Hastelloy X: Hints on machining rough forging

Anyone with experience machining rough forgings? What to ask for from forger? Preferred cutting tools/drills, threading, etc.

I've machined Hastelloy-X valve bodies before and can tell you that you'll be chewing through a LOT of carbide tools!

Can you tell us more about the application and what kind of features you need to machine? How deep and what diameter are the holes, and do you have a coolant-thru spindle? Are threads something you need to tap or is this a turning application?

Doughnut type part. Turn 16 inch od, 11 inch id, 1.7 ht. two steps on id and od. 40 holes .28 dia. thru .4 flange, 4 1/4-28 tapped holes thru .4 flange. I figured to threadmill these. Do have TSC.

Customer is telling me I will need to stress relieve before finish turning.

alphonso said:

Customer is telling me I will need to stress relieve before finish turning.

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BELIEVE it. If you don't, be sure to post pics of both the part and the look on your face.
Been a very long time for me, but the bad taste in my mouth from that job has evidently not subsided.

I know tooling has come leaps and bounds in the last few years, so maybe it's gotten better with HastX, but F^CK did that stuff suck.

At least its cheap if you fuck it up... Oh wait.

The best thing about ordering your own castings or forgings... You have them made how you want. Features or draft angles that make the part easier to hold..

I'm guessing you are getting rings... There are places that do that... "rotary forging", none of the dies and bang-bang thing... I can't think of the name of the place
off of the top of my head.

I've never machined hastelloy, but have had to deal with turning rough castings and forgings.. That first cut.. I like to get the nose radius down into good(round) material, even
if that means a huge DOC and backing way off on the feed and speed. Keeps the BANG BANG BANG and grind-grind down, and then when you get to a nice round piece of
material, you can go at it like its bar stock.

aw man, is there scale on these forgings?

Thomas Paine said:

aw man, is there scale on these forgings?

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I hope not. Haven't gotten a response about that or rough turning yet.