Railroad
With a railroad running directly alongside our manufacturing plant, it should be no surprise that we are involved in the production of a variety of forged supplies for the railroad industry.
Keep reading to learn more about the various forged components we produce or contact us today to request a quote.
Forgings We Produce for the Railroad Industry
- Box Car Hand Brake
- Brake Pins
- Eye Bolts
- Handholds
- Knuckle Pins
- Roller Pins
- Sill Steps
- Stacking Cones
- Track Switch Irons
- Brake Car Clevis
- Coupler Pins
- Grab Irons
- Handrails
- Locomotive Pins
- Roping Staples
- Sleeves
- Stay Bolts
Our Capabilities
- Symmetrical & Asymmetrical Forgings
- Impression Die Forging
- Press Forging
- Pre- & Post-Forming
- Induction Heating
- 3D Prototyping
- Reverse Engineering
- Machining
- Resinks
- Custom Tooling
Our Impression Die Forging Process
At Trenton Forging, we’re proud to be recognized for our exceptional turnaround times. From raw material procurement and tooling creation to final quality inspections, our forging process only takes several weeks to complete. When you order your forgings with us, we’ll always provide you with an estimated timeline for your unique project. Generally, order volume and part complexity are the primary factors affecting the overall timeline length.
Our complete process is as follows:
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- Building Custom Dies: Our process starts with our engineers building custom dies (tooling) based on blueprints, sample components, CAD models, and other information that you provide to us. Each die has an impression in the shape of your specific component. Sample forgings created from our custom tooling can be shipped to you within two to three weeks.
- Ordering & Receiving Raw Materials: After you approve your custom tooling design, we’ll order raw material, in the correct grade and diameter, from one of our trusted steel mills. Once we receive the materials for your project, we’ll cut them into billets using our energy-saving CNC cold saws. This entire process can take up to three weeks, depending on the estimated shipping time we receive from the steel mill.
- Preheating & Preforming Billets: Committed to energy efficiency, Trenton Forging uses an induction heating unit to preheat billets. Once the billets are heated to a predetermined temperature, we preform (shape) them to fit into your custom tooling.
- Impression Die Forging: Our forging team compresses all preformed billets (preforms) using forging press or air-lift, gravity-drop hammers until the final forgings are produced. This process may take up to three days, depending on the complexity and size of your project.
- Cleaning Forgings: After your forging has been produced, we trim away the flashing and leave it to cool in a controlled environment. Once the forging has cooled, we’ll remove scale and clean the part’s surface via shot blast cleaning. The estimated timeline for this stage of the forging process is one day unless further heat treatments are required. If heat treatments are required, this may add up to two additional weeks to the overall timeline.
- Final Hand Inspections: Trenton Forging is committed to quality—that’s why our team hand-inspects every forging before we ship it to you. We may also provide magnetic particle inspections, should your application require them.
Why Work With Trenton Forging?
Trenton Forging is an ISO-certified American forging manufacturer that has been producing forgings for the railroad industry for more than five decades. Since our founding, we’ve continually improved our processes to ensure better quality and customer satisfaction. This includes incorporating cutting-edge technology, reducing process waste, and maintaining comprehensive training programs for all new and existing employees.
Get Started With a Quote Today
If you’ve uncovered any challenges producing or supporting your existing parts or have a transportation idea you would like us to help you develop, contact us today to request a quote.