See all Blog Posts Metal Forming Processes Explained: Comprehensive Guide to Techniques and Applications Category: Metal Man Knows, Processes Posted: June 10, 2025 A huge part of fabricating components from metals relies on forming of some kind. Metal Forming encompasses many different techniques, each with its own benefits, drawbacks, and considerations. In this article, we’ll examine the most common metal forming processes and their common applications. Introduction to Metal Forming In order to make components out of a raw material, such as sheet or section, some form of processing is needed. In some cases this is just cutting to shape or length, it can also mean bending, rolling, pressing, and other types of metal forming. Without these steps, most parts would be far too complex and time-consuming to build, and many would be impossible altogether. Metal forming opens up a wide range of possibilities in component manufacturing. Key Types of Metal Forming Techniques Metal forming is the broad term used to describe multiple processes, most can be categorized into the following groups: Bending Also known as folding, bending is often used on flat sheets and sections. It allows complex parts to be created from simple sheet metal material. Bending typically involves a top and bottom die that form a ‘V’ shape, used in a machine commonly referred to as a press brake. Folding machines also achieve the same principle but tend to be used on thinner materials. Rolling Plate, sheet and section can all be rolled, this is invaluable when creating round tanks and other vessels. Rolling can also be used to create conical shapes, often found in hoppers and collectors for all sorts of material processing. There are numerous types of rolling machines, from those capable of rolling 8’ or wider sheets to those specifically for round or square tubes, angle, and flat bars. Spinning Metal spinning, in a similar fashion to rolling is used to create parts for round fabrications, it is often used to create “dished ends” for pressure vessels and other tanks. These can often be seen on the ends of things like tanker trucks and air compressor tanks. Forging Forging involves the pressing or manipulating of metal whilst it is hot. Hand forging is a technique associated with blacksmiths, but many modern components are made with drop or closed-die forging. Drop or die forging is great for creating multiple parts to the same design. It can be used to create things such as wrenches, architectural components and tools. Extruding Most commonly used on aluminum and similar metals, extruding is the process of forcing a material through a shaped die to create a long, uniform section of material. It can be performed with the material hot or cold and can create incredibly complex and precise shapes. Similar to Forging, extruding is a process with high setup costs, and as such is usually used for large-scale production, rather than one-off parts. Stamping Stamping could be considered a hybrid of bending, shearing and forging, whereby a piece of material is formed into a new shape by way of custom tooling, usually at a high pace and in large quantities. Stamping is often used to create mass-produced parts such as washers, key blanks, and other parts made in large quantities. Advantages and Disadvantages of Metal Forming Methods Like all manufacturing processes, metal-forming machines have their limitations and benefits: Advantage Disadvantages Bending Creates complex parts from simple material Low set-up cost per job (no custom tooling needed) High accuracy Reduces time and cost of welding or bolting Difficult to increase speed on larger quantities Has physical limitations on geometry and thickness Rolling Makes parts not possible by other means Low setup costs per job (no custom tooling needed) Accurate Relatively slow process Requires large machinery Expensive per-part cost Spinning Creates high strength parts for pressure applications Low setup costs per job (no custom tooling needed) Expensive per-part cost Deforms metal resulting in a thinner section Forging High speed process Low cost per part once set up Can create high strength components High initial tooling cost Low dimensional accuracy High machinery cost Extruding Highly accurate parts Fast process once established High startup costs for tooling Machinery costs are high Stamping Produces parts very quickly Very low cost-per-part Can be highly accurate Tooling and machinery costs are high Limitations on size and geometry Factors Influencing Metal Forming Decisions Those listed above are far from an exhaustive list of all metal forming processes available to an engineer or fabricator. Deciding which one to use in your project or product can be daunting, here are some factors to consider. Cost In most cases, cost will be the main driving factor in which process is to be used. There is always a more expensive way to manufacture something, but often at levels of precision that are not required. Certain processes have lower operating costs, one example being that waterjet cutting is often anywhere from 2-10x more expensive than laser cutting, but it offers much greater precision and the ability to cut materials lasers cannot. Quantity After cost, the batch size is usually the second biggest factor in selecting a manufacturing process. A project requiring 2x components will look very different from one needing 2,000 per month. A good example of this again involves laser cutting. Whilst it is a fast and cost effective process, there is a reason that washers used in fasteners are not cut by laser and are instead punched. The latter method has much higher setup costs in the way of dedicated tooling, but once the threshold of quantity is reached, the per-part price is much lower. Design All manufacturing has limitations, be that the overall size, thickness of the raw material or geometry. For example, a conical shape that cannot be rolled by conventional rolling machines could very well be pressed on a press brake. Timescale Typically, machines that are very specialized, sophisticated or generally expensive to buy, have to produce parts constantly to remain economically viable. In certain cases, this can mean lead times are longer. Future Trends in Metal Forming Processes For the last 20 years, CNC technology has taken over many processes, offering more consistency and accuracy. We think this trend will continue in the future, with complementary processes such as rolling and folding becoming integrated into one setup, such as laser-tube cutting. Another completely innovative technology is that of Roboforming. This combines the old techniques of hand-forming with robotic arms, slowly but accurately creating metal panels that would take a lot of mold work to produce any other way. Metal Supermarkets Celebrating 40 years of operation, Metal Supermarkets is the world’s largest small-quantity metal supplier with over 130 brick-and-mortar stores across the US, Canada, and United Kingdom. We are metal experts and have been providing quality customer service and products since 1985. At Metal Supermarkets, we supply a wide range of metals for a variety of applications. Our stock includes: mild steel, stainless steel, aluminum, tool steel, alloy steel, brass, bronze and copper. We stock a wide range of shapes including: bars, tubes, sheets, plates and more. And we can cut metal to your exact specifications. Visit one of our locations today. 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