Cold heading manufacturing is a multi-step process used to form metal parts at room temperature. Unlike other metal fabrication processes, a hammer and die are used at high speed to form the metal without heating the material.

A large coil of wire is fed into a cold heading machine. Inside the cold header, the blank is driven between the die and the punch block, which pushes the material into the die to form the desired shape.

We use two different techniques to force the material into the die. In the upsetting method, the punch block forces the metal away from the die, producing a larger head than the initial blank.

The extrusion technique consists of two methods, forward extrusion, and backward extrusion. In forward extrusion, the cavities of the two dies are smaller than the diameter of the wire, resulting in compression. In backward extrusion, the metal is forced backward through the punch, creating a hole or cavity.

Cold heading is commonly used to make custom screws, bolts, and other custom fasteners from round metal materials. The cold heading includes many advantages over other processes. Because the volume of the blank is hammered in the die and no cutting is required, the process is virtually scrapped free. Cold heading produces stronger workpieces more efficiently. Besides, there is the less environmental impact and a safer working environment for workers because no heating is required. Production is fast, no cooling process is required, and parts with tighter tolerances can be produced without secondary machining.

Cold forming produces net-shaped or near-net-shape parts. This limits the finishing process, which speeds up production cycles. The process itself is also faster than machining, averaging about 80 to 100 parts per minute.