PrintNow that you have completed the reading assignment regarding the fabrication of metals, let us summarize some of the important points.
To Watch
One way to classify the fabrication of metals is into the categories of (mechanical) forming, casting, and miscellaneous methods. There are four types of forming processes: forging, rolling, extruding, and drawing. I like to refer to these as pounding, rolling, pushing, and pulling. Hopefully, by the end of this section, you will understand why I use those terms.
Blacksmiths have been hammering (pounding) metals into shape for some time. Today, we have large machines which pound and stamp metals into shape. Please watch this very brief (00:33) video on metal forging which shows exactly that: Forging(link is external). (If that video is currently unavailable, check out this Forging video(link is external) instead.)
Putting metal between rollers is an effective way to create thin sheets, here is a very brief (1:23) video which shows how rolling is done: Roll Forming(link is external). (If that video is currently unavailable, check out this Roll Forming video(link is external) instead.)
In extruding, metal is PUSHED through dies, which controls the final profile of the metal piece. Please watch this brief (1:56) video on metal extruding: Extrusion(link is external). (If that video is currently unavailable, check out this Extrusion video(link is external) instead.)
For the last process, drawing, please proceed to the next section.