Metal Forming

The following slides will show you some of the various ways that metal products can be shaped or formed

Casting

Sand casting is used to produce a wide variety of metal components with complex geometries. These parts can vary greatly in size and weight, ranging from a couple ounces to several tons. Some smaller sand cast parts include components as gears, pulleys, crankshafts, connecting rods, and propellers. Larger applications include housings for large equipment and heavy machine bases. Sand casting is also common in producing automobile components, such as engine blocks, engine manifolds, cylinder heads, and transmission cases.

Cast engine block

Forging

This process is suitable for low volume production as well as one-offs. This is because it produces parts with superior strength to weight properties that cannot be manufactured in any other way.

By its very nature, forging improves grain structure in the finished part.As parts are forged the metal grains align in the direction of flow. This characteristic produces exceptional strength to weight properties and reduces stress concentrations that tend to occur in corners and fillets. Parts can be machined post-forging with no loss of quality

A blank of metal about to be drop forged into a spanner shape Completed drop

forged spanner

Die Casting

Die casting is a manufacturing process that can produce geometrically complex metal parts through the use of reusable moulds, called dies. The die casting process involves the use of a furnace, metal, die casting machine, and die. The metal, typically a non-ferrous alloy such as aluminium or zinc, is melted in the furnace and then injected into the dies in the die casting machine.