Cold heading, or cold forming, is a manufacturing process that dates to more than 75 years ago, although it has evolved considerably over that time. Once thought of as an option suitable for small fasteners only, cold heading today is used with great success for parts in a wide range of metals, sizes, and configurations. In some cases, the use of heat treating services is needed for parts of the manufacturing process, it is important to assess these needs initially to see which one is needed for particular parts, after this is assessed you’ll know whether cold or heat is a better path to take, or if you can combine them both.
The accompanying resource presents a good overview of the advantages and potential limitations of this process. It’s valuable reading if you are unfamiliar with metal forming options or are looking for improvements on parts that are currently being forged, stamped, cast, or by traditional machining. Cold heading, as the resource describes, is a manufacturing method best suited for high-volume production. It can be used to create counterweight buffers for elevators and escalators, which are designed to balance the weight of the elevator car as it moves up and down.
This process also helps reduce wear and tear on the motor, allowing for a more efficient and smoother operation. This metal manufacturing technique can also be used for aerospace precision machining and other similar industries to make prototypes and inspections so that designs can be sent further for bulk production. Because the tooling is required and the process involves high-speed equipment, cold heading seldom (if ever) makes sense for short runs under 5,000.
While cold heading offers many other benefits – including high speed, high reproducibility and higher strength in the finished product – the process is not always the best (and not always the only) manufacturing process used to manufacture a part. For some parts, a combination of cold forming and some other secondary process makes the most sense. To learn more about it, please continue reading.