn the aluminum billet into a cast grain structure. Without that, many applications cannot be executed. As is cast billets, porosity can prevail. This is the feature of having air pockets in between aluminum grains. This is reduced or totally demolished by forging.
• Aluminum forging is subject to a lower flow of stress than other materials and has high ductility which makes it best for hydraulic presses and working with lower rates of cracks. Even saw cutting can be privileged with aluminum forging. As a result, you can use it as one of the best materials for forging.
• Maintaining isothermal conditions, you can use very low speed while forging, which gives better chances with sustainable pieces of machinery. This helps to create very complicated shapes. Mostly the process is called precision forging.

What Is The Process Of Aluminum Forging?

You can use various methods for aluminum forging. But mostly three kinds of processes are used for forging. Even at times, two processes are combined to create balance while forging. The three most popular methods of forging are –

• Open-die Forging
• Closed-die Forging
• Rolled-ring Forging

Following is a brief step-by-step procedure for your understanding of the process for aluminum forging:

• First of all, cast aluminum or wrought stock is prepared to be used as forging stock for aluminum. The stock is made out of bar or plate or any other raw form of aluminum with the help of shearing or sawing.
• Secondly, the stock is preheated for forging. It may be done with furnaces run by gas or electrical power. Depending on the alloy and thickness of the material, heating time may differ from time to time.
• Thirdly, heating of dies is done with precision.
• Fourth, you need to lubricate the die and workpiece material for the best results. Graphite is mostly used in the lubrication process. Sometimes, various organic, as well as non-organic materials, are mixed with it for lubrication.
• Then, the die and the workpiece are used for pressing with high pressure for forging the aluminum stack. This is the main part of forging and must be done with utmost care and precision.
• Fifth, before finishing, necessary forming and trimming treatment is given to the forged aluminum.
• Lastly, cleaning is done for removing unwanted lubricant and residue as well as heat treatment is implemented by gas-based fire, electrical, or any other manner for giving it the best finishing possible.

All of these steps are followed step by step in the process of aluminum forging.

What’s The Main Forging Aluminum Materials?

Most of the aluminum alloys are very useful for forging. Some of them are briefly described below:

• Aluminum alloys like 2618, 2219, 2025, and 2015 all are very useful for forging. The alloys have 1-5% copper. Sometimes in this series, Magnesium is also added. It helps to strengthen the alloy after heat treatment.
• Aluminum alloy 5083 is another very important alloy for forging which has a Magnesium percentage.
• Aluminum consisting of 5-8% Zinc is most commonly used for forging like 7079, 7075, 7050, 7049, 7039, and 7010.
• The most forgeable aluminum alloy is  6061. It has copper, silicon, and magnesium percentage for better durability, ductility, low flow strength, and good forgeable temperature.

What’s The Main Application For Aluminum Forging?

Forged aluminum is great for you if you are looking for a lightweight but energy-efficient material. For these two features, the main application of aluminum forging is used where speed is necessary mainly – for producing vehicle parts. You can create various motorbike parts, car parts with aluminum forging.

Above all forged aluminum is often used in aircraft parts which gives it a different class than any other material.

What Are The Types Of Aluminum Forging?

Aluminum is one of the best materials to work with for forging. There are various types of forging methods available. They are being used regularly for forging.

Among all forging methods, mainly three methods are used regularly. You can also use two of the methods together to create balance.

The methods are mentioned below:

• Open-die Forging
• Closed-die Forging
• Rolled-ring Forging

These are the main types of Aluminum Forging.

Is Forged Aluminum Strong?

Forging Aluminum takes high pressure. Which actually changes the microstructure of the material and makes it more durable and of high ductility. Such aluminum is heat treatable. The internal voids are gone and can be easily used to create highly strong parts.

Aluminum forging gives it a 24-26% higher tensile strength as well as 35-37% higher fatigue strength than cast aluminum. As a result, it always wins the race compared to cast aluminum. The lifespan and durability are naturally high for forged aluminum parts.

Compared to steel, it has a weight of one-third of the same volume of steel. As a result, the forged aluminum parts are stronger as pressed.

Among all the strong alloys of aluminum, 7086 aluminum alloy, which is used basically in aircraft, is one of the strongest. It is stronger than cast aluminum or steel.

What Is Open-die Forging?

Open-die forging is a forging process where part or parts of the workpiece material is kept open and clearly visible while working. The forging process is very useful for the production of small quantities of aluminum parts. The metal is put between multiple dies at multiple stages where the open die does not completely enclose the process of forging.

The metal is hammered or stamped or can go through both processes until the forging turns it into the desired shape. Most of the time, open-die forging requires further processing of the parts through other kinds of forging or finishing processes.

What Is Closed-die Forging?

Materials that go through closed-die forging may need preheating for the die as well as the material itself. Then it is entered into a closed die where metal parts are completely engulfed by the die. Extreme pressure is induced for forging and then the metal gets the perfect shape of the enclosed die. At closed-die forging –

• Better finishing may be achieved
• Good for higher quantity production than open-die forging
• Grain structure formation is increased, as a result, tightness of material is gained
• Complex shapes can be achieved through extreme pressure

Closed-die forging can be of various types itself:

• Blocker-type forgings, where the materials go through a single set of dies. The method is pretty inexpensive and is good for high quantity production where an adequate finishing is alright.
• Conventional closed-die forgings, where the forging takes higher pressure for high durable parts. It is forged in blocker-type dies and then goes through good finishing procedures. As a result, it may be a little expensive but the most popular forging method right now. Only two steps make a better and more durable part.
• High definition forgings are more expensive as you need more than one set of dies and blockers, as well as finish, dies to complete the whole process. The method is used to produce more accurate shapes for parts.
• Precision Forging consists of forging, machining as well as fabrication which is much more expensive than high definition forging as well as the best accurate forging there is. Aluminum forged by this process may go through two or three die sets to get the perfect result possible.

What Is Rolled-ring Forging?

Rolled ring forging is a process where you can see aluminum hollow doughnuts being heated and pressured under extreme pressure to give them the desired shape.

These metal parts are already shaped through open-die forging as well as upset die-forging. These two methods give the metal a ring-shaped or doughnut shape with a hollow in the middle. Then it is used for forging the desired shapes while being rolled.

What Is The Difference Between Aluminum Forging And Aluminum Casting?

Aluminum forging and aluminum casting are two methods used to give aluminum the perfect shape possible. Let’s see what differences these two methods have:

What Is The Difference Between Billet Aluminium And Forged Aluminium?

Aluminum and forged aluminum have some differences to work with. Because of lower melting points, aluminum is good for forging. Following are some points that make forged aluminum different from general aluminum:

Firstly, forged aluminum is much tighter in grain microstructure than normal billet aluminum as it goes through high pressure through dies and other stages. As a result, it is better quality, to begin with.

Secondly, when it comes to functionality, billet aluminum is not much different from forged aluminum. Both can be used for making the same workpiece. But forged is more aesthetic than billet aluminum.

Thirdly, forged aluminum does have better durability than billet aluminum as forged aluminum is pressurized at better shapes.

For these reasons, billet aluminum is different from forged aluminum.

Conclusion

Forging aluminum is a useful process for making good aircraft and car parts. The parts are durable and of high ductility. Besides, lightweight is another aspect of aluminum. As a result, aluminum is being popular day by day as a good material for forging.