More uses for Swaging
Disclaimer: Many of the ideas presented below are perfectly valid methods as
long as they do not violate the end customer's specifications. Some of these
methods will require pre- or post processing to maintain the integrity of the
end item. The end Customer's Engineering folks are the only people who can give
the Okey-Dokey. After spending most of my life in the Quality Discipline, I
refuse to suggest something that would compromise the integrity of a item. These
methods are not used nor intended to be used in violation of ethical
manufacturing practices.
Weird or Unavailable Material Size
Many sizes of "stock" material can be swaged down to create the certain size of
"unobtanium" that you have been looking for. Standard to Metric or Metric to
Standard conversions are easier than using 25.4 as a constant.
Rough Surface Finish
The fact that swaging cold works material can help improve turned surface
finishes. The process imparts an almost burnished surface finish to the outside
of the item being swaged.
Rework
O.K., I know that we are all perfect and we never make
mistakes or have any rework.
On shaft or tubular work, if you have an oversized internal thread or bore, with
stock remaining on the O.D., the part can be swaged down slightly on the
outside, forcing the material to go to the inside of the part, raising the
material to allow for re-machining of the internal configuration.
The same thing holds true for a part that is worn in service. Weld up or plate
the O.D., of the part, swage it down and create a fresh surface on the I.D. to
be finished machined.
If your part ends up a little "short" and there is stock remaining on the O.D.,
swaging really does work as that "tube stretcher" that you have been looking
for.
![[Company Logo Image]](images/logo.gif){kind=logo}
