General characteristics of different forming and shaping processes such as flat rolling, shape rolling, drawing, extrusion, forging, forming and shaping of ceramics, sheet-metal forming, powder metallurgy and processing of plastics & composite materials.
| S.no |
Process
|
Characteristics
|
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flat rolling | Production of a flat plate, sheet, and foil at high speeds; high surface finish, especially in cold rolling; very high capital investment; low-to-moderate labor cost. |
| 2 | Shape rolling | Production of various structural shapes (such as I-beams and rails) at high speeds; includes thread rolling; low-to-moderate labor cost; requires shaped rolls and expensive equipment; requires moderate operator skill. |
| 3 | Drawing | Production of long rod and wire with various cross sections; good surface finish; requires low-to-moderate operator skill; low-to-moderate die, equipment and labor costs. |
| 4 | Extrusion | Production of long lengths of solid or hollow shapes with constant cross section; the product is then cut into desired lengths; usually performed at elevated temperatures; cold extrusion has similarities to forging and is used to make discrete products; low-to-moderate labor cost; moderate-to-high die and equipment cost; requires low-to-moderate operator skill. |
| 5 | Forging | Production of discrete parts with a set of dies; some finishing operations usually required; usually performed at elevated temperature, but also cold for smaller parts; moderate-to-high labor cost; die and equipment costs are high; requires low-to-moderate operator skill. |
| 6 | Forming and shaping of ceramics | Production of discrete products by various shaping, drying and firing processes, requires moderate-to-high operator skill; low-to-moderate die and equipment cost. |
| 7 | Sheet-metal forming | Production of a wide variety of shapes with thin walls and simple or complex geometries; generally low-to-moderate die, equipment and labor costs; require low-to-moderate operator skill. |
| 8 | Powder metallurgy | Production of simple or complex shapes by compacting and sinstering metal powders; low labor cost and skill and moderate die and equipment cost. |
| 9 | Processing of plastics and composite materials | Production of a wide variety of continuous or discrete products by extrusion, molding, casting and fabricating process; moderate die and equipment costs; requires high operator skill in the processing of composite materials. |
