deeco metals forging equipment

For your convenience, here is a glossary of terminology generally associated with the Forging Process.

Age Hardening - A process of increasing the hardness and strength of an alloy by precipitation of particles of a phase from a supersaturated solid solution alloy. The hardening cycle usually consists of heating or annealing at a temperature sufficiently high to maintain solid solution; rapid cooling or quenching to retain the supersaturated solid solution, and subsequent heating at a temperature lower than the solution anneal to effect the precipitation.

Billet - A slug cut from rod to be heated and forged.

Blocker - Preformed die or impression, used when part cannot be made in a single operation.

Bottom Die - The stationary half-die.

Cavity - The impression in either the upper or lower die.

Die Shift - The impression of the top die not being in alignment with the impression of the bottom die, also, the amount of misalignment.

Draft - The taper on a vertical surface to facilitate the removal of the forging from the die or punch.

Fillet - A curved inside corner to increase the strength of an object at the corner and to improve appearance. Also important as it increases forging die life.

Flash - The excess metal that flows out between the upper and lower dies which is required to accomplish a desired forging shape.

Flash Extension - The amount of metal extending beyond the part at the flash line.

Flash Line - The line where the flash occurs.

Forging - The production of semi-finished forms from wrought metal blanks hot or cold in closed dies by a sudden, sharp impact. See "HAMMER FORGING" and "HOT PRESS FORGING".

Gutter - A slight depression surrounding the cavity in the die to relieve pressure and control flash flow.

Hammer Forging - A forging process in which the piece is deformed by repeated blows.

Hardness - The resistance of a metal to plastic deformation by indentation. Common methods of measurement are Rockwell, Brinell, Scleroscope and Vickers.

Heat Check - Fine cracks in the forging dies caused by excessive heat or extended use without polishing. The pattern of these "heat checks" is reproduced on the forged part.

Heat Treatment - A combination of heating and cooling operations, applied to a metal or alloy in the solid state to produce desired properties.

Hot Press Forging - A method of forming parts by pressing a heated slug, cut from wrought material, in a closed-impression die.
Lubricate - Swabbing or spraying the dies with lubricant to assist in initial flow and to facilitate ejection of the forging.
Mismatch - Misalignment of forging at flash line caused by die or cavity positioning. (Mismatch should not exceed allowable tolerances).

Passivation or Vibratory Finishes – Various abrasive or polishing media is used in the process such as ceramic shapes, stainless balls, tree bark, metal chips, etc., to obtain many different finishes to metal parts.

Parting Line - The line where the dies come together and the flash is removed.

Shrinkage - The contraction that occurs when a forging cools.

Sink - To cut an impression in a die by EDM or CNC Milling.

Slug - The blank, cut from wrought material, from which a forging is made, see "BILLET".

Tensile Strength - The value obtained by dividing the maximum load observed during tensile straining by the specimen cross-sectional area before straining. Also called "Ultimate Strength".

Tolerance - The amount by which any characteristic such as dimensional, chemical, physical or mechanical properties, may vary from that specified.

Tumbling - Rolling in a revolving container to remove sharp edges and improve finish.
Web - The thin section of metal remaining at bottom of a cavity or depression in a forging. The web may be removed by piercing or machining.

Yield Strength - As commonly applied to copper and copper-base alloys, yield strength is the stress which will produce a .5 percent extension under load. It is known as "Yield Strength (.5 percent extension).


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