Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using compressive force. The automotive continues to depend on steel forged automotive components, which remain an integral part of current vehicle design for both low volume and mass market models. Cars and trucks may contain more than 250 forgings, most of which are produced from carbon or alloy steel.
The forging process can create parts that are stronger than those manufactured by any other metalworking process which is why forgings are almost always used where reliability and human safety are critical.
Forged components are commonly found at points of shock and stress such as wheel spindles, kingpins, axle beams and shafts, and steering arms. Another common application is in the powertrain, where connecting rods, transmission shafts and gears, drive shafts, clutch hubs and universal joints etc are often forged. The characteristics of forged parts, which are strength, reliability, and economy, are what makes them ideal for the automotive industry.
Brockhouse produces parts for the automotive industry and its tier one and tier two suppliers.
We supply into truck and bus, motorsport, classic car, defence, off highway and specialist vehicle markets, our products include the below, all of which are manufactured for safety critical applications;
- small hinges
- upset forged drive shafts
- steering arms
- crankshafts
- wishbone
- stub axles
- con rod
Product simulation plays an important part in analysing grain flow in almost all of these applications where strength and longevity are paramount. All of our automotive parts undergo 100% crack detection testing prior to final approval. We work to exacting standards to undertake post forge machining so we can present components to our customer ready for final machining and gear cutting.
Our skilled workforce has been producing quality forgings for over a century, establishing a strong reputation for Brockhouse as a market leader, working with a network of customers globally. From our West Bromwich based facility, we offer a complete service including design, die & tool manufacture, forging, machining, and heat treatment for items up to 140kgs in weight.
As experts in this field, we can offer the following:
- Forging capabilities from 0.5KG to 140KG
- Small and medium batch quantities in a variety of metal grades
- Create custom impression dies and store for repeat orders
- Full CAD design and CNC machining support