Custom Aluminum Forging for the Components
You Need. When You Need Them
Specialty Services for Forged
Components
Specialty Services
Brass Aluminum Forging Enterprises offers a wide range of specialty, or “value-added,” services to provide a complete solution beyond just forming the raw material. These services streamline the manufacturing process for customers, reduce costs, and ensure the final part meets precise specifications.
Engineering & Prototyping
1
Design & Tooling Assistance
BAFE employs engineers who work with customers to optimize their part design for the forging process. This includes advising on draft angles, radii, and other features to improve forgeability and reduce material waste. They also design and manufacture the specialized dies required for each part.
2
Forging Simulation
Using advanced software, BAFE can simulate the forging process to analyze metal flow and identify potential defects before any dies are cut. This reduces development time and costs.
3
Prototyping & Small-Batch Production
While forging is often associated with high-volume manufacturing, BAFE also offers services for creating prototypes or producing small batches of parts for testing and validation.
Technical Capabilities & Quality Standards
Post-Forging Processes
After the part is forged and trimmed, it often requires additional work to achieve its final properties and dimensions. Brass Aluminum Forging Enterprises performs these services in-house, creating a “one-stop shop” for customers.
- Heat Treatment: This is a crucial step to achieve the desired mechanical properties, like strength and hardness, in the aluminum alloy. BAFE offers various heat treatments, including solution heat treatment, quenching, and artificial aging.
- Machining: Forged parts are often “near-net shape,” meaning they are close to the final dimensions but require further machining to meet tight tolerances. BAFE offers CNC machining to add features like threads, holes, or intricate surfaces.
- Surface Finishing: To improve corrosion resistance, appearance, and durability, BAFE provides services such as anodizing, shot blasting, and powder coating. Anodizing creates a protective oxide layer on the surface of the aluminum. Parting/Trim Line Removal: The flash extension material created during the trim operation may be required to be removed per the customer specification through a polishing or buffing operation.
Quality Assurance, Cybersecurity & Logistics
Quality control is paramount in the forging industry, especially for critical applications like aerospace and automotive.
- Non-Destructive Testing (NDT): This includes methods like liquid penetrant inspection to check for internal flaws or surface cracks without damaging the part.
- Metallurgical Testing: BAFE has in-house labs to perform tensile testing, hardness testing, and microstructural analysis to ensure the forged part meets all specified material properties.
- Certifications: BAFE holds ISO 9001:2015 certification and operates in compliance with CQI-9 and AS9100 controls which are often required by customers in the aerospace and defense industries.
- CMMC Level 1 Self-Assessment Completed: BAFE has completed its CMMC Level 1 Self-Assessment in accordance with FAR 52.204-21 safeguarding requirements, demonstrating our commitment to cybersecurity, information protection, and support of the Defense Industrial Base.
- NIST SP 800-171 Self-Assessment Completed: BAFE has completed its NIST SP 800-171 Self-Assessment, establishing a cybersecurity baseline and clear roadmap for continuous improvement. BAFE continues strengthening its cybersecurity environment and advancing toward future CMMC Level 2 certification.
- JCP Certified: BAFE is certified under the U.S./Canada Joint Certification Program (JCP), which authorizes qualified companies to access unclassified military technical data that is not available to the public. This certification supports our ability to evaluate technical requirements and pursue defense manufacturing opportunities.
- DLA Enhanced Validation (DEV) Approved: BAFE is approved by the Defense Logistics Agency for access to DLA-managed export-controlled technical data. This approval supports our ability to review technical data packages, prepare accurate quotations, and manufacture components for DLA solicitations and defense customers.
- Inventory & Logistics Management: To support just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing, customers utilize our warehousing and supply chain management services, holding stock and managing shipments to meet mission-critical customer production schedules.