Open die forging is also known as smith forging. A hammer strikes the workpiece which is stationary on an anvil. The name for open die forging comes from the fact that the dies do not enclose the workpiece. With each strike of the metal, strength and grain structure is increased. The temperature range that items are created in is 1200 to 1280 degrees.

High Precision Parts

High precision parts cannot be forged using the open die process alone, the products need to be machined to the desired finish. Parts are machined to tight tolerances to minimise the amount of machining required on a finished part. Open die forging is best suited to large pieces on short runs, for example, blocks, shafts, hubs, flanges and cylinders.

Open die forgings have many advantages including incredible strength and a hard-wearing surface finish. This type of forging process is also more economical and creates less material waste.

Range of Forging Materials

A large range of materials can be forged using this method, these include:

• Alloy steel
• Stainless steel
• Carbon steel
• Titanium
• Inconel
• Tool steel
• Aluminium
• Copper
• Nickel
• Bronze

More advanced open die forging can produce complex shapes even in large products. The biggest drawback of open die forging is that the piece must be moved constantly as it is being worked on, this requires a skilled worker or complex machinery. Closed die forging, on the other hand, is a much simpler process but is often more expensive due to the high setup cost of the dies.

Overall open die forging is a low-cost way of creating simple products quickly but is not suitable for the forming of precision parts.