Aluminum alloy forgings: advantages and disadvantages

As with any metal and alloy forming process, aluminum alloy forgings have advantages and disadvantages. Generally, aluminum alloys are forged with heat, but it can also be done in what is considered a cold process, where the alloy is not heated until the force is applied.

There are several processes used to manufacture aluminum alloy forgings. For high volume order types of parts and assemblies, drop forging is one of the most common methods. This uses a drop hammer to deliver precisely timed, controlled blows to the aluminum workpiece, pressing the aluminum into the mold and forming the final shape.

Press forging is another common option, which manufactures aluminum alloy forgings by using large hydraulically controlled presses. During this process, the force is continuously applied to the workpiece, rather than being struck with a separate drop hammer.

shortcoming:

There are few downsides to the aluminum forging process done by an inexperienced metal forging company. Most of these problems occur when quality control is not maintained in the process, which can lead to die shift, overheating of the aluminum stock causing structural problems in the alloy, or incorrect equipment settings causing problems with fully formed forgings due in part to incorrect pressure or force.

Advantage:

Choosing forging over extrusion, machining or other options in manufacturing parts results in a stronger end product without the internal stress issues found in the production of other types of aluminum parts. This is a quick production option ideal when large order turnarounds are considered.

It is a cost-effective method of creating even complex shapes in aluminum alloy parts and does not require the number of secondary operations such as deburring, grinding and stress relief options required by other manufacturing methods.

Kunshan Southwest Aluminum is a leader in aluminum alloy forgings, providing precision and quality-controllable forging services to global customers.