Shaft Forgings

Instilling Reliability into Every Drive Shaft

Specializing in the forging of large precision drive shafts ranging from Φ150mm to Φ1000mm, we provide core load-bearing, transmission, and durability assurance for high-end equipment through comprehensive material and process control throughout the entire production cycle.

Understanding a “Good” Shaft: Predictable Performance Matters More Than Strength-to-Weight Ratio and Precision

In heavy-duty gearboxes, hydroelectric generator sets, or marine propulsion systems, the failure of a single drive shaft often means production line shutdowns and massive losses. Therefore, we believe the value of an exceptional shaft forging lies not only in meeting dimensional and strength specifications but also in its predictable and stable performance throughout its entire design life.

Core Processes: How We Methodically Forge a Reliable Heavy-Duty Shaft

We understand that shaft reliability is built upon each step of solid, controlled foundational processes. Our core approach centers on three fundamental elements—“material, thorough forging, and heat treatment”—achieving quality through mature equipment and strict operational procedures.

1. Material Selection and Preparation: Control from the Source

Material Selection: We select compliant continuous cast billets or ingots produced by major steel mills based on the shaft's service conditions and customer-specified standards (e.g., GB, ASTM). All materials must be accompanied by original factory material certificates, which we verify through spectral analysis to confirm grade accuracy.

Cutting: Heavy-duty band saws or flame cutting are used for blanking, ensuring flat end faces with weight tolerances controlled within ±3%. This lays the foundation for uniform heating and subsequent forging.

2. Forging Process: Core Focus on “Full Forging” and Initial Forming

Forging Formation: Performed on an 8,000-ton free-forging hydraulic press by experienced operators. The core operation involves repeated multi-directional upsetting and drawing. The primary goal here is not precise shaping but achieving “forging penetration”—breaking down the cast structure through sufficient deformation, welding internal voids, and forming dense, uniform forging flow lines.

Dimension Control: Building upon thorough forging, we employ specialized tools for finishing. This ensures the forging's outer diameter and step dimensions meet technical agreement requirements, leaving a reasonable and uniform allowance for subsequent machining.

3. Heat Treatment: Imparts stable intrinsic properties to shaft components

Equipment and Execution: Heat treatment is conducted in large car-bottom resistance furnaces. We strictly adhere to heat treatment process cards validated through process evaluation.

Process Essence: For common alloy structural shafts, standard procedures are “forging followed by normalizing + tempering” or “quenching and tempering (quenching + high-temperature tempering)”. We control heating rates, soak times, and cooling media to achieve the comprehensive mechanical properties (strength and toughness balance) specified by the customer.

Traceable Documentation: Complete temperature-time curves are recorded for every heat treatment, ensuring process repeatability and traceability.

4. Inspection and Documentation: Data-Driven Verification

Process Inspection: Initial dimensional checks and surface visual inspections are performed post-forging.

Final Inspection: After heat treatment, finished forgings undergo:

Hardness Testing: Multiple points across the shaft body are tested to ensure uniform hardness values within specified ranges.

Ultrasonic Testing: Employing digital ultrasonic flaw detectors, we conduct 100% internal scanning per customer-specified standards to confirm absence of unacceptable defects.

Sampling Testing: Samples are extracted from the shaft extension or batch test bars from the same furnace for mechanical property tests including tensile and impact testing.

Technical Capabilities: The precision and performance we can deliver.

These shafts are driving the world forward.

Our forged shafts serve as the backbone of power transmission in high-end equipment:

Energy & Power: Operating reliably for decades under high-speed, heavy-load conditions as main shafts for hydroelectric generators, input shafts for wind turbine gearboxes, and power turbine shafts for gas turbines.

Metallurgy & Mining: Serving as universal joint shafts for large rolling mills, gear shafts for mining mills, and slewing shafts for excavators, they withstand instantaneous impacts and high torque.

General Machinery: Applied in high-speed pump shafts, compressor crankshafts, and main spindles for large extruders, ensuring continuous and stable process operations.

Rational Basis for Choosing Us: Grounded in Capability and Pragmatic Facts

We understand that in heavy equipment manufacturing, supplier selection hinges on rational evaluation of verifiable capabilities, certainty, and risk control. Here are specific reasons you can trust us:

1. We possess the physical capability and experience to handle “large-diameter” and “long-length” shaft components

Equipment Assurance: Our primary forging equipment is an 8000-ton press, complemented by heating furnaces, heat treatment furnaces, and workshop lifting/transportation capacity—all designed and validated for shafts weighing up to 50 tons and measuring up to 10 meters in length. This ensures feasibility and stability throughout the production flow of large components.

2. We implement rigorous, documented quality control throughout the entire process.

Process Standardization: From material re-inspection and forging heating records to final heat treatment curves and non-destructive testing reports, each step corresponds to standardized documentation forms.

Traceability: We establish independent quality documentation for each project (with electronic backups), archiving all files in sequential process order.

Transparency: At critical milestones (e.g., material arrival, forging completion, post-heat treatment), we report to your designated contact via photos or brief videos, providing visual progress updates and eliminating “black box” concerns.

Initiate Dialogue: Provide your specific requirements (shaft drawings or technical specifications) to receive a preliminary process assessment.