The Timken Company (Canton, Ohio) has added cold-pilgering capacity for large-diameter tubing - up to 10.5 inches diameter - at its Gambrinus Steel Plant.

There are two methods used to reduce seamless tubing after it has been formed.

Cold Drawing pulls the tube through a die.

Cold Pilgering simultaneously reduces the outside diameter, inside diameter and wall thickness. The process uses a matched die-and-mandrel pair to form the tube under compression. Pilgering usually requires a number of passes.

Cold pilgering allows thinwall tubing to be formed with tighter tolerances and better surface finish than hot forming. However, even cold pilgered tubing must be cleaned and finished.

Timken uses cold pilgering to form steel and nickel-based tubing used for bearings, hydraulic cylinders and other close-tolerance applications.