Production engineering/Forming

Forming Processes for Production/Manufacturing Engineering

Forming is any process that arrives at an intermediate of final form without the need for any material to be removed by an external process. The main production forming processes are:

Casting and Forging

Traditionally casting was the pouring of molten material into a mold. When the material cooled the final shape was available. When the material is injected into the mould under pressure the process is generally referred to as molding.

Instead of a liquid the material in powder for can also be compressed within a mold to form a final solid form. This powder forming process is often referred to as sintering.

Traditionally forging has been the forming of a metal by applying intermittent forces or blows. Generally the metal would be heated, although cold forging could have been used on smaller items.

Currently forging of metals is carried out with the metals both hot and cold. For sheet materials the forging process is generally referred to as pressing or forming. Generally solid forging is applied to metals, but the forming of sheets, rods and tubes etc. is also applied to non metallic materials.

Information on these processes from Wikipedia can be found at:

Casting Forging