Custom Metal Forging Services

Custom forging is the process of shaping metal using localized compressive forces — typically a press or hammer — to produce components engineered to a customer's exact specifications. Unlike casting or machining from bar stock, forging aligns the metal's grain structure to the part shape, resulting in superior strength, toughness, and fatigue resistance. Custom forgings can be produced in a wide range of alloys and geometries for critical applications in aerospace, defense, and power generation.

The three primary forging types are open die forging, closed die forging, and upset forging. Open die forging shapes metal between flat or simple dies without enclosing the workpiece. Closed die forging uses precision dies to force metal into a specific shape, minimizing material waste and machining. Upset forging increases the cross-sectional area of a workpiece by compressing its length, commonly used to produce rings, cylinders, and flanged components.

MTS Forge works with a broad range of metals, including alloy steels, stainless steels, high-performance nickel alloys such as Monel K-500, duplex stainless steels like Ferralium 255, and 316-L Stainless Steel for Section III nuclear applications. Our metallurgical expertise allows us to select and process materials appropriate for the mechanical demands of each application, including high-temperature, corrosion-resistant, and pressure-rated environments.

MTS Forge serves manufacturers and procurement teams across aerospace, defense, commercial nuclear, power generation, machine manufacturing, agriculture, medical, construction, and gas and petroleum industries. Our quality assurance programs — including Mil I 45208, NCA 3800, and Mil Q9858 — are specifically structured to meet the stringent procurement and traceability requirements common in defense and nuclear supply chains.

Yes. MTS Forge performs normalizing heat treatment in-house at our Coatesville, PA facility. Normalizing heats forged components above their upper critical temperature and allows them to cool in still air, breaking up irregular grain structures caused by the forging process. The result is a component with a refined, uniform microstructure, improved tensile strength, enhanced toughness, relieved internal stresses, and better machinability for downstream processing.

For upset forgings, rings, and cylinders, MTS Forge can produce components up to 26 inches in diameter and up to 1,500 pounds per piece. Flanges are manufactured up to 14 inches in size. For sawing operations, we can process materials up to 16 inches in outer diameter. Contact our team to discuss the specific dimensional requirements of your project and confirm feasibility.

Yes. MTS Forge maintains a comprehensive Quality Assurance Program that ensures full traceability throughout the production process — from raw material receipt through forging, heat treatment, machining, and final inspection. This is particularly critical for commercial nuclear and defense applications where documentation and material certification are mandatory procurement requirements under programs such as NCA 3800 and Mil Q9858.

Closed die forging reduces costs primarily by enabling near-net shape production. Instead of machining a component entirely from bar stock — which wastes significant material — closed die forging presses metal into a precise die cavity, minimizing excess material. This reduces raw material consumption and dramatically lowers downstream machining time and expense. MTS Forge's large tooling inventory further reduces tooling costs, making closed die forging a cost-effective solution for medium-to-high volume production runs.