Origin and Process of Swaging:
– The term ‘swage’ comes from the Old French term ‘souage,’ meaning decorative groove or ornamental moulding.
– Swages were originally tools used by blacksmiths to form metal into intricate shapes.
– Swages have handles or pegs for attaching to an anvil and often a flat head for striking with a hammer.
– Swage blocks are anvil-like dies with various shapes forged into them for forming metal.
– Swages called fullers are specific to making grooves in swords and knives.
– Swaging involves altering the dimensions of an item using dies into which the item is forced.
– There are two categories of swaging: extrusion and rotary swaging.
– Extrusion swaging involves forcing the workpiece through a confining die to reduce its diameter.
– Rotary swaging or radial forging uses two or more dies to hammer a round workpiece into a smaller diameter.
– Swaging is commonly used for tube reduction, tapering, and adding points to round workpieces.
Uses of Swaging:
– In blacksmithing, swages are used for shaping metal for decorative or functional purposes.
– In electronics, swaging is used to press connector pins into place, creating a mushroom-shaped retaining head.
– In plastics, heat swaging is used to roll or reform a wall of a plastic part to retain another component.
– Swaging is commonly used to attach fittings to pipes or cables, creating permanent joints.
– In sawmills, swaging is used to flare saw blade teeth, increasing the width of the cut.
Swaging in Different Industries:
– Swages are used by blacksmiths to shape metal into various intricate shapes.
– Swaging is used in printed circuit board assembly to press connector pins into place.
– Swaging is a process in internal ballistics where the bullet is squeezed to conform to the rifling in the barrel.
– In surgery, sutures are often swaged to an eyeless needle to prevent damage as they are drawn through the wound.
– Swedging is used in musical instrument repair to lengthen hinge tubes in keyed instruments.
– Swaging is used in piano technology to fix loose key leads and underlever leads.
– Swaging in car styling refers to the technique of overlapping two panels to create the impression of one continuous surface.
– Swaging is used in the installation of lockbolts, which are heavy-duty fasteners.
Definition and Overview of Swaging:
– Swaging is a metalworking process used to reduce or increase the diameter of a metal tube or rod.
– It is achieved by applying radial compressive forces and can be done cold or hot.
– Swaging is commonly used in industries such as aerospace and automotive.
– Types of swaging include rotary, hammer, radial, orbital, and hydraulic swaging.
– Applications of swaging include pipes, tubes, fittings, aircraft components, musical instruments, and automotive parts.
– Swaging offers advantages such as precise control over diameter, strong and seamless joints, versatility in materials, cost-effectiveness, and improved structural integrity.
– Limitations and considerations of swaging include work hardening, the need for skilled operators, introduction of residual stresses, limitations in shape complexity, and equipment size restrictions.
Related Concepts:
– Crimp (metalworking)
– Flare fitting
– Swaged sleeve
– Swaged socketSources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swaging
