Cold formed steel is one of the most durable and efficient materials to make metal components for industries where these characteristics are of fundamental importance such as automotive and agricultural machinery.
The production of cold formed steel begins with crude steel obtained by combining iron ore or scrap steel with small amounts of carbon which is then passed into a basic oxygen furnace (BOF) or electric arc furnace (EAF). Obtained the molten steel, this is poured into slabs that are then reduced once again to “cold rolled steel” and coated with a protective layer of zinc, added through the galvanizing process. The final product is called “coil”.
Depending on the need of the final product you want to obtain, the coils can be cut in such a way that they correspond to the expected dimensions of the product you desire to obtain or can be connected directly to a press system (as happens in our company) that, automatically, perform this type of operation going to use the amount of coil needed and printing it cold with progressive molds or transfer.
Generally, cold formed steel coils are formed through a series of moulds that penetrate or pierce the steel, making it take the desired shape. The moulds gradually model steel in C-shaped, U-shaped, Z-shaped or even hat-shaped areas in such a ways to meet the most diverse application needs. This operation does not need any type of heat: the cold-formed steel is formed in the absence of heat; the opposite of what happens with hot-rolled steel.
The elements of the frame in cold formed steel can be formed from a wide range of different thicknesses, so as to accomodate the most varied applications. Last but not least, steel is a highly sustainable material with low environmental impact and easy to dispose of!
For all these reasons, in Prodotti EBI cold formed steel is the absolute protagonist of most of our metal components.