Multiple Product Capabilities

Nucor Cold Finish produces rounds, hexagons, flats, squares and special sections in carbon and alloy steel. All bars are produced using the most advanced and efficient production line equipment in the industry. The drawing, turning, grinding and thermal treating production lines feature the latest cold finish production innovations. State-of-the-art anneal and stress relieve furnaces are models of efficiency in the industry.

As one of the largest suppliers of cold finish products, Nucor Cold Finish is ready to deliver steel bars in standard or special sizes. Our product lines have expanded to meet and exceed your requirements. Nucor Cold Finish will continue to research further market expansion.

PROCESSES AVAILABLE SIZE RANGES Hot Roll Straightening Cold Drawn Rounds Turned Bars Turned and Polished Turned, Ground and Polished Turned and Drawn Bars Drawn and Turned Drawn, Turned and Polished Drawn, Turned, Ground and Polished Drawn and Saw Cut to Length Drawn and Ground Stress Relieved Annealed 3/4" to 3 1/8" 3/16" to 3 1/2" 3/4" to 3" 3/4" to 3" 3/4" to 3" 3/4" to 3" 3/4" to 3" 3/4" to 3" 3/4" to 3" 1/2" to 3 1/2" 5/8" to 3" 3/16" to 2 1/2" 3/16" to 3" Grades Available: 10XX, 11XX, 12XX, 15XX, 4XXX, 5XXX, 8XXX

 

The Production Process…

The nine production lines at Nucor Cold Finish can produce multiple processes including various grades of turned bars, cold drawn rounds, hot roll straightening, polished bars, drawn and saw cut, ground bars and thermal treatment in our stress relieve and annealing furnaces. Different combinations of these processes result in a large number of available cold finish products.

Raw Material

To produce quality materials, Nucor Cold Finish begins with quality steel from Nucor Steel, also located in Norfolk. Nucor Steel's mini mill uses scrap steel to produce their steel. A consistent and economical supply of steel from Nucor Steel gives Nucor Cold Finish a big advantage in the cold finish industry, allowing Nucor Cold Finish to produce high quality products at a very competitive price. Upon arrival from Nucor Steel, all raw material is stored indoors at Nucor Cold Finish to maintain its surface quality until processing.

Coil Lines

Once cleaned, the coil is drawn through the die to precise size, then cut to lengths of 8 to 30 feet. The material is then straightened to customer specifications and finished bars are bundled and taken to storage racks. Our newest coil line is the first of its kind in the U.S., and can handle larger diameter bars which previously needed to be processed on the draw bench. This increased efficiency improves deliveries and results in less scrap.

View the QuickTime Movie Small (297K) Large (506K)

Bar Line

On the bar line, raw steel bars are descaled and cleaned. Once cleaned, these bars are drawn through dies creating a smooth, uniform surface finish and size, while also increasing other physical properties. Next, these bars are cut to customer specifications and straightened to industry standards. The bars are then bundled and placed in racks for storage until shipping. However, some bars must be heat treated and/or turned and polished and ground to meet customer specifications. Others are sent to the saw-cutting line which is used as a cost-effective measure to eliminate end distortion for select customer applications.

Heat Treatment

For heat-treated products, two state-of-the art thermal treatment lines are used: one for stress relieving and the other for annealing. The thermal treatment process for stress relieving takes place after the bars have been cold drawn. In the stress relieve furnace, bars are heated to temperatures which do not alter the microstructure of the steel. The product is treated with heat for four to six hours, relieving stresses which can cause bars to warp.

Annealed products rest in the state-of-the-art annealing furnace for 18 to 20 hours at high temperatures. The annealing process takes place prior to cold drawing. The microstructure of the steel is altered in the annealing furnace and the result is a high-strength alloy product with improved machinability.

Turning-Polishing Line

The turning-polishing line loads the hot roll material on a pre-straightener for descaling and straightening before the actual turning process begins. Cold drawn bars can be turned and polished without the pre-straightening process.

View the QuickTime Movie Small (264K) Large (473K)

The bars are then fed into the turner and turned and polished to size. Once turned and polished, they are cut to customer specifications, tested for surface defects, bundled and stored in racks until shipping, or they are transferred to the grinder operation for further processing. In the grinder, the bars are ground one at a time for tighter OD tolerance and to ensure uniformity in size and finish, and also to prepare the bar's surface for plating. Once the finish has been achieved, the bars are packaged with fiber tubing to protect the surface quality for handling, storage and shipping.

Quality: Meeting the High Standards

For each and every product produced at Nucor Cold Finish, a better product is always our goal. The quality management system governing each phase of the production process, from receiving of materials to product delivery, is ISO 9001:2000 and ISO/TS 16949 certified. Real-time Statistical Process Control (S.P.C.) is integrated on all production lines. The in-house quality assurance department provides technical support and mechanical testing of product samples in our own laboratory facilities. Advanced metal imaging and mechanical testing equipment allow us to develop the highest quality cold finish products. With Nucor Cold Finish, you know you'll be receiving the highest quality cold finish products available, at a competitive price.

Quality Policy Statement

Nucor Cold Finish is committed to fully understanding and properly communicating customer requirements and continually improving our practices, processes and products to consistently deliver what is desired.