Among all manufacturing processes, forging technology has a special place because it helps to produce parts of superior mechanical properties with minimum waste of material. In forging, the starting material has a relatively simple geometry; this material is plastically deformed in one or more operations into a product of relatively complex configuration. Forging to net or to net shape dimensions drastically reduces metal removal requirements, resulting in significant material and energy savings.

Forging usually requires relatively expensive tooling. Thus, the process is economically attractive when a large number of parts must be produced and/or when the mechanical properties required in the finished product can be obtained only by a forging process.