Cold Heading Basics
Cold heading (or cold forming) is a method of forming metal in progressive steps into net shaped or near net shaped parts. Starting with a slug, which is cut from a continuous coil of wire material; the cold heading machine uses a series of powerful hammers and dies to form a part. This process creates very little to no waste, offers significant material cost savings, and the volume of the starting slug is about the same as the finished part. The net volume remains the same since the material is being formed into the die, rather than cut from the blank. The cold heading process creates a stronger part, with smooth continuous surfaces while enhancing the grain flow of the material.
In contrast, metal cutting operations are typically slow and can generate as much as 60% waste.
Cold heading is more efficient than machining, allowing rapid production of large quantities while maintaining tolerances as close as +/- .002″without secondary operations.