Castings and forgings play important roles in the field of metal processing, but they have significant differences in application scope, manufacturing process, performance characteristics, and other aspects.

1、 Application scope

Casting:

Widely used in various industries such as automobiles, aviation, agricultural machinery, construction machinery, engineering machinery, railways, ships, etc. Among them, the automotive industry is the largest application area for castings, including various components such as body, steering gear, suspension, brake, engine, gearbox, etc.

In other fields, such as the aerospace industry, castings are used to manufacture engine impellers, nozzles, and other components; Casting parts are also widely used in agricultural machinery such as tractors, plows, and plows; Casting parts are also commonly found in construction machinery and engineering machinery, such as excavators, loaders, tower cranes, etc.

forging:

Mainly used in aviation, aerospace, automotive, machinery, metallurgy, petroleum, chemical, power, rail transit and other fields. Common forged parts include crankshafts, wheel hubs, gears, shafts, hammers, cutting tools, valves, turbines, engine parts, etc.

In the automotive industry, forged parts account for a large proportion of the total mass of automobiles, such as left and right steering knuckles, front beams, couplers, etc., which are all important forged parts. In addition, in the military industry, forged parts are often used for gun barrels, door bodies, bolt supports, etc. in tanks.

2、 Manufacturing process

Casting:

It is obtained by melting metal into a liquid, pouring it into a mold cavity with a specific shape, cooling and solidifying it, and cleaning it. There are two main types of casting methods: sand casting and special casting. Among them, sand casting has low cost and is suitable for castings of various materials and specifications; Special casting has precise shape and high quality, suitable for castings with complex shapes or high requirements.

forging:

It is a forging that obtains the desired shape and properties by applying pressure to a metal billet to induce plastic deformation. There are two main forging methods: free forging and die forging. Flexible free forging operation, suitable for single piece or small batch production; Die forging has a complex shape, standardized operation, and is suitable for large-scale production. In addition, forging can be divided into hot forging, warm forging, and cold forging according to different deformation temperatures.

3、 Performance characteristics

Casting:

Low cost, high production efficiency, complex shape, can manufacture parts with complex shapes and multiple internal cavities, wide adaptability, and flexible production.

However, the internal structure of the casting may not be dense enough, with defects such as pores and inclusions, resulting in relatively poor mechanical properties.

forging:

The internal organization is uniform and dense, without defects such as pores or inclusions, with a smooth surface and precise dimensions.

Excellent mechanical performance, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, impact resistance, suitable for important parts that can withstand harsh working conditions such as high load, high temperature, and high speed.

However, forging processing has high costs, high energy consumption, large equipment footprint, high technical requirements for operators, and is not suitable for producing parts with complex shapes and multiple internal cavities.

In summary, castings and forgings have their own advantages in terms of application scope, manufacturing process, and performance characteristics. The choice of process depends on the specific application scenario and performance requirements.