The raw material is A36 carbon steel wire rod. Upon arrival, we implement strict incoming inspection procedures. Spectrometer testing is performed to verify chemical composition matches A36 carbon steel specification. Hardness and tensile tests are conducted to confirm mechanical properties meet load requirements. We visually inspect the wire surface for cracks, inclusions, rust, pits and deep scratches, and measure wire diameter, roundness and straightness. Any non-conforming stock will be clearly marked, isolated and returned to the supplier to prevent mixing into production batches.
2.Cold Heading & Hexagon Forming:
Qualified steel wire is fed into the multi-station cold header. The wire is cut to fixed-length blank, then cold forged step by step to form the hexagonal outline and nut body. Cold forging optimizes internal metal fiber flow, improves structural strength and impact resistance. After forming, the blank is trimmed to control the hexagon opposite side dimension and nut thickness within drawing tolerance, and coarse flash on edges is removed.
3.Tapping & Slot Milling:
The forged nut blank is transferred to tapping machine for internal thread machining. Thread tap with precision tolerance is adopted to guarantee thread fit accuracy, and thread integrity is checked after tapping. Next, the nuts are clamped on milling equipment to cut radial slotted grooves on the top hex corners. The slot width, depth and position are strictly controlled according to standard requirements for cotter pin installation. All burrs on thread surface and slot edges are cleaned thoroughly.
4.Pre-plating Inspection Sorting:
Semi-finished nuts go through preliminary sorting. Inspect thread quality, hex dimension, slot shape, check for broken threads, deformed slots, cracks and residual burrs. Unqualified products are picked out and scrapped or reworked, ensuring only eligible workpieces enter the electroplating process.
5.Color Zinc Plating Surface Treatment: The qualified semi-finished nuts are loaded into the electroplating rack, following the full plating process: alkaline degreasing → multi-stage water rinsing → acid pickling for rust and oxide removal → surface activation → zinc electroplating → chromate iridescent color passivation. Coating thickness, passivation time and temperature are precisely controlled to get uniform rainbow color coating, excellent coating adhesion and anti-corrosion ability. After plating, nuts are rinsed fully and baked at low temperature to remove residual moisture and avoid white rust.
6.Final Inspection & Packaging:
Sampling and full visual inspection are carried out. Check thread gauge fit, hex size, slot dimension, coating appearance, salt spray resistance and coating adhesion. Reject nuts with peeling, blistering, uneven color, deformation or damaged threads. The qualified hex slotted nuts are packed into moisture-proof bags and cartons with desiccant inside. Each package is labelled with material grade A36, specification, batch number and inspection mark for storage and shipment.