A rebar upsetting machine is a specialized piece of equipment that uses hydraulic cold upsetting to plastically deform the end of a steel rebar, increasing its diameter. Its core purpose is to prepare rebar ends for mechanical splicing—by upsetting the end by 4–6 mm before threading, the thread root diameter is made no smaller than the original diameter of the rebar, ensuring that the tensile strength of the joint exceeds that of the rebar itself.

This equipment is primarily used in infrastructure projects with high quality requirements. In high-speed railway construction, upsetting machines are widely used for splicing rebar cages in bridge piles and piers, where processing precision directly impacts structural safety. For example, the Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway expansion project adopted an integrated system combining intelligent cutting, upsetting, and threading, significantly improving both the quality and efficiency of rebar processing. In highway and bridge construction, the Shaanxi Heyang–Tongchuan Expressway project organized site-wide demonstrations to promote the upsetting-threaded sleeve connection process. This process achieved a 100% pass rate for threaded ends while more than doubling work efficiency.

In addition, upsetting machines are widely used in industrial and civil building structures, hydropower stations, nuclear power plants, and other large-scale infrastructure projects. These machines handle ribbed rebar of Grades II and III, with diameters ranging from 16 to 40 mm. Each machine can process 300–500 ends per shift, offering features such as simple operation, stable performance, and immunity to weather conditions.

In construction practice, the use of upsetting machines requires strict process control: the rebar ends must be cut flat using an abrasive cut-off saw to prevent horseshoe-shaped irregularities; the upset section must not contain transverse cracks; and water-soluble cutting fluid should be used during threading. Only by strictly following operating procedures can the upsetting machine fully realize its core value of improving joint strength and ensuring structural safety.