Forging Operations:
Following are the common forging operations in forging shop.
Drawing: The metal is heated in the furnace up to plastic stage. The red hot metal is placed on an anvil and is beaten with hammer. In this process the thickness or diameter of work piece decreases but its length increases.
Swaging: It is a process of forming different shapes like circular, square etc. It is used to reduce diameter of solid rod or tube. Sometimes mandrel is used to control the shape and internal diameter of tubes.
Fullering: Lower fuller is fixed in the hole of the anvil. Hot metal job is placed on the lower fuller. Upper fuller is placed on the job. Hammering is done on the job by sledge hammer. The process is used for drawing and grooving.
Punching: The metal is heated to a desired temperature and it is placed on an anvil. A rough hole is made into the metal by using punch. The punch is held with tong and forced to pierce the metal by using sledge hammer.
Drifting: Drift is a tool which is used for finishing and enlarging the hole. This process is similar to punching.
Upsetting: In this process diameter of the hot metal piece is increased and length is reduced. The metal is beaten with hammer by placing it vertically on an anvil.
Cutting: It is done to remove the extra material from work piece. Hot and cold chisels are used for cutting process.
Bending: The process of giving turn to metal rod or plate is known as bending. The process is done on the edge of the anvil or on chipping block.
Forge welding: The process of joining two metals by heating and hammering them is known as forge welding. The pieces to be weld are heated to desired temperature in furnace. Then the pieces are placed over one another and hammering is done to join them. Surfaces of both the pieces should be properly cleaned before welding.