can someone shed a light on these two processes and explain the differences. i have a basic grasp of the methods, but it’s not really computing…maybe too much glue sniffing.
thanks!
Semi Solid Forging (SSF) is a hybrd process that is basically die casting. It is different from die casting in that the material (a unique aluminum alloy) is not taken all the way to it’s molten (liquid) state. Under extreme pressure these alloys are forced into a “mold” cavity – The advantage? The tooling is cheaper and less time consuming to develop than true multi-step forging processes. The dis-advantage? The material is not as dense (strong) as a forged part, but it IS considerably denser (stronger) than die casting. It’s most frequently associated with motor vehicle wheels but certainly not limited to that.
Shot-peen cast – When a cast part (steel or aluminum) is subjected to shot peening, it is strengthened by having it’s external surface deformed by the multiple impact of the tiny steel balls (shot; think small BB’s) – it’s like hitting the part over it’s entire surace with a tiny ball-peen hammer. The result is that it shrinks the part. The result is that the interior of the part is compressed and made denser. The process may be applied to both cast and forged components.
The essential common denominator of both processes? They both increase material density, which allows the designer to specify thinner sections, which results in lighter component weight.
gluehead … didn’t even say, “thanks”,
musta passed out.