Cold Heading Dies: Essential Manufacturing Tools

Cold heading dies are key tools in the cold extrusion process and are widely used in the forming of materials such as steel, steel strand, steel strip, ingots and aluminum. This type of die is mainly used to cut, preform and form the blank into cold-formed parts on the cold heading machine. Cold heading dies not only occupy an important position in the field of mechanical engineering, but are also the research object of the secondary discipline in the mold discipline.

The cold heading process involves placing the blank into the die and forming the material by drawing, extrusion, etc. Cold heading dies play an important role in this process. Its main application industries include construction, automotive, machinery and manufacturing. For example, in the production of automotive parts, cold heading processing technology has been widely used. With the continuous advancement of industrial technology, the application scope of cold heading technology is also expanding, and the importance of cold heading dies is also increasing.

The design and manufacture of cold heading dies require special attention to the selection of materials and the application of processes. SKD61 is a material commonly used for cold heading dies. It has excellent high temperature tensile strength, good toughness, heat resistance and crack resistance. SKD61 is a medium carbon, high chromium alloy tool steel. After heat treatment, it has high hardness and wear resistance, strong hardenability and good dimensional stability. It is suitable for manufacturing high-precision and long-life cold work tools. In addition, tungsten steel is also an important material for manufacturing cold heading dies. It has the characteristics of high hardness, good wear resistance and long service life.

The manufacturing process of cold heading dies includes several steps, such as blank forming, cutting and extrusion forming, deep drawing and forging forming, and local forming. Among them, cutting and extrusion forming is a common process for forming bolt heads. The shape and size control of the blank are crucial to the effect of the cutting and extrusion forming. The design, machining, and grinding and polishing of the cutting edge of the die must be strictly controlled to ensure the life of the die and the quality of the parts.

The use of cold heading dies is not limited to the forming of standard shapes, but also includes the production of parts with complex shapes. For example, constrained stamping can achieve stamping with a distance between the outer shape and the edge of the inner hole less than the sheet thickness, as well as stamping with an inner diameter greater than half the outer diameter and a height greater than 1.5 times the inner diameter. In addition, local forming technologies such as full upsetting and local upsetting are also widely used to form holes and grooves.

In general, cold heading dies are an indispensable and important tool in modern manufacturing. Its design and manufacture must comprehensively consider material selection, process application and part requirements to ensure high precision and long die life. With the continuous development of industrial technology, the application scope of cold heading dies will continue to expand, and their role in the manufacturing industry will become increasingly important.