7 Benefits of Precision Cold Drawn Steel Pinion Rods & Wire

There are several different types of steel. They include hot rolled steel, cold rolled steel, and finally, cold drawn steel. The first on this list is the kind that most people think of when they hear the word “steel.” This type of molded right after being melted down.

The second is formed after that molten metal is allowed to cool, while the last one on the list – and the main focus here – is cooled down, coated in a lubricant, and then sent through a machine that “draws” it out, turning it into thin pieces of metal. There are several benefits to this cold drawn steel process that is used to make pinion rods and wire. Seven of them are discussed here.

1) The Metal is Strong

When it comes to steel, you want the strongest type available. While all steel is technically stronger than other types of metal, because it’s an alloy or a combination of those metals, some types have a stronger tensile strength than others.

 Since cold drawn steel is shaped after it’s been allowed to cool, it has more strength than hot rolled and cold rolled steel. Basically, if you want a metal that will hold its shape and hold up to the pressures that you’re going to exert upon it, then you want cold drawn steel.

2) The Exterior Finish Looks Nice

Even though most applications for cold drawn steel end up being hidden away on the inside of an engine, in some gears, or in places where they aren’t seen by anyone but the technicians putting them together or fixing them, it still looks nice.

Cold drawn steel is known for its very polished finish. This is due to the fact that it’s drawn through various devices as it’s shaped, so it’s buffed and cleaned up during each step.

3) The Final Results Can Be Customized

While most types of steel can be shaped to your exact specifications, this remains one of the main benefits of cold drawn steel. Many people assume that the process for drawing it out cannot be customized at all.

This is far from the truth. In reality, you can change the dies that it goes through to shape cold drawn steel in a number of different ways. All that you need to do is contact a manufacturer and they’ll tell you what they can do and show you the many options that you have for customizing the final results.

4) Its Very Cost Effective

Not only is cold drawn steel very strong and customizable, but it’s also a cost-effective option. Sure, there are some alloys that are not cheap, especially if they contain very precious materials, but for the most part, cold drawn steel is made from fairly affordable metals. This makes it easier on your budget, especially when you need to order quite a bit of it.

5) The Rods and Wires Are Very Straight

Have you ever gone to the store or stopped by a manufacturing center to look at metal rods and wires that are supposed to be as straight as possible, only to find out that some of them are curved? You more than likely have been in this scenario. It’s hard to build precise parts with curved pieces of metal.

You end up either having to straighten it yourself, or just choose another piece of pinion rod or wire. Thankfully, with cold drawn steel, this is not an issue. The metal is perfectly straight every time.

6) They Don’t Need to Be Hardened

Some types of metal need to be hardened before it can be used. This isn’t the case at all with cold drawn steel pinion rods and wires. The metal is cooled before it’s shaped, making the finished results perfectly hard and easy to use.

All that you need to do is either cut into the pieces that you need, otherwise, shape it into one final option, or use it as is. It all comes down to what you need that rod or wire for. It’s much easier to work with this way since you don’t need to do any additional steps.

7) The Sizes Are Consistent

When you’re shaping other types of metal, you run the risk of having some sections – or even parts poured or formed in the same lot- ending up being slightly different than the others. For example, two so-called “identical pieces” might be slightly off when compared to one another.

One might have a millimeter or two of additional material. This can be a problem when you’re using that metal to make parts for an engine that needs to be precisely detailed. Thankfully, with cold drawn steel, since each piece is engineered through the same machine, you end up with very consistent parts.