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The Cold Hard Facts of Cold Heading Semblex
The Cold Hard Facts of Cold Heading Semblex
The
Cold,
Hard
Facts of
Cold-
Heading
BY GENE SIMPSON, Photos by Charles Celander
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tooling set up, we’re able to put
material out at a rapid rate. The key is
identifying how many dies or punches
are needed to perform the operation. If MANIPULATING STEEL’S
you attempt to manipulate the material VOLUME
too much in any single die or punch, Cold-heading revolves
you can negatively affect the properties around the concept of
of the metal. So it really is a balance to altering an initial steel
achieve efficient manufacturing using “blank” through force, using
the fewest steps, while also preserving a series of tools and dies
the tensile strength of the metal. to change the blank into a
finished product. The actual
While we produce these pieces at high volume of steel remains
rates, we’re also conscious to stick to unchanged, but the process
what we’re good at. We’re familiar with maintains or improves its
cold-heading, so we focus on that. We overall tensile strength.
do perform what we consider secondary
operations here. After it’s cold-headed,
we may thread-roll the product. After
that, the finished items are sent out to
receive heat-treating. We don’t perform
that operation here because, again,
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HOW IT WORKS ENGINEERING AN ANSWER
we focus on what we’re good at. We The engineering department
partner with key suppliers who do our analyzes the part to determine
products for us after they undergo the if it’s possible to build a
cold-forming process. By outsourcing better part or assembly
the other operations to the people process before it presents
we’ve built relationships with, we can options to the customer. Once
remain centered on our core business. client approves the part,
blueprints are drawn up and
CREATING SOLUTIONS, NOT sent out to the shop floor to
ensure quality.
PRODUCTS
In cold-heading, the initial design
process is important because the
process revolves around the proper
tooling to stay within your tolerances.
While we manufacture fasteners for
a variety of different applications,
we’ve found that providing complete
manufacturing solutions is a way to
grow our business and satisfy our
customers. To do that, we have to start
from the ground up. We can make a
part based on the customer’s request,
but what we’ll try to do is, from an
engineering standpoint, look at it from
the big picture. Is there a better way to
build this part? Is there a better overall
design that we can create to incorporate
its use? Is the assembly system that
the customer is using antiquated?
Can robotics or other changes in the
assembly process save the client money
on the back side?
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In this manufacturing process, the where we can have the highest level of standards that are product specific, but
front-end planning portion of it is really front-end dialogue or design impact, we use them to create a blueprint of
critical. That’s why manufacturing design influence. We refer to it as T.A.C. the part. The same requirements and
and engineering work so closely — total assembly cost. That factor is tolerances get put on the parts. These
together. It takes precise planning and playing a bigger and bigger role in drawings are found at every machine as
understanding early on in the design the market now. We can work with a the product is made. It gives the guys
process to make sure that in the end, customer and create some samples, on the floor a reference point so that
the final product doesn’t turn out to be test them in the lab, then send them they know exactly what we’re putting
junk. We want to be sure that we have back to the customer and ask, “Which together. At Semblex, we’re used to
everything right so that when we receive one do you think works best for you?” dealing in thousandths of an inch. Many
the tooling and materials we order, our We offer our recommendations as times customers may need something
operators can get the most out of the to what we think the best option is, in tens of thousandths. We know that’s
machine without putting unnecessary and why. It’s here that research and a tolerance we can’t hold. That’s why
wear on the tooling or material. To many development play such a big role. And it we need to work with screw machines
of the machine operators, this is an art, really is the fun part of the job. We have or secondary machining. We know what
and we want to make sure they have the opportunity to solve a customer’s our limitations are on the cold-forming
everything they need to work with. problem; and because we’re here in the end of it. Engineering and manufacturing
Earning the customer’s trust is critical, United States, we can rapidly react to a work together, and by very aggressively
but once we’ve achieved this, we customer’s needs. marrying the two together, we’ve given
start off in our engineering lab. We’ll the customer something extra.
begin here, analyzing the piece and
determining what exactly we’re working
MOVING FORWARD On the front end, we ask ourselves
Once we get approval from the customer
with. We’ll also base our work on our “Here’s how much volume we have to
on a design, we move forward with the
conversations with the customer. How have. How do we get there?” There
process. We have a series of company
strong does the metal have to be? might be several different ways of doing
What type of application is this piece
for? We focus in on the relationships
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“what if” scenario. They lay out all the difficult and tool life will be that much
it. We’ll take the final product design,
drawings, all the requirements, and lower. Coatings are what are going to
because we know the finished product’s
figure out the best way to attack the job. allow that material to flow, or not to flow.
parameters, dimensions and volume,
Maybe sourcing a particular material is The goal is to have a material that flows
and work backwards with the help of
tough, or the timeline may conflict with well enough to undergo a reduction,
manufacturing’s insight to determine
another job on the same machine. This without losing its tensile strength. We
what’s the best piece of equipment for
team allows them to create solutions use everything from low-carbon steel,
that part to run on. We do tool design
before a conflict ever starts up. At that through an assortment of stainless steels.
according to that to optimize tool life,
point we create a bill of materials, procure
and also to optimize consistency. We
the necessary raw materials and tooling,
have operations that not only are forming
and get the job put on the schedule. PUNCHING UP AND ROLLING
that configuration, but also are trimming
the shape. From there, we’ll also secure
OUT
It’s important to note here that the The cold-heading operation itself is
material requirements, what size the
coatings on the steel are crucial to the pretty straightforward. Once we’ve
starting material has to be, and also the
production process. It’s something sourced the material and found the
outside sources, such as drilling or heat-
we always have to be aware of. We proper machine to produce the part, we
treating. We do that by looking at the
definitely specify what coatings we move on to actually forming the part.
strength the end-user needs. Essentially,
want on the wire stock, because we can In essence, we start off with a roll of
the customer will tell us what they need;
run into problems if we don’t have the wire steel, which is specific to the part
we know what latitude we have for raw
proper coatings on the raw material. we’re making. We drop the steel onto a
material, and then on the tool-design side,
Since we are forming steel, lubricity is roller at the far end of the machine. The
how much physical material is required to
crucial to moving the part through the wire stock comes off the roll and is fed
start with so that we can still manipulate
machine. If we’re going to use four dies into the cold-heading machine, which
the volume of the steel “blank” (the
to form a part, and in the first one or is set up with the proper tooling as set
unformed steel piece used to create a
two dies the coating material is going forth in the bill of materials that we’ve
part) when it enters the machine.
to be pulled off, we’re trying to get the created for the job.
larger reductions done in one of the
We also have a design team for
first couple of dies. In the latter dies, Once the dimensions are set up, the
manufacturing — engineering, quality
the coating won’t be present and, as a wire stock is fed into the machine. The
and manufacturing — that does a
result, forming will be that much more steel is pushed out to the required
A MYRIAD OF OPERATIONS
Numerous operations occur simultaneously in the cold-
heading process. When the steel is first cut, a punch also
occurs on a different tool and die. The part then rotates
through a series of punches, while other parts are cut, or
dropped on a collection conveyor below.
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with secondary machining operations offers the chance Simpson agrees, noting, “There are limitations in cold-
to create value-added fastener products for a variety of heading. Certain tolerances can be met right off the
markets. Mark Quebbeman, vice-president of sales and cold-header, but we can improve accuracy if we can put
marketing; Gene Simpson, director of engineering and additional secondary machining to it. We still achieve the
technical services; and Terry Morrissey, plant manager, benefits of cold heading — we eliminate material loss,
see significant opportunities for secondary machining and can produce the part rapidly and accurately — but,
adding value to cold-headed parts. This optimism depending on certain tolerances and other features or
results from customers’ efforts to avoid sourcing issues dimensions on the part, we may need to touch something
in the fastener industry. “Whether its concern about up to achieve the needed result. That’s where secondary
the quality of product sourced overseas, worries about machining comes into play.”
an extremely distant supply chain or the inability to
deal with someone on a local basis, companies are Quebbeman adds that, while the combination of the two
finding the benefits of staying at home and working procedures is a great fit, the industries haven’t really
with local suppliers,” says Quebbeman. “Having key melded together. “There are a lot of opportunities, and to
partners — not only on coatings and heat-treating be honest, not a lot of people are putting the two processes
processes — but secondary operations, really helps. together.”
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