STEAM BENDING.
This process includes bombarding wood with steam until it becomes flexible.
It is then bent into shape and held in place while the water content is slowly removed from the wood leaving the wood ‘bent’ into shape. Traditionally used to make Windsor style chairs.
KERFING.
This process is not actually deforming the wood (it could be considered wasting) but involves cutting grooves into the wood in order to make deforming by bending much easier.
Guitar and Violin shells were traditionally made this way and many still are.
LAMINATING.
Thin sheets (they're call veneers) of wood are stacked with glue in between then placed in a mould. Once the glue has set the wood is removed and retains the shape of the mould. This is how skateboards are made.
DEFORMING METAL
(Metal lends itself well to being deformed with pressure and heat.)
BENDING AND FOLDING. (изгиб и складывание)
Metal can be bent cold or hot and sheet metal can be folded in similar way to sheet plastic, although it requires specialist high pressure machinery.
SPINNING.
Spinning is a technique where a metal disc is rotated at high speed and shaped into a symmetrical object. Unlike traditional wood or metal turning, spinning doesn't remove material; instead, it molds the sheet metal over a pre-existing form. This method is used to make items like rocket nose cones, cookware, gas cylinders, brass instrument bells, and public waste bins. Nearly any metal that can bend without breaking can be used in this process.
SINKING.
Sinking is a metalworking technique where flat sheet metal is shaped into a non-flat object by hammering. This method is fast, but it stretches and thins the metal, which can cause it to break if overdone. Sinking is used to make various items, from jewelry to plate armor.
PUNCHING.
Punching is a process where a machine uses a tool, called a punch, to make holes in metal sheets. The punch pushes through the metal into a die, creating a hole and leaving behind a scrap piece. This scrap can be reused or thrown away. Punching is usually the cheapest way to make holes in metal sheets when making many pieces. When a special punch makes several useful parts from a sheet, the process is called blanking.
BLANKING AND PIERCING.
Blanking and piercing are methods that use a punch and die to cut metal. The process is the same for both, but the terms are different. In blanking, the cut-out piece is kept and called a blank. In piercing, the cut-out piece is scrap. When both methods are used together, it's called "pierce and blank." Piercing is also known as punching.
FORGING.
Forging is a process where metal is shaped using strong, focused pressure. It can be done at different temperatures: cold, warm, or hot. Forged parts can be very small or extremely large, up to 580 metric tons. These parts often need more work to become finished products.
DROP FORGING.
Drop forging is a process where a hammer is lifted and then dropped onto metal to shape it. There are two types: open-die and closed-die. In open-die forging, the die doesn't fully cover the metal, while in closed-die forging, the die fully encloses the metal.
DRAWING.
Drawing is a metalworking process that stretches metal using pulling forces. There are two types: sheet metal drawing and wire, bar, and tube drawing. Sheet metal drawing bends the metal over a curved shape. In wire, bar, and tube drawing, the metal is pulled through a die to make it thinner and longer. Drawing is usually done at room temperature, called cold working, but it can also be done at higher temperatures for large pieces to make it easier.
DEEP DRAWING.
Deep Drawing is a sheet metal forming process in which a sheet metal blank is radially drawn into a forming die by the mechanical action of a punch. The process is considered ‘deep drawing’ when the depth of the drawn part exceeds its diameter.
This is achieved by redrawing the part through a series of dies. This is the process used to make most aluminium drink cans.
PRESS FORMING.
Press forming is a process where sheet metal is shaped using a press and a die. The metal is placed in the die, and the press applies high pressure to form the metal to the die's shape. This pressure can be as high as 3000 tons. The metal then keeps this new shape permanently. Press forming is used to make items like fridge cases and most car body parts.
DEFORMING POLYMERS.
Polymers are perhaps the most commonly formed material in the D&T workshop due to the ease with which they can be turned into a liquid (or softened) and back to a solid at relatively low temperatures. The following methods rely on the polymer being heated up until it becomes plastic i.e. flexible enough to form but it never becomes a liquid.
LINE BENDING.
A process which involves heating up a small area of plastic sheet so it can be folded or bent like paper. Usually this is done around a former.
VACUUM FORMING.
Vacuum forming is a process where a plastic sheet is heated, and a mold is raised up into it while air is removed below, creating a vacuum. This causes the plastic to be pressed down onto the mold by outside air pressure. Vacuum forming is used to make hollow items like yogurt pots, food containers, baths, and hot tubs. It can also make molds for plaster and concrete.
PRESSURE FORMING.
Pressure forming is similar to vacuum forming but uses extra pressure to shape the plastic. Unlike vacuum forming, which only uses a vacuum to pull the plastic around the mould, pressure forming adds extra force for more detail, like lettering and sharp edges.
BLOW MOULDING.
Blow moulding is a process to make hollow plastic parts. First, the plastic is melted and shaped into a tube called a parison, with a hole at one end for air. The parison is placed in a mold, and air is blown into it, pushing the plastic to fit the mold. After the plastic cools and hardens, the mold opens, and the part is removed.