Manufacturing Process

Forging

锻压

Shaping metal by compressive force: hot-forged near-net pre-forms sourced from audited partners, machined and finished in-house.

Process Steps

Pre-form route chosen with the drawing
Near-net forging sourced from an audited partner
Machined, drilled and ground in-house
Inspected before finishing

What forging means here

Direct answer: forging shapes metal with compressive force instead of cutting it, so the grain flow follows the part rather than being cut across it. At Balford, hot forging is not an in-house process. Forged parts are bought as near-net pre-forms from audited partner companies and then machined, ground, finished and inspected in our own plant. The split is stated on the quotation in the same way heat treatment and plating are.

That distinction matters when you read a supplier's capability list, because "we do forging" can mean a press in the building or a partner list on the desk. This page states which one it is here.

The five near-net pre-form routes we buy

Route	What it gives the part	Typical use
Hot forging	Grain flow that follows the shape, good strength-to-weight, no porosity	Loaded brackets, levers, fittings and parts with a stressed section
Cold extrusion	A tight near-net shape with a good surface and work-hardened walls	Small symmetric parts that are then turned or drilled
Cold heading	Very high output on small fasteners and pins	Screws, rivets, studs and similar high-volume parts
Casting	A complex external shape in one piece	Housings and bodies where only the functional faces are machined
Powder metallurgy	Intricate geometry with minimal machining and controlled porosity	Small precision components in volume

All five are bought as near-net pre-forms from audited partners and finished here — the same disclosure group as heat treatment and plating.

What happens in-house once the pre-form arrives

Machining to the drawing — turning, milling, drilling and tapping (see CNC machining services);
Grinding where the drawing calls for flatness, diameter or a specific finish (grinding);
Deburring and edge preparation;
Heat treatment where the specification requires it, also through audited partners (heat treatment);
Surface finishing — plating, passivation and coating routes run through partners and are declared (metal finishing);
Inspection and first-article documentation before the parts leave.

Why buy a pre-form at all

Three reasons, and they are about cost and properties rather than capability:

Material. A near-net pre-form starts close to the finished shape, so far less metal is turned into swarf;
Cycle time. Less material to remove means fewer passes on the machine;
Properties. A forged or extruded section carries a grain flow that a part cut from bar does not, which matters wherever the part is loaded.

Where none of those three applies — a small, simple part, or a one-off — machining from bar is usually the cheaper answer. Where the part is a thin-walled shell rather than a solid, stamping or deep drawing take over instead.

What the drawing should carry

The material grade and its condition (as-forged, normalised, quenched and tempered), because the pre-form partner is chosen on it;
Which faces are functional — the pre-form only has to leave stock where the drawing needs material;
Any grain-flow or fibre direction that matters to the design;
Heat-treatment and surface specifications, so the pre-form, the treatment and the finishing are quoted as one route;
Whether the pre-form supplier has to be named on the certificate. It is named on the quotation in every case.

Frequently asked

Is forging done in-house?

No. Hot forging, cold extrusion, cold heading, casting and powder metallurgy are bought as near-net pre-forms from audited partner companies, then machined and finished in Balford's own plant. This is stated on the quotation and in the mutual NDA, the same way heat treatment and plating are.

Forging, casting, or machining from bar — which do I need?

Forging when the part carries load and you want grain flow without porosity; casting when the external shape is complex and only some faces are machined; bar when the part is small, simple or a one-off. The choice is made against your drawing at quotation stage.

Which materials can the pre-form come in?

Carbon and alloy steels are routine, as are stainless grades and aluminium; copper and brass are common for cold-formed parts. If the grade is unusual it is confirmed with the partner before the quotation rather than after.

Does an outsourced pre-form change the lead time?

Yes, and it is quoted as part of the route rather than hidden. The pre-form usually sets the critical path on a first order; repeat orders are planned around it.

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