You can find seamless rolled rings at work in a variety of applications: crushing rocks in the mining industry, helping turn windmills for power generation companies and keeping military jets in the air.
But how are these rings made?
Seamless forged rings are created through a process known as ring rolling, which uses a machine known as a “rolling mill.”
This machine can generate rings that weigh just a pound to rings that weight 150 tons, rings that have a diameter of a just a few inches to rings that stretch hundreds of inches across.
The seamless ring forging process begins with a circular piece of metal that the machine pierces, making a doughnut-shaped component. Once this piece has been formed, it is heated until it reaches recrystallization temperature (typically between 400 and 700 degrees Celsius for steels).
Once it hits this temperature, the ring goes onto an idler roll and moves towards a drive roll. This movement causes the ring to rotate, increasing its diameter and wall thickness.
The finished rings are used to make a number of things, including:
• Bearings
• Clutches
• Couplings
• Drives
• Flanges
• Gears
• Glass-lined reactors
• Machines
• Robotics
• Valves
If you would like to learn more about seamless ring forging and seamless rings in general, contact Specialty Ring Products.
For more than a century, our Philadelphia plant has been a leader in the forging industry. We are a four-generation, family owned company committed to doing quality work while also evolving our standards and processes. Visit our website to learn more, or click here to request a forging quote.