Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compressive forces.
Of all structural metals and alloys, the aluminum alloys are the most readily forged to precise intricate shapes. There are a number of reasons for this: aluminum alloys are ductile; they can be forged with dies heated essentially to the same temperatures as the workpiece; they do not develop scale during heating; and they require lower forging pressures.
Cold forging takes advantage of the plasticity of metals at room temperature to shape them. Before this processing method was applied, metals were mainly finished by cutting. But cutting materials down from the start is time consuming and produces a large amount of shavings. That is why so much interest is being shown in cold forging, because this technique makes processing times shorter and does not produce shavings.
The forging process has few limitations to forming shapes and complex fin designs. A forged part is formed in two dimensions within the tool to create complex shapes without the need for secondary operations. Holes, chamfers, pins, elliptical fins, steps, etc. are created in the tool in a single operation.
