Our production is typically based on turnkey manufacturing, starting from the customer's design. First we take care of the necessary equipment (both for forging and mechanical machining) and then the subsequent forging and machining.
Hot forging is carried out with mechanical presses up to 2000 tons of power; we also own screw presses for cold calibration.
The mechanical processes are carried out on modern three- and four-axis milling and turning working centres.
The organizational flexibility allows hot forging of small batches, (50-100 items) with a weight range of up to about 6kg steel.
In the course of our history (over 75 years) we have worked in various and diverse sectors. An example of the current production is shown below.
Medical division
More than 25 years of experience in the manufacturing of hip prostheses, orthopaedic plates and customer-designed acetabular cups. The produced range is very large and includes hundreds of shapes and types of medical devices made over the years. We use titanium alloys (ASTM F136 – ISO 5832/3 – ISO 5832/11), stainless steel (ISO 5832/1 – ISO 5832/9) and cobalt chromium alloys for medical use (ISO 5832/12). The quality is guaranteed by a strict real time product and process control system and by a system of production management for a perfect management and traceability of batches, products and relative checks. Everything is formalized under the ISO 13485 obtained in January 2016. F Colombo provides the following hot forged medical devices, complete with heat treatment, machining, deburring and surface finishes as required by the customer.
Mechanical division
The product range of the mechanical division includes:
- Components for agricultural machinery (combine harvester and mowers machine).
- Engine parts for cars and motorcycles
- Chassis components for cars and motorcycles
- Transmission components
- Components for locking systems
- Components for hydraulic tools
- Products for various applications
Hot forging
The word forging derives from the fact that this production process takes place through the use of closed moulds that make the piece takes a specific shape by the end of the process. This shape is very similar to that of the finished product which will be used by the customer.
The deformation involves heat treatment and is plastic in nature (permanent). It is achieved by heating the metal alloy at appropriate temperatures.
The advantages of hot forging compared to casting, sintering or lamination are as follows:
- Increased mechanical strength due to the arrangement of the fibres and the compacted the material.
- Lower weight because smaller pieces can be used and have the same mechanical strength.
- Reduced chip removal process due to a minimal finishing allowance eliminated through subsequent machining.
- Elimination of internal defects due to the great compression obtained through hot forging. All security features are typically hot-forged to minimize the chance of breakage during operation.
F. Colombo s.r.l. prints the following alloys:
- Carbon steel (c15-c30, etc.)
- Alloy steel (42CrMo4 39NiCrMo3 34nicrmo16, etc.)
- Stainless steel (Aisi 304, 316, 316 l, 410, etc.)
- Aluminium alloys (Al6082-7075-2014, etc.)
- Titanium alloys (Ti6al4v, ti6al7nb, etc.)
- Cobalt Chromium alloys (Iso5832/12)
