Certain metals, such as highly alloyed steels, many titanium alloys, and high-temperature nickel alloys, possess good hot hardness, a property that makes them useful for high-temperature service. However, this very property that makes them attractive in these applications also makes them difficult to form with conventional methods. The problem is that when these metals are heated to their hot working temperatures and then come in contact with the relatively cold forming tools, heat is quickly transferred away from the part surfaces, thus raising the strength in these regions. The variations in temperature and strength in different regions of the workpiece cause irregular flow patterns in the metal during deformation, leading to high residual stresses and possible surface cracking.
Isothermal forming refers to forming operations that are carried out in such a way as to eliminate surface cooling and the resulting thermal gradients in the workpart. It is accomplished by preheating the tools that come in contact with the part to the same temperature as the work metal. This weakens the tools and reduces tool life, but it avoids the problems described above when these difficult metals are formed by conventional methods. In some cases, isothermal forming represents the only way in which these work materials can be formed. The procedure is most closely associated with forging.