What is Swaging Process in Forging? Why Swaging Process? Applications of Swaging
What is Swaging Process in Forging Why Swaging Process? | Swaging Process Tools
What is Swaging Process?
The swaging process is used in forging metal as it can form a close-fitting joint that is strong and permanent.
The process is achieved by the application of pressure in the shape of a die, cup, or mandrel onto the workpiece with a heavy hammer.
The important parts to note for this process are the diameter, length, and hardness of the dies used.
Swaging is a cold forming process in which metal is pressed or drawn into another shape through the use of a die.
It turns an irregularly shaped piece of metal into a round or oval shape. The swaging process uses the full force of the tool to press the metal into shape.
The die used should be harder than the material being forged. It can produce extremely high forces and is used to make permanent, reliable joints in one-piece construction, where no heat treatment is required after forging.
The swaging process is also performed on nonmetallic materials. It applies pressure to a workpiece using tools such as cranks and dies, and is dependent on the use of a die.
The process can be used to increase the diameter of a metal rod. The product is produced by passing the workpiece through a die several times to increase its diameter and then removing the shank portion of the product.
Swaging can be done either manually or mechanically with a machine. Previously, all swaging procedures were done by hand.
Workers would hammer the top of the workpiece, pushing it through the underlying die or dies. However, because to technological developments in the industrial business, there are now equipment available to automate swaging operations.
Swaging machines have dies below an automated hammer tool. The workpiece is clamped between the hammer tool and the machine’s dies before being subjected to compressive forces. Machine swaging, like human swaging, will force the workpiece through the die or dies.
Why Swaging Process?
Swaging Process has many advantages over other processes which are more time consuming such as soldering.
Swaging process is a cold working process, which means heat is not added to the work material to enhance the old metal.
This process uses force to change the shape of a metal object. It produces strong joints in one piece construction, as compared to brazing process where two pieces are joined together by soldering.
Swaging process can be carried out easily in a limited space with less equipment.
What is some Application of Swaging Process?
1. Automobile
It is used to join together two pieces of metal. Swaging is commonly used during the manufacturing of automobile components such as brake shoes and fuel lift pumps.
2. Manufacturing
It is used in the manufacture of rings, hooks and eyelets. The rings are produced by passing the metal through a set of dies with increasing diameters, each time a swage block is used, it creates room for more metal to flow into which in turn increases the diameter of the ring.
3. Cables and pipes
Swaging is most commonly used to attach fittings to pipes or cables (also known as wire ropes); the pieces are loosely fitted together, then a mechanical or hydraulic tool compresses and deforms the fitting, resulting in a permanent union.
Pipe flaring machines are another example. Pipe flares are also called as “swage nipples,” “pipe swages,” or “reducing nipples.”
Legs constructed of metal tubing (especially in business furniture) are frequently swaged to increase strength where they come into contact with the ground, or casters.
4. Blacksmithing
Swaging processes are used to form the stoves, forges and bellows in blacksmithies. Cold-swaged pipe is commonly used as a replacement for hot-swaged conductor in damaged power line underground cables.
5. Construction
Swage dies are installed inside steel housings and casings to form their closely fitting shape. A number of different sizes and shapes of dies are available, such as straight, right angle, T-joints and holes for various functions such as sealing joints, bolts or combs.
6. Electronics
Swaging is used in manufacturing of printed circuit boards. This process is widely used in many industries such as electronics, automobile and aerospace industries.
It is also widely used for manufacturing of heat-shrink tubing and other plastic tube.
7. Medical
Swaging process has been used to create many medical instruments, including sutures, surgical devices and drug delivery systems.
A swage tool can be applied to the surgical device’s shaft or stem allowing surgeons to create a straight or curved path inside the patient’s body.
8. Firearms
Swaging is used to create a barrel for rifles or other firearms. Swaged bullets are bullets made in the ammunition industry by compressing metal at room temperature into a die and shaping it into the shape of a bullet.
The other main production process is casting, which involves pouring molten metals into a mold.
Because metals expand when heated and contract when chilled, cast bullets must be cast in a mold that is slightly bigger than the intended finish size so that when the molten metal cools, it hardens at exactly the correct moment to shrink to the desired size.
9. Jewelry
In jewelry-making, swaging is used to join findings such as jump rings and clasps together. A chaser and a swage block are used to make the ring fit tightly by compressing it around the shank of the ring.
Jumbo rings are created by drawing a ring of wire through a die which reduces its diameter and makes it thicker at the same time.
What is swaging used for?
Swaging is a forging technique in which the size of an item are changed by forcing it into dies. Swaging is typically a cold procedure, although it may also be hot worked.
Swaging, at its foundation, is a metal shaping process used to compress rod, wire, or tube. Unlike other processes, swaging employs a fast sequence of hammer strokes to create the metal. This chipless metal forming process is a cost-effective solution to create items with little material waste.
What are the advantages of swaging over splicing?
High surface polish. No material wastage since it does not produce any chips. This technique can achieve high precision. This technique may produce any material.
What is rotary swaging?
Rotary swaging is a high-performance forging method used to create hollow and solid components with an extended axis.
Rotary swaging involves the use of two to six dies for radial shaping while the workpiece is moved axially forward and/or backward.
Rotary swaging is applied in the fabrication of numerous parts for the automotive, aerospace, and military sectors, such as pipes, hollow steering columns, drive and guide shafts, and various fasteners.
When compared to machining methods, rotary swaging considerably reduces the cost of producing such components while also increasing the strength characteristics of the components.
Rotary swaging involves the use of two to six dies for radial shaping while the workpiece is moved axially forward and/or backward.
What is the difference between swaging and crimping?
The most fundamental differences is that the compression force is applied once (or at most a few times) in crimping, whereas the force is applied several times at high frequency in swaging.
Swaging involves moving the product slowly into a tapered die while the die closes and opens quickly.
What are the different types of swaging?
The application of compressive force to modify the size and form of a workpiece via a die is common to all swaging techniques.
But there are two main types of swaging processes: tube and radial.
Tube swaging, the most prevalent technique, is similar to extrusion in that it pushes the workpiece through a smaller diameter die.
Radial swaging, on the other hand, necessitates the use of several dies. A worker hammers the workpiece through a sequence of two or more dies while radial swaging. Because the dies are fashioned like tubes, the process is known as “tube swaging.”
