Provided is a wiredrawn product drawn from a heat-treated steel containing: 0.38 to 1.05% by mass of C; 0.0 to 1.0% by mass of Mn; 0.0 to 0.50% by mass of Cr; and 0.0 to 1.5% by mass of Si, with the remainder being Fe and unavoidable impurities, wherein a GOS value/average crystal grain size is greater than or equal to ?0.6?GAM value+1.5 at a grain boundary setting angle of 2? and a step number of 0.07 ?m.

A progressive forming machine with die and tool units, one of said units sliding a limited distance along its axis and biased by a spring force towards the other unit, the units each having an end face with a smooth surface finish adapted to press against the smooth surface finish of the end face of the other unit, the end face area of one of the units being relatively small compared to its major cross-sectional area whereby a high contact pressure between the end faces is obtained for a given spring bias force such that extrusion/cooling oil coating a workpiece received in cavity portions is restrained from leakage from the cavity portions across said end faces during a hydrostatic trapped extrusion shaping the workpiece to a degree beyond limits of conventional cold-forming processes.

A progressive forming machine with die and tool units, one of said units sliding a limited distance along its axis and biased by a spring force towards the other unit, the units each having an end face with a smooth surface finish adapted to press against the smooth surface finish of the end face of the other unit, the end face area of one of the units being relatively small compared to its major cross-sectional area whereby a high contact pressure between the end faces is obtained for a given spring bias force such that extrusion/cooling oil coating a workpiece received in cavity portions is restrained from leakage from the cavity portions across said end faces during a hydrostatic trapped extrusion shaping the workpiece to a degree beyond limits of conventional cold-forming processes.

A method of drawing a material into sheet form includes forming a preform comprising at least one material as a large aspect ratio block wherein a first transverse dimension of the preform is much greater than a second transverse dimension substantially perpendicular to the first transverse dimension. A furnace having substantially linearly opposed heating elements one spaced from the other is provided and the heating elements are energized to apply heat to the preform to create a negative thermal gradient from an exterior surface along the first transverse dimension of the preform inward toward a central plane of the preform. The preform is drawn in such a manner that the material substantially maintains its first transverse dimension and deforms across its second transverse dimension.

A method of drawing a material into sheet form includes forming a preform comprising at least one material as a large aspect ratio block wherein a first transverse dimension of the preform is much greater than a second transverse dimension substantially perpendicular to the first transverse dimension. A furnace having substantially linearly opposed heating elements one spaced from the other is provided and the heating elements are energized to apply heat to the preform to create a negative thermal gradient from an exterior surface along the first transverse dimension of the preform inward toward a central plane of the preform. The preform is drawn in such a manner that the material substantially maintains its first transverse dimension and deforms across its second transverse dimension.

A processing method includes processing a metal wire rod using an emulsion lubricant that includes an oil and a nonionic surfactant at an oil-to-nonionic surfactant ratio of 1:0.3 to 0.9 (in mass ratio). The method may include purifying the emulsion lubricant after being used for processing the metal wire rod while maintaining the oil-to-nonionic surfactant ratio of 1:0.3 to 0.9 (in mass ratio) and then reusing the purified emulsion lubricant to process the metal wire rod.

A processing method includes processing a metal wire rod using an emulsion lubricant that includes an oil and a nonionic surfactant at an oil-to-nonionic surfactant ratio of 1:0.3 to 0.9 (in mass ratio). The method may include purifying the emulsion lubricant after being used for processing the metal wire rod while maintaining the oil-to-nonionic surfactant ratio of 1:0.3 to 0.9 (in mass ratio) and then reusing the purified emulsion lubricant to process the metal wire rod.

A method of drawing different materials includes forming a first material into a preform body defining at least one channel extending therethrough having a first cross-sectional area. A first element formed of a second material is inserted into the channel and with the preform body creates a preform assembly. The first element has a cross-sectional area that is less than the cross-sectional area of the channel, and the second material has a higher melting temperature than the first material. The preform assembly is heated so that the first material softens and the preform assembly is drawn so that the preform body deforms at a first deformation rate to a smaller cross-sectional area and the first element substantially maintains a constant cross-sectional area throughout the drawing process. Upon completion of the drawing step, the cross-sectional area of the channel is equivalent to the cross-sectional area of the first element.

A method of drawing different materials includes forming a first material into a preform body defining at least one channel extending therethrough having a first cross-sectional area. A first element formed of a second material is inserted into the channel and with the preform body creates a preform assembly. The first element has a cross-sectional area that is less than the cross-sectional area of the channel, and the second material has a higher melting temperature than the first material. The preform assembly is heated so that the first material softens and the preform assembly is drawn so that the preform body deforms at a first deformation rate to a smaller cross-sectional area and the first element substantially maintains a constant cross-sectional area throughout the drawing process. Upon completion of the drawing step, the cross-sectional area of the channel is equivalent to the cross-sectional area of the first element.

An apparatus and method for modifying an aspect of an exterior polymer material or polymer type material of a linear substrate with a fluid. The apparatus include a variable exposure gap within which the linear substrate is exposed to the fluid. The width of the exposure gap is varied with the speed of the linear substrate traversing the exposure gap to maintain a constant exposure time of the linear substrate with the modifying fluid.