FAQ

What is Cold Heading?

Cold Heading is a metal forming process where pressure (rather than heat) is used to force raw metals into a die in order to transform wire or round bar stock into complex shapes. This pressure must exceed the Yield Tensile Strength for the metal to fill the cavities in the die tooling, similar to the way molten material fills molds. If the pressure applied exceeds the Ultimate Tensile Strength, the raw metal, or the tooling, will fail. Cold Heading is a type of cold metal forming designed to manufacture items that require specially shaped heads such as power semiconductor stud bases, starter solenoid terminals, bolts, screws and various other fasteners. Please see our Specialty Cold Heading page for additional information.