Manufacturing companies often rely on the use of compressive forces to manipulate the size and shape of workpieces. There are many different forging processes used in the manufacturing industry, however, one of which is swaging. A type of cold-working forging process, swaging has been around for centuries. And while faster and more efficient forging processes have since emerged, it’s still widely used in the manufacturing industry. To learn more about swaging and how it’s used in the manufacturing industry, keep reading.
Overview of Swaging
Derived from the Old French word “swage,” swaging is a forging process that involves the use of compressive forces to deform and manipulate the shape of a workpiece via a die. During this forging process, a worker forces the workpiece through a die. As the workpiece is pushed through the die, it takes the die’s shape. Excess material is removed from the workpiece, after which it achieves similar dimensions as the die through which it was forced.
The 2 Types of Swaging Processes
All swaging processes involve the use of compressive force to change the size and shape of a workpiece via a die. There are two primary types of swaging processes, however: tube and radial. The most common type, tube swaging is similar to extrusion in that it forces the workpiece through a die with a smaller diameter. In comparison, radial swaging involves the use of multiple dies. With radial swaging, a worker hammers the workpiece through a series of two or more dies. It’s called “tube swaging” because the dies are shaped like tubes.
Manual vs Machine Swaging
Swaging can be performed either manually by hand or automatically via a machine. In the past, all swaging processes were performed manually, Workers would hammer the top of the workpiece, thereby forcing it through the underlying die or dies. Thanks to advancements in the manufacturing industry, though, there are now machines available to automate swaging processes.
Swaging machines feature dies below an automated hammer tool. The workpiece is affixed between the hammer tool and the machine’s dies, after which it’s exposed to compressive forces. Like with manual swaging, machine swaging such as this will force the workpiece through the die or dies.
In Conclusion
Swaging is a forging process that’s used in the manufacturing industry to change the size and shape of a workpiece by exposing it to compressive forces. The compressive forces, such as that of a hammer, push the workpiece through one or more dies.
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