The difference between casting and forging in Phoenix, AZ is a critical one to understand if you’re going to be working with metal. One of the processes involves turning the metal into a liquid and letting it cool back into a solid, while the other uses extreme pressure to form it into a desired shape.
Casting vs. forging
Casting involves melting the metal by heating it to an incredibly high temperature. This molten metal is now in a liquid state and can be poured into a mold or other vessel. The metal will then cool and remain in the desired shape.
Forging metal uses mechanical and thermal energy on steel billets or ingots. This uses extreme heat and compression to form the material into a desired shape while it remains in a solid state.
Benefits of casting
Casting steel has some benefits over forging that make it a good choice for a wide variety of applications. Especially for larger items over 100 pounds or for making intricate components, casting may be the better choice for the job.
Other benefits of casting include:
- Alloy choices: Because casting involves heating the metal to a molten stage, it is easier to make custom alloys. This means you can expand material selection to include chrome, nickel, molybdenum and other alloys.
- Smaller production runs: Casting does not require a large production run to be cost efficient.
- Custom jobs: Because it allows for smaller production runs, it’s easier and more affordable to have custom jobs done with casting. Casting also allows for complex or more complicated parts to be made as well.
- No limit to size: Casting allows for large and very heavy pieces to be manufactured versus the process of forging.
Benefits of forging
While casting offers a great range of options that can be suitable for many applications, forging has many benefits as well. Because it’s a different process that keeps the metal solid through the entirety of the process, it results in the strongest possible steel that is generally more reliable over time than casting.
Other benefits of forging include:
- Better impact handling: Forged steel is generally tougher than cast steel and therefore is able to withstand greater impacts.
- Consistency: Because it remains solid at all times, forged steel maintains a uniform consistency throughout the final product. It is free from shrinkage or cavities forming within the metal.
- Stronger: As mentioned, forging results in the strongest end product compared with other processes. This also means that you do not have to rely as much on alloys to make it stronger.
- Durability: The tight grain structure of forged steel makes it more durable than casting and able to be used to make “super-hard” products.
Metal Pro Inc. is a versatile metal fabricator with experience and expertise working across a variety of metals for over 20 years. Contact Metal Pro Inc. today to find out more about the difference between casting and forging and to see what would be the best fit for your project in Phoenix, AZ.