Metal tool forgings have a wide range of applications in the industrial field, they are usually made of metal materials, through the forging process to form the required shape and performance of the parts. These forgings play a key role in hardware tools such as tool pliers, screwdrivers, hammers, and directly affect the performance and service life of tools. This paper will introduce the production process of metal tool forgings in detail, including blanking, forging, heat treatment and processing.
First, the material
Blanking is the first step in the production of metal tool forgings, the main purpose of which is to cut metal raw materials into billets of the desired shape and size. There are two main blanking methods: thermal cutting and mechanical processing.
Thermal cutting: mainly includes flame cutting and plasma cutting. Flame cutting is the melting and cutting of metal into billet by high temperature flame, while plasma cutting is the cutting of metal into billet by high temperature ion beam. Thermal cutting is suitable for cutting thick steel plates and large billets.
Machining: mainly includes cutting and blanking. Cutting is to cut the metal sheet into billets by scissors, while blanking is to punch the metal sheet into billets by punching the press. Machining is suitable for cutting thin steel plates and small and medium-sized billets.
Two, forging
Forging is the second step in the production of metal tool forgings, the main purpose of which is to forge blanks into forgings with the desired shape and performance through high temperature and high pressure forging. There are two main forging processes: free forging and die forging.
Free forging: Free forging is a relatively free forging method in which the blank is struck, upset and cut by hand or mechanical devices to form the desired shape and size of the forging. Free forging is suitable for small batch production and large forging production.
Die forging: Die forging is a forging method performed in a die by placing the blank in the die, deforming it and filling the die shape under high temperature and pressure to obtain the desired shape and size of the forgings. Die forging is suitable for mass production and the production of small and medium forgings.
Third, heat treatment
Heat treatment is the third step of metal tool forging production, its main purpose is to change the internal structure and performance of metal materials through heating, insulation and cooling treatment, in order to obtain the required hardness, strength and toughness and other indicators. The heat treatment process mainly includes quenching and tempering.
Quenching: Quenching is the rapid cooling of the metal material after heating to a certain temperature, so that its internal structure changes, thereby improving its hardness and strength. Quenched metal materials usually have higher hardness and strength, but are more brittle.
Tempering: Tempering is to heat the quenched metal material again to a certain temperature and hold it for a period of time, and then slowly cool it to reduce its brittleness and improve its toughness. Tempered metal materials usually have good hardness and strength, while having a certain toughness.
- Processing
Machining is the last step in the production of metal tool forgings, the main purpose of which is to finish the forgings to obtain the parts with the required dimensional accuracy and surface roughness. The main processing technology is grinding and milling.
Grinding: Grinding is a process of cutting and grinding metal surfaces with a grinding wheel to obtain parts with high precision and low surface roughness. Grinding is suitable for small batch production and parts production with higher precision requirements.
Milling: Milling is a process of cutting and milling metal surfaces by rotating cutting tools to obtain parts of a certain shape and size. Milling is suitable for mass production and parts making with lower precision requirements.
In short, the production process of metal tools forgings includes blanking, forging, heat treatment and processing. These links are interrelated and influence each other, and jointly determine the quality and performance of the forging. In the production process, it is necessary to reasonably choose the process parameters and technical solutions, strengthen quality control and technical management, in order to ensure the production of high-quality, high-performance hardware tools forgings products. These forgings have a wide range of applications in the industrial field, bringing a lot of convenience to people’s production and life. Therefore, we should pay attention to the production and application of metal tools forgings, strengthen technological innovation and management improvement, and improve the overall level and competitiveness of the industry.
