Frequently Asked Questions
- Why Should You Consider Stalcop’s Unique Cold Forming & Secondary Process Capabilities?
- What is Specialty Cold Forming / Cold Heading?
- What are Typical Cold Formed Tolerances?
- Why is Net and Near Net Shape Important?
- Why Does Net or Near Net Shape Equate to Cost Savings?
- Why Does Cold Forming Provide Superior Strength?
Q: Why Should You Consider Stalcop’s Unique Cold Forming & Secondary Process Capabilities?
A: Material grain runs the length of the bar stock like wood grain. So when parts are cut or machined from bar stock, the grain is cut and stress risers are created. The material grain of extruded parts flows along the contour of the part increasing tensile strength and reducing stress risers.
Q: What is Specialty Cold Forming?
A: Specialty cold forming enables the production of complex shapes by moving metal with punches and dies to obtain net shapes or near net shapes products with improved structural strengths.
Q: What are Typical Cold Formed Tolerances?
A: Die and punch controlled dimensions (i.e. diameters, lengths, feature to feature position) are close tolerance areas. Diameter tolerance can be as close as ±0.0005. Lengths and feature to feature position tolerances can be as close as ±0.001.
Q: Why is Net and Near Net Shape Important?
A: Cold forming processes are net or near net shape processes. In most cases, cold formed parts provide substantial material cost savings by transforming a solid “blank” into a final part of the same volume with no material loss.
Q: Why Does Net or Near Net Shape Equate to Cost Savings?
A: Because little or no material is lost in a net or near net shape cold forming operation, a considerable material cost savings can be realized. Machining hollow parts of multi-diameter parts from bar stock produces considerable scrap. Likewise, joining two parts to make the desired geometry still has kerf scrap plus the assembly operation cost.
Q: Why Does Cold Forming Provide Superior Strength?
A: Material grain runs the length of the bar stock like wood grain. So when parts are cut or machined from bar stock, the grain is cut and stress risers are created. The material grain of extruded parts flows along the contour of the part increasing tensile strength and reducing stress risers.
