Cold Heading

What is Cold Heading
Cold heading manufacturing is a multi-step process used to form metal parts at room temperature. Unlike other metal fabrication processes, hammers and dies are used at a high speed to form the metal without heating the material. A large coil of wire is fed into a blank and pulled through a drawing machine. The drawing machine compresses the material to the desired diameter. It then passes into the cold heading machine.
Inside the cold heading machine, the blank is hit between a die and a punch block, pushing the material into the die to create the desired shape. We use two separate techniques for forcing the material into the die. With the upset method, the punch block forces the metal out of the die to produce a head larger than the initial blank.
The extrusion technique includes two methods, forward and backward extrusion. With forward extrusion, the cavity of the two dies is smaller compared to the diameter of the wire, which creates compression. With backward extrusion, the metal is forced backward through a punch to create a hole or cavity.
Cold heading is commonly used for creating custom screws, bolts, and other custom fasteners out of round metal stock.
When should you choose cold heading for your parts?
Cold forming comes with advantages and disadvantages compared to other machining processes, such as screw machining.
While using a screw machine may eliminate the need for dies, cold forming requires dies to set the head shapes, which increases the lead time and initial cost.
However, cold heading includes many benefits:
• Less waste
• Faster production
• Stronger parts
• Reduced costs
Using cold heading for your parts reduces material waste. More of the material is utilized during the cold forming process. This limits scrap and overall costs.

Inside the cold heading machine, the blank is hit between a die and a punch block, pushing the material into the die to create the desired shape.
We use two separate techniques for forcing the material into the die. With the upset method, the punch block forces the metal out of the die to produce a head larger than the initial blank.
The extrusion technique includes two methods, forward and backward extrusion. With forward extrusion, the cavity of the two dies is smaller compared to the diameter of the wire, which creates compression. With backward extrusion, the metal is forced backward through a punch to create a hole or cavity.
Cold heading is commonly used for creating custom screws, bolts, and other custom fasteners out of round metal stock.

When should you choose cold heading for your parts?
Cold forming comes with advantages and disadvantages compared to other machining processes, such as screw machining.
While using a screw machine may eliminate the need for dies, cold forming requires dies to set the head shapes, which increases the lead time and initial cost.
However, cold heading includes many benefits:
• Less waste
• Faster production
• Stronger parts
• Reduced costs
Using cold heading for your parts reduces material waste. More of the material is utilized during the cold forming process. This limits scrap and overall costs.

Goode Carbide produce as-sintered tungsten carbide die inserts and blanks for use in hot and cold heading die tooling and forming tool applications. Inserts are made to order and can be supplied in different tungsten carbide material grades with up to a 25% Cobalt binder to meet our customers’ specific requirements to produce numerous bolts, screws and special fixings, in a variety of materials. We produce the die inserts and blanks in the as-sintered condition with the specific overall dimensions and special features our customers request ready for them to produce finished ground tooling.
Hot and Cold Heading Die Inserts
Cut-off Die Inserts
Forging Dies
Ejector Pins
Punches
Our factory is equipped to make tungsten carbide heading die inserts and forging dies blanks in all sizes up to a maximum outside diameter of 250mm. We maintain good supplies of our tungsten carbide raw material in stock and aim to supply the as-sintered die inserts and blanks on a short delivery lead time as required.
Our factory is equipped to make tungsten carbide heading die inserts and forging dies blanks in all sizes up to a maximum outside diameter of 250mm. We maintain good supplies of our tungsten carbide raw material in stock and aim to supply the as-sintered die inserts and blanks on a short delivery lead time as required. Talk to a Goode Carbide expert about your specific application requirements.

Tungsten Carbide Heading Dies
Goode Carbide produce as-sintered tungsten carbide die inserts and blanks for use in hot and cold heading die tooling and forming tool applications. Inserts are made to order and can be supplied in different tungsten carbide material grades with up to a 25% Cobalt binder to meet our customers’ specific requirements to produce numerous bolts, screws and special fixings, in a variety of materials. We produce the die inserts and blanks in the as-sintered condition with the specific overall dimensions and special features our customers request ready for them to produce finished ground tooling.
Hot and Cold Heading Die Inserts
Cut-off Die Inserts
Forging Dies
Ejector Pins
Punches
Our factory is equipped to make tungsten carbide heading die inserts and forging dies blanks in all sizes up to a maximum outside diameter of 250mm. We maintain good supplies of our tungsten carbide raw material in stock and aim to supply the as-sintered die inserts and blanks on a short delivery lead time as required.