Cold upsetting / cold extrusion steels

Products intended for cold forming must meet strict requirements regarding chemical analysis, structure, and inclusion purity. In addition to the basic requirements, aspects such as suitability for surface treatment and/or mass or surface heat treatment are considered.

Cold heading steels, with a carbon content ranging from 0.05 to 0.4%, are predominantly used for the production of screws, bolts, rivets, etc., and comply with ISO 683-1. Classic variants include carbon steels like C10, boron-containing steels like 17B2, 28B2, 35B3, and manganese-B steels like 20MnB4, 37MnB5. The hardness properties are achieved through cold work hardening during processing. This steel family is primarily utilized in the automotive industry for specific fastening and drive functions.

Cold heading steel for ecological and economic added value

Swissbain-7MnB8 is a bainitic steel with microalloying that is used for cold forming without heat treatment in components in the strength class 800 to 1000 MPa. The strength of the component is achieved through a combination of wire rod strength, work hardening during drawing and cold forging. This steel is suitable for components such as ball studs, screws, threaded bolts and dowel pins as well as hollow parts that do not require further tempering after cold forming.

Swissbain-7MnB8 offers both ecological and economic advantages. The technical properties of this steel lead to economic benefits, such as cost savings for heat treatment, tempering, machining and straightening, as well as good machinability and weldability. A cost comparison confirmed that the use of Swissbain-7MnB8 leads to an overall more economical production compared to the conventional method. Further savings in heat treatment contribute to environmental relief by reducing CO2 emissions.

Bright steel for cold forming processes

Our high-strength cold heading steel, ETG® 25, is a 'ready-to-use' steel that ensures the required properties on the finished part without the need for complex heat treatment. ETG® 25 is a material with high initial strength (comparable to strength class 8.8) and at the same time good cold formability. The use of ETG® 25 can eliminate the need for quenching treatment and subsequent processes such as straightening, cleaning, and scrap.

ETG® 25 is a high-strength special steel with excellent properties, including mechanical values similar to strength class 8.8 EN ISO 898-1 in the delivery condition, a ferritic pearlitic microstructure, low residual stresses, high endurance strength, wear resistance, good cold forming properties, bendability, easy surface finishing, good machinability, and weldability. Thanks to a short process chain from scrap to the finished product, ETG® 25 is characterized by high product quality. This is based on years of experience, manufacturing expertise, controlled production, and state-of-the-art testing methods. The material is ideal for cold forming of formed parts. During the forging process, it is important to align the forming direction with the subsequent load on the part to avoid the Bauschinger effect. In this case, strength and hardness remain unchanged, while the yield strength can be reduced. This effect can be reversed by a tempering treatment at 350°C to restore the original yield strength.