Process Spotlight: Forging & Billet Conditioning – Shaping Strength and Precision

Once melting is complete, alloys at SMP move into forging and billet conditioning — a critical stage that refines material structure and performance. Here, solidified ingots are transformed into precisely shaped billets and complex shapes, developing the strength, integrity, and consistency required for demanding applications across aerospace, oil & gas, defence, and nuclear sectors.

At the heart of this stage is our GFM Rotary Precision Forge (RPF). This advanced system delivers exceptional accuracy, consistency, and repeatability, enabling tight dimensional control and uniform grain flow. The result is billets with enhanced mechanical properties, optimised for strength and reliability, and ready for downstream processing or machining.

Supporting Processes: Heating, Homogenisation, and Annealing

Forging performance starts well before deformation. SMP’s dedicated suite of furnaces ensures each billet is in optimal condition:

  • Homogenisation reduces chemical segregation, promoting more uniform deformation during forging.
  • Heating brings material to precise forging temperatures, minimising the risk of cracking or tearing.
  • Annealing relieves residual stresses and refines grain structure, improving ductility, toughness, and workability.

Together, these processes ensure every billet enters forging fully prepared — enabling precision shaping and consistent, high-performance outcomes.

Billet Conditioning and Bar Finishing

Once forged, billets pass through SMP’s comprehensive conditioning and finishing facilities, which includes:

  • Overhead heat treatment and vertical heat treatment
  • Bar finishing to achieve precise dimensions and surface quality
  • Immersion ultrasonic testing to check internal integrity and detect inclusions or defects

These steps ensure that the billets are strong, reliable, and ready for the next stage in production, while maintaining SMP’s high quality standards.

Expertise, Precision, and Safety

Behind every successful forge is a team of skilled metallurgists, operators, and engineers. Their expertise, precision, and hands-on experience are vital in maintaining consistency and quality across billets and bars.

Working with steel at high temperatures and under intense pressure requires strict safety protocols and meticulous attention to detail. Every stage – from homogenisation, heating, and forging to conditioning, finishing, and testing – is carefully monitored to protect both staff and product quality. This combination of advanced equipment, technical expertise, and disciplined processes ensures that SMP maintains its reputation for excellence.

Delivering Steel that Performs

Forging and billet conditioning are where SMPs steel truly takes shape. By combining the GFM Rotary Forge, precise supporting processes, billet conditioning, bar finishing and expert oversight, we transform raw material into billets and bars with uniform structure, strength, and reliability.

Every piece of steel leaving SMP is the product of careful preparation, precise forging, and rigorous finishing – ready to meet the highest standards demanded by aerospace, defence, energy, and industrial applications worldwide.

 

 

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Special Melted Products Ltd Signs Danieli Breda Forging Press Contract as Part of Project Vulcan

Strengthening UK speciality metal production, critical supply chains, and sovereign capability

Special Melted Products (SMP) is pleased to announce that we have today signed a contract with Danieli Breda for the supply of a new, state-of-the-art forging press as part of our large capital expansion. Project Vulcan represents a major milestone for SMP and a significant boost for UK speciality metals manufacturing.

Project Vulcan highlights SMP’s commitment to advancing speciality metal production capabilities in the UK, securing critical supply chains, and reinforcing national sovereign capability, while also strengthening our position as a trusted supplier to international markets. The new forging press will enable SMP to produce high-integrity steels, superalloys and advanced components for highly regulated, mission-critical sectors such as Aerospace, Energy and Civil Nuclear.

In an industry often highlighted for challenges, SMP exemplifies UK metals manufacturing thriving through innovation and advanced manufacturing, where product safety, reliability and quality are paramount. By expanding our domestic forging capabilities, we help ensure the UK remains self-reliant in key sectors while continuing to meet global demand for high-performance materials. SMP remains one of the world’s pre-eminent producers of alloys for mainline jet engine shafts and other critical rotating parts.

Andy Richardson, CEO/Managing Director of SMP, said:
” Project Vulcan is an exciting step forward for SMP and for the UK speciality metals industry. This new forging press strengthens our capabilities, supports both UK and international supply chains, and reinforces our position as a world-class supplier of high-performance metallic materials and components. Importantly, it also allows us to provide high-quality jobs in the region and retain key skills that are vital to the future of UK advanced manufacturing. Project Vulcan enables SMP to continue to deliver critical products to aerospace, nuclear, and other demanding industries, all manufactured with the expertise that has made SMP and Sheffield a global leader”.

The Danieli Breda forging press represents a major investment in the future of advanced metals production in the UK, whilst driving innovation and reinforcing SMP’s role as a global leader in advanced materials manufacture.

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