For previous reading, please refer to The world's top ten mold types ranking-Plastic mold, Stamping die.
A die that forms a metal blank into a blank or a product under pressure, including hammer forging die, mechanical press forging die, screw press forging die, hydraulic press forging die, flat forging die, etc.

 

1. Upper die seat 2. Upper die core 3. Upper ejector 4. Lower die seat 5. Lower die 6. Lower ejector 7. Mold plate 8. Pressure plate 9. Connecting bolts

Overview of forging die principle

Definition and function: Forging die is a processing tool that uses forging machinery to apply pressure to metal blanks to cause plastic deformation, thereby obtaining forgings with specific mechanical properties, shapes and sizes.

Classification: According to different forging temperatures, forging dies can be divided into hot forging dies, warm forging dies and cold forging dies to meet different material and process requirements.

Function: Forging dies play a pivotal role in production of die forgings and are key process equipment that needs to be used in every stroke of equipment. Through forging, cast looseness and welding holes of metal can be eliminated, and mechanical properties of forgings can be improved.

Application: Forging dies are widely used in machinery manufacturing, automobiles, aviation and other fields to produce important parts with high loads and severe working conditions. Forging dies are an indispensable part of forging process, their design and use directly affect quality and production efficiency of forgings.

 

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Forging dies refer to a tool that can form blank into a die forging. Forging dies are essential key process equipment in production of die forgings. They are tools that need to be used in every stroke of equipment and play a vital role in production of die forgings.
Components of forging die mainly include following parts:

Die body: It is usually composed of two upper and lower modules, and modules are provided with die grooves. Number and shape of die grooves are determined by forging process.

Die frame: It is used to position and tighten module, transmit main components of equipment forging force and ejection movement of forging. There are various types of die frames, such as socket type, cross keyway type, etc.

Auxiliary devices: During forging process, auxiliary dies and devices such as blanking dies, trimming dies, punching dies, correction dies, and cold precision pressing dies are also required, which are also components of forging dies.

These components work together to complete plastic deformation of blank and obtain required die forgings.

 

Die forging process flow:

Material preparation process: Cut raw materials into single pieces of original blanks, and sometimes surface rust removal, anti-oxidation and lubrication treatment are required.

Heating process: Heat original blank or intermediate blank according to heating temperature and production rhythm required by deformation process.

Deformation process: It is divided into blanking process and die forging process, and die forging process includes pre-forging and final forging.

Post-forging process: It includes trimming, punching, bending, torsion, heat treatment, etc., to supplement deficiencies of die forging process and other previous processes.

Inspection process: It is divided into inter-process inspection and final inspection, and inspection items include geometric shape size, surface quality, etc.

CNC machining: In modern production, large quantities of forging workpieces will be processed by CNC to reduce labor intensity of workers and improve product quality.

 

Following factors should be considered when selecting suitable forging die materials:

Die type and purpose: According to type of forging die (such as hot forging die, cold forging die) and specific use (such as billet making, pre-forging, final forging, etc.), select materials with corresponding properties.

Material properties: Forging die materials should have high strength, high hardness, wear resistance, toughness, oxidation resistance, thermal conductivity and thermal cracking resistance to adapt to high temperature, high pressure and repeated impact working conditions.

Commonly used materials: Commonly used materials for hot forging dies include H13, 3CR2W8V, 8566, etc., while cold forging dies commonly use DC53, Ld, 8566, etc. Among them, 8566 has good high temperature resistance, and H13 is the most commonly used medium-grade hot working die steel in China.

In summary, selection of suitable forging die materials should comprehensively consider factors such as die type, purpose and material properties to ensure that die can work stably for a long time under harsh working conditions, improve quality and production efficiency of forgings.

 

‌Forging die is a key process equipment necessary for die forging production, its processing technology has an important influence on quality and production efficiency of forgings.
‌Forging die is a die used in forging process. Raw material undergoes plastic deformation in forging die under action of external force, thereby obtaining parts of required shape and size. Forging dies can be divided into hot forging dies, warm forging dies and cold forging dies according to different forging temperatures. Hot forging dies can also be divided into hammer forging dies, screw press forging dies, mechanical press forging dies, flat forging dies and hydraulic press forging dies due to different equipment. It is necessary to design and process die frame during press die forging. In forging process, blanking dies (such as roll forging, wedge cross rolling), trimming dies, punching dies, correction dies, cold precision pressing dies, etc. are also required.

 

These dies and devices also belong to category of forging dies. Main technical development direction of forging dies is to improve die design level, adopt new die materials, use efficient and high-precision processing methods, so as to achieve high precision of forgings under condition of long die life.
With improvement of the overall level of China's manufacturing industry, China's forging die technology will reach international advanced level, some innovative and unique technologies will reach international leading level. Forging dies are important equipment for realizing die forging process and are a branch with a long history in die category. Due to complexity of forging forming process, corresponding forging dies have following technical characteristics:
(1) Multi-step forming and complex structure. Metal forging forming belongs to volume forming, which is difficult to achieve one-step forming and requires multiple deformations. Forming steps of complex forgings can reach as many as 12 steps. Therefore, a set of forging dies is often composed of 10 or even more dies.
(2) High temperature, heavy load, and harsh working conditions. Metal forming temperature is between 450℃ (non-ferrous metals) and 1300℃ (steel materials), and surface temperature of die cavity can reach 300℃~750℃. At the same time, external force required for metal deformation must also be provided by press through die. Load borne by die used for forging steel materials reaches 500 (hot forging) ~ 2000MPa (cold forging).
(3) Due to flow of metal billets during deformation under high temperature and high pressure, forging mold cavity needs to maintain integrity of cavity working surface in addition to normal parting surface, and inlay structure cannot be used. Technical characteristics of forging die determine design of forging die, which strongly depends on design of forming process. Die material must be well selected and reasonably heat treated, advanced processing technology must be used to ensure accuracy and surface quality of die cavity. Working principle of servo precision forging machine is mainly based on precise control of servo motor.

 

Servo motor function: Servo motor is core component of servo precision forging machine. By changing input current of the motor, speed and direction of motor can be accurately controlled. When a pulse signal is input to the servo motor, motor control system will generate a rotating magnetic field, causing motor's rotor to rotate a certain angle, which is proportional to frequency of pulse signal.
‌Control system‌: Control system of servo precision forging machine includes input, output, power supply and drive parts, which are responsible for receiving instructions, processing signals and driving servo motor to work.
‌Precision forging‌: During forging process, servo motor accurately controls motion trajectory and force of forging die according to preset program and parameters, thereby realizing precision forging. In summary, servo precision forging machine realizes an efficient and precise forging process through precise control of servo motor and coordinated work of control system. Servo precision forging machine has many significant advantages, as follows:
‌High-precision control‌: Servo motor can accurately control position, speed and acceleration, realize high-precision motion control, and ensure accuracy of part processing.
‌Fast response and efficient production‌: Servo motor has a fast response speed, can start, stop and reverse quickly, adapt to needs of high-speed movement, and improve production efficiency. ‌Strong flexibility‌: Servo drive technology makes forging process more flexible, which can adapt to production of parts of different specifications and shapes, and meet needs of flexible production.
‌Environmental protection and energy saving‌: Servo electric screw press has obtained EU CE certification and meets environmental protection standards. Servo motor can automatically adjust power output according to load conditions to reduce energy consumption.
‌Automation and intelligence‌: Servo precision forging machine can be integrated into automated production line to respond to development needs of intelligent manufacturing and improve overall efficiency of production line.‌
In summary, servo precision forging machine has significant advantages in precision, efficiency, flexibility, environmental protection and automation.‌

 

The world's top ten forging machine brands (ranking in no particular order):

Shenyang Machine Tool (SMTCL): Founded in 1935, it is known for its excellent quality and has completed transformation from ordinary lathes to CNC lathes.

Dalian Machine Tool (DMTG): Founded in 1948, it is a leading domestic flexible manufacturing system and automation complete set of technology and equipment, CNC machine tool research and development and manufacturing base.

Qinchuan Machine Tool (QCMTT): Founded in 1965, a well-known brand in machine tool industry, a research and development and manufacturing base for precision CNC machine tools and complex tools in China.

Jinan No. 2 Machine Tool (JIER): Founded in 1937, it is a world-renowned stamping equipment manufacturer and a domestic heavy-duty CNC forging equipment R&D and manufacturing base.

Qiqihar Heavy CNC Equipment: A national protected trademark, a key high-tech enterprise of the National Torch Program, a domestic first-class major equipment and defense equipment support industrialization base.

Beiyi Machine Tool (BYJC): Founded in 1949, the former Beijing No. 1 Machine Tool Factory, a more competitive machine tool manufacturing and service provider.

Qiqihar No. 2 Machine Tool: Founded in 1950, it is one of leading heavy-duty machine tool companies in China and a famous production base for heavy-duty machine tools and forging equipment.

Kunming Machine Tool (Kunming Machine Tool): Founded in 1936, it is a well-known domestic backbone enterprise for manufacturing large-scale precision machine tools.

Baoji Machine Tool (BOOHI): A high-end CNC machine tool R&D and production base, with CNC machine tools as leading industry.

Other well-known brands: such as Haitian Precision, Yawei Machine Tools, etc., also have significant influence and market share in the field of forging machines. Please note that above ranking is for reference only, and specific ranking may vary due to different evaluation criteria.