What is Cold Heading?

Cold Heading is also referred to as Cold Forming. Cold Heading/Forming is a fast and more efficient method to produce both standard and special fasteners and custom shaped components. The technology has been in place for over 150 years.

Cold Heading/Forming is a process where a slug of wire is cut off and pushed into a die. The protruding end is then upset in an outward direction; called HEADING. Through the process, metal is formed on the same axis and usually involves changing a diameter from the original wire size as an extrusion.

Cold Heading/Forming offers various types of equipment to cold head parts that can be as simple as a screw blank or more complicated shapes that may require multiple diameter configurations such as shoulders. Parts coming off a cold header are usually complete or near net finished with zero to minimal scrap, generating significant raw material savings compared to screw machining.

Cold Heading/Forming can be used as the primary manufacturing process in combination with secondary machining to achieve part configuration, where tolerances or the design may require tighter tolerances beyond the usual +/- .005 tolerance range that is associated with a cold headed/cold formed blank.

Advantages of Cold Heading / Cold Forming:

Cold Heading/Forming can provide material savings of up to 70% due to reduced scrap versus machining.

Cold Heading/Forming achieves savings through its higher-speed processes. Speeds range from 50 to 300 pieces.

Cold Heading/Forming can improve product performance. Unlike screw machining where grain flow is interrupted, the cold heading process rearranges the grain structure increasing shear strength performance.

Cold Heading/Forming provides for consistent higher quality as surface finish will mirror the smooth condition and dimensions of the dies; usually eliminating secondary finishing.

Cold Heading/Forming results in repetitious tight tolerance consistency.

Cold Heading/Forming offers the potential to convert multi part units to a single part therefore saving on parts, labor, inspection, tolerance issues, purchases, inventory coordination and assembly time while improving strength and product output.