Copper cold heading service

brasscarbon steelsteel

Cold heading is a precision forging technology designed for high-volume, high-efficiency production—a true model of “lean manufacturing.” Unlike hot forging, which requires heating, or traditional machining, which generates significant scrap, cold heading uses immense pressure to plastically deform metal wire at room temperature through a series of high-precision dies. This process is not only incredibly fast, but because the metal’s grain flow is not cut, the formed part is even stronger than the raw material itself, achieving a perfect balance of speed, strength, and cost. What is Cold Heading? At its core, cold heading is a process that forms metal at room temperature through continuous, high-pressure strikes inside a multi-station machine. The metal “flows” to fill the cavities of a die, ultimately creating the desired shape—much like molding clay at high speed, but with steel wire instead. Key Principles: Chipless, Zero-Waste: Traditional screw making involves machining away most of a thick rod. Cold heading, however, takes a wire of the exact right diameter and simply squeezes it to form the head and shank. Nearly 100% of the material ends up in the part, with no chips produced. Work Hardening for Higher Strength: Deforming metal at room temperature compacts its internal grain structure, creating a “work hardening” effect. This gives cold-headed parts significantly higher tensile and fatigue strength than machined parts of the same material.