What is Drop Forging?

Drop forging is a process that uses a pair of impression dies and a heavy hammer to form and compress metal bars or billets into complex shapes. The impression or die cavity is the desired shape of the final forging.

The equipment used in the drop forging process is known as a power or drop hammer.
Drop hammers are typically mechanical where the weight and upper die are lifted by a belt or chain and dropped. Power hammers are powered by air or hydraulics and are typically used for heavier production.

The lower half of the forging die is fixed in position on the anvil and the upper is fixed onto the ram that moves up and down.

Material is heated to the required temperature and then placed into the lower forging die in its plain or preformed condition. The material is then hammered until it completely fills the die cavity. The process can also be called impression die forging.

A preform is an open die forging process that manipulates the material into a rough shape to assist with grain flow structure and forming in the impression die.

Forging dies are designed to allow excess material to be pushed outside of the impression, this is commonly known as flash material which is later removed in a trimming operation. A draft angle is also added to the impression to allow the material to release from the forging die after forming.

W.H.Tildesley forge in both ferrous and non-ferrous materials including carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminium (aluminum), nickel alloys, bronzes, and titanium. We run 10 forging cells in one of the most modern drop forging facilities in the UK.