Hot forging is one of the forming processes that has been used for many years. The ease of making products with this process is what has kept it popular for this long. But there are also some shortcoming that comes with it, and that’s why there have been other alternative forging methods such as cold forging.
In this blog, we have listed some of the major limitations of hot forging below. But it is important to note that the severity of these disadvantages depends on the forging process. So, the choice of the manufacturer matters. You can go to this website for one of the reliable manufacturers.
Here are some of the major disadvantages of hot forging you should know:
Poor Lubrication
For a proper forging process, you need to have the billet properly lubricated to avoid the problem of billet sticking on the dies. But this is not an easy thing to do with hot forging. The high heated slugs are difficult to lubricate, and you might also need to use a different type of lubrication.
Oxidation and Scaling
This is another problem that occurs with the hot forging process. You will find out that the forged parts are getting scaled because of the high level of oxidation that comes with it. The rough surfaces make the forged metals unsuitable for some conditions. The appearance of the forged parts may also be a problem.
Poor Surface Finish
When compared with forging processes such as cold forging, hot forging does not produce the best surface finish. You will need to do a lot of surface finish work due to the problem of scaling after you have forged the parts. This means you will spend a lot of money and time in the process of polishing the hot forged parts.
Lesser Precise Tolerances
The hot forging process usually softens the forged parts. Therefore, you will have machine parts or products that offer less tolerance. The forged parts are usually prone to warping, especially when exposed to physical pressure. This means they cannot retain the same shape for wrong.
Possible Warping
One of the biggest problems with hot forged parts is the cooling stage. Once the billet has been forged and the product formed while the billet is very high, the heat treatment should be done carefully. Otherwise, if the cooling process is not done properly, the material might start warping. This is an important factor to note.