Grooved Connector Pins | Cold-Formed to Spec | Manufacturer

A dowel pin is a smooth, cylindrical pin used primarily for precise alignment between mating parts. A grooved pin features longitudinal grooves or deformed geometry along its surface that create interference when inserted, providing active retention and anti-rotation. Grooved pins are preferred where secure fastening without secondary hardware is required, while dowel pins focus on positional accuracy.

A tapered pin is a fastening pin with a slight conical taper along its length, typically used to lock components onto shafts or within bores. Unlike the cold-formed grooved and barbed pins Electropin manufactures — which rely on surface retention features for press-fit and post-insertion applications — tapered pins rely on wedge action and are driven into tapered holes.

Electropin's grooved connector pins are available in lead-free brass and stainless steel. Lead-free brass eliminates REACH and RoHS compliance concerns without requiring alternative materials, while stainless steel offers enhanced strength and corrosion resistance for demanding environments such as medical devices and industrial connectors.

Electropin's cold-formed grooved pins are available with four retention features: star, tabs/spline, inscribed square, and flat. The star feature can expand pin diameter up to 50% greater than the wire diameter, delivering exceptional pull-out strength. These features also provide anti-rotation properties critical for PCB, automotive, and medical connector applications.

Electropin can begin manufacturing custom cold-formed grooved pins in as little as two weeks from order confirmation, subject to raw material availability. Subsequent production batches are delivered on a customer-specified timeline. High-speed production of up to 5 pins per second also enables dramatic scaling of output when demand increases.

Yes. All Electropin grooved connector pins are manufactured using lead-free brass and stainless steel, eliminating the need for leaded brass and removing REACH and RoHS compliance concerns entirely. Unlike machined pins that typically require leaded brass for machinability, cold-formed pins achieve the same precision without regulated substances.