Forging is the technique of encasing the workpiece entirely in moving dies, often known as closed die forging. After being heated, the raw material is placed in the bottom die, which is about the same size or form as the final forged piece.

Know the Process of Closed Die Forging 

Hot bending refers to the process of making a curve through applying a weight at a high temperature. One of the primary benefits of hot bending steel, otherwise called heat-assisted bending, is that the yield strength of the material is decreased in comparison to its value at room temperature. As a result, the machinery used to form the products through hot closed die forging may exert less effort. After the component has been heated by a flame, in a furnace, or via an induction coil, bending pressure is applied to it.

One of the bending techniques covered in the preceding section is often used to generate the bending force, but it is also possible to bend the component around predetermined shapes, resulting in custom metal fabrication. Heat sources from both internal and external sources may be applied to HSS components. Heat is only required when using a gag-pressing machine to camber beams if the beam strength is too great for the tool.

What Is Required to Bend Hot Steel?

Induction turning is a form of pipe bending that is very efficient and can be precisely controlled. During the process of inducing bending, a specific area will be heated with the help of electrical power operating at a high frequency. In addition to being able to bend pipes and tubes, a hot-bending steel machine also has the capability of bending W&H sections and channels, which are used in structural applications.

Induction metal bending goes by a variety of names, including hot bending, incremental bending, and high-frequency bending, to mention just a few of them. When dealing with bigger pipe diameters or when cold bending technology is restricted, induction bending is the best solution. Due to the fact that these pipes are produced using hot closed die forging, the whole circumference of each pipe is heated to a temperature ranging from 850 to 1100 degrees Celsius.

Advantages of Hot Bending Steel

The following are the primary advantages of hot bending steel:

  1. It is possible to manufacture bends in explicit material more rapidly, and the material’s price is lower than that of traditional components. In order to lessen the amount of friction, wear, and strain placed on the pump, greater radius induction bends may be used as an alternative to elbows. The overall number of welds in a system may be cut down by the use of induction bending.
  2. The tangents are not welded together at strategic locations. It’s possible that if we undertake less non-destructive testing, we can save some money. Induction bends are unequivocally better than uniform wall thickness elbows, as can be seen when comparing the two types of bends. There is a possibility that there will be a significantly less number of conventional bends and elbows to pick from.
  3. Because the straight pipe is more readily available than elbows, this results in a faster time to market. When people talk about “hot bending steel,” they are typically referring to one of the several induction bending procedures. Induction bending has grown in popularity as a method for bending pipes since it is a fast and accurate process that does not allow for any opportunity for error. In the process of induction bending, the pipe is heated in a very specific location in order to permit a rapid rotation. It is possible to bend it with very little change in shape, and it does not need any filler material. Because of how well it utilises available power, many induction benders have made the transition to using this method. 

After the Process of Hot Bending Steel 

As soon as the process of heating is over, bending just takes a brief period of time. A longer turnaround time for each pipe because of the material’s cooling period after bending is one of the disadvantages of hot bending. Another disadvantage of hot bending is the higher price tag for the required equipment.

In closed die forging, the metal is forced into and fills an enclosed die impression, while in open die forging, the metal is distorted by dies that do not entirely surround the material. Open die forging and closed die forging are both types of forging.

Difference Between Closed Die Forging and Custom Metal Fabrication 

Custom metal fabrication employs tools to do tasks like sawing through and drilling holes in metal while forging uses pressure to modify the shape of the metal. Metalworking may include both forging and fabrication, yet there are significant differences between the two. 

Metal is squeezed during the forging process, sometimes referred to as “beating,” to produce the required form. Metals are shaped by the process of forging, which involves exerting force while employing hammers, dies, rollers, moulds, and presses at either high or low temperatures. 

To summarise, custom metal fabrication employs tools to cut, bend, and otherwise shape metal into the desired form, while open and closed die forging uses pressure to mould metal into the needed shape.