Forging is one of the OLDEST known manufacturing methods around. When it comes to wheels, a forged wheel
originates as a solid piece of metal referred to as a "billet" or
"pre-forged slug". The process of forging involves taking a
pre-determined piece of solid raw aluminum "raw material" and placing it
into a forging press. The press then redefines the actual "shape" of
this solid piece of material by forcing it to fill the cavity of a set
of dies under extreme high heat and intense pressure, (usually 8,500
tons as a minimum) which compresses the material to form the "pre forged
slug" mentioned above. This process results in a raw forging that is
significantly stronger than the material properties of raw the aluminum
we started with, due to the addition of grain structure and density that
was not inherent in the material in its native form.
Using this process, we can forge parts into a wide variety of
different profiles. This begins the creation of an infinite number of
wheel designs.
Ever seen an old Japanese Samurai movie where you see the
blacksmith hammering on a piece of metal against an anvil, eventually
producing the final form shaped as a sword or blade? Well, part of that
process creates an end result that is similar to the forging process in
that it enhances the material properties of the metal through
compression (creating grain density) which in turn gives it greater
strength. Grain density allows us to achieve greater strength (think
load bearing capacity) and resiliency (think resistance to cornering
fatigue) with less material, thus saving weight, which is a key element
of why we make forged wheels instead of heavier cast wheels, that are
simply not as strong when compared "pound for pound" to a forged wheel.
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