What Is Metal Stamping?
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Metal stamping is a manufacturing process that utilizes dies and high-pressure machinery to cut, emboss, or shape metal sheets into specific forms and designs. This method is fundamental in creating durable, high-precision parts across various industries, including automotive, aerospace, electronics, and medical devices. By applying significant force, metal stamping transforms flat metal sheets into complex shapes with remarkable accuracy and repeatability. This process not only supports large-scale production but also allows for intricate detailing and consistency in parts, making it a critical component of modern manufacturing techniques.
Worthy Hardware produces kinds of stamping parts with steel, stainless steel, brass, copper and aluminum in short run and long run orders. Our machines ranges from 25 tons to 500 tons, and the max thickness could reach to 0.5inch.
Metal Stamping Process
Metal stamping operates through a series of well-defined steps, utilizing specialized machinery and tools to transform flat metal sheets into precise shapes and designs. Initially, a metal sheet is positioned in a stamping press where dies and tools are ready to enact their function. When the press is activated, it exerts substantial force, causing the die to cut, bend, punch, or emboss the metal into the predetermined shape. This process can be completed in a single stage or through multiple stages, depending on the complexity of the part being produced.
Each die set is meticulously engineered to ensure the metal forms accurately to the specified dimensions and tolerances. The capability to perform operations such as blanking, piercing, forming, and drawing in rapid succession makes metal stamping highly efficient for mass production. Furthermore, advancements in technology have enhanced precision, allowing for the creation of components with intricate features and tight tolerances. Post-stamping processes may include deburring, cleaning, and finishing, which further refine the quality and functionality of the stamped parts.
Progressive Stamping
Progressive stamping utilizes a series of stations within a single press, each designed to perform a specific operation—cutting, bending, punching, or coining—on a metal strip as it passes through. This sequential approach ensures continuous production and intricate part detailing, making it ideal for complex component fabrication.
This method excels in minimizing material wastage and maximizing productivity. By integrating multiple tasks into one continuous operation, progressive stamping reduces production times and costs. Its capability to maintain tight tolerances and consistent quality across large batches underscores its value in industries demanding precision, such as automotive and electronics.
Deep Draw Stamping
Deep draw stamping is a specialized metal forming process that is utilized to create deep, hollow parts exceeding their diameter. This technique involves pulling a sheet metal blank into a die through a punch, forming a cup-shaped part without altering the material thickness.
Deep draw stamping is distinguished by its ability to produce components with high depth-to-diameter ratios, making it ideal for manufacturing parts like automotive bodies, kitchen sinks, and various metal enclosures used in electronics and appliances.
Fourslide Stamping
Fourslide stamping, also known as multislide or four-way stamping, is a versatile and efficient metal forming process uniquely designed to handle complex parts with multiple bends and angles. This technique employs a series of horizontal slides — four in total — that move in and out of the working area, allowing for precise manipulation of the metal workpiece from multiple directions.
This method is particularly beneficial for producing small, complex parts in high volumes, such as brackets, clips, and connectors, across various industries including electronics, automotive, and medical devices.
Punching
Punching is a fundamental metal stamping technique that involves creating holes or cutouts in a piece of metal by forcibly driving a punch through it and into a die beneath. This process is highly efficient for adding functional features to metal parts, such as ventilation holes or slots, and is versatile enough to be applied to various materials and thicknesses.
Hole Diameter
The minimum hole diameter should be equal to or greater than the material thickness. For instance, if using 1mm thick material, the hole diameter should also be at least 1mm.
Edge-to-Hole Spacing
The minimum edge-to-hole spacing should be at least 2 times of the material thickness. For materials 1mm thick, for example, the distance from the edge of the material to the edge of any hole should also be at least 2 mm.
Forming Bends Near Holes
It's recommended to place bends at a minimum distance of two times the material thickness away from any hole. For example, with a material thickness of 1mm, bends should be positioned at least 2mm away from the nearest hole edge.
Notches and Tabs
For notches and tabs created through metal stamping, the minimum width should ideally be equal to or greater than 1.5 times the material thickness, ensuring structural stability and manufacturability. Additionally, the minimum length of tabs should be at least twice the material thickness.
Corners
Corner radii should be at least equal to the material thickness to reduce stress concentrations and enhance part durability. Sharp corners can lead to cracking and material failure, especially in brittle materials.
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Bend Height
The minimum recommended bend height for metal stamped parts should be at least three times the material thickness. For instance, with a material thickness of 1mm, the bend height should be no less than 3mm.
CEP Technologies Corporation is a third-generation, family owned progressive metal stamping company specializing in miniature to small stampings. We work with OEMs and aftermarket suppliers in the automotive, medical, electrical, lighting, power protection, EMI/RFI shielding and telecommunications, and other industries. This metal stamping guide gives a detailed overview of our services and capabilities.
Our core capabilities lie in expert progressive stamping with in-house tool and die building and lifetime maintenance (you may also choose to transfer existing tooling). We support customers with projects in medium to high annual volumes from 25,000 to 1,000,000 parts. Sample kits of our custom stampings may be ordered here.
We specialize in progressive stamping of miniature to small parts from metal coil between 0.002 in. and 0.080 in. thick. We also stamp blanks up to 6×6 in. square. We use high speed presses manufactured by Bruderer, Minster, Raster, V&O and Perkins, ranging from 15 to 60 tons. Tooling and dies are custom-built and maintained to hold tight tolerances and exceptional degrees of precision throughout production.
CEP manufactures custom metal EMI/RFI shields for controlling electromagnetic and radio frequency interference in electronic and cellular devices. PCB-mounted shields create a physical barrier between a circuit and its neighbors, reducing the performance and safety risks associated with interference and data transmission. Metal shields are commonly made of copper, brass, nickel, silver, steel, or tin.
Packaging is critical to maintaining parts in assembly-ready condition, even after transportation and storage. CEP provides tape and reel encapsulation as well as custom packaging solutions for the components we stamp.
Custom packaging, such as divided trays and custom cartons, help keep delicate parts separate if they are prone to nesting or becoming entangled. It is also an excellent way to organize parts for efficient use at the point of assembly or other use.
Customers have many choices for progressive stamping. CEP stands out for several reasons:
We want to make it as easy as possible for customers to obtain high-quality, custom stampings that are cost-effective. All of our services and capabilities are offered with this goal in mind. CEP operates three manufacturing facilities, located in New York, Texas, and China, which allows us to serve customers around the world.
In addition to progressive stamping with in-house manufacturing and maintenance of all tooling, we offer these value-added services for a complete solution:
Most stampings involve cleaning and other finishing processes prior to use, but PCB components like EMI/RFI shields as well as electronic and automotive stampings often require a higher degree of care: technical cleanliness. CEP uses a number of specialized cleaning techniques including forced air, ultrasonic, submersion, rinsing, and bubbling in a variety of solutions at different frequencies to remove tiny particles. With these methods we can hold particle sizes to less than 200µm for parts that have pre-plated raw material, and even smaller particle sizes depending on customer specifications. Learn more about technical cleanliness here.
Precision stamped components need to be in an assembly-ready condition when they leave the stamper’s facility, and they must stay in that condition during transportation and storage and until the point of use. CEP uses tape and reel encapsulation to individually seal stamped parts in an embossed carrier strip. Prior to sealing each part is verified and inspected to ensure correct placement, orientation, and identification markings.
Our decades of experience working with different metals gives us insight into factors that matter in progressive stamping and material selection, such as:
We regularly work with stainless steel, aluminum, high- and low-carbon cold rolled steel, pre-galvanized steel, nickel-plated steel, precious metals, brass, bronze and copper. Pre-plated materials are also available for some applications, along with finishing options like electroplating and selective plating, heat treating, etching, and deburring.
The properties of each metal and how it “behaves” when stamped determine how suitable it is for a specific application. The number and type of metal stamping techniques performed on the material (e.g., bending, coining, shearing) also add complexity to the manufacturing process and can even make some part features challenging to form within tight tolerances. Balancing material properties with production costs is another aspect of every project. CEP can help at each step along the way.
Metal prices vary considerably based on material composition, form, relative rarity, high-performance qualities, and corrosion resistance. Factors like tariffs, global shipping challenges, mill availability, and other unexpected incidents can impact lead time.
While there may be one or two typical or usual materials associated with a part, there are often highly suitable alternatives. We can suggest material options that improve manufacturability, are more readily available, or simply help lower production costs, as explained here.
A successful production run starts with assessing the part’s design intent and understanding how materials and stamping operations enable, or impede, the ability to achieve a functional finished part. Working from the part print, our team uses prototyping and virtual modeling to optimize manufacturability. Sometimes adjustments to the design or the progressive stamping process makes a significant difference in meeting tolerances, dimensions, and quality goals.
Inspection, verification, and testing are also critical to part performance individually and as part of a larger assembly or finished product. CEP uses both manual and computer-aided inspection methods to ensure parts meet customer requirements and comply with regulations or other guidelines. We are also IATF : and ISO : certified with TUV Rheinland of North America.
From simple to complex, CEP has been successful with a wide variety of challenging designs for customers in different industries. Read a few examples of how we use progressive stamping design guidelines to improve part manufacturability, efficiency, and production costs in the case studies below:
Learn how we designed a custom manufacturing process for a uniquely-shaped disc component in a medical flow-through valve. The part included tolerances for thickness and flatness, and specified tin electroplating. Read more here.
Through prototyping and testing, CEP was able to reduce production costs for an automotive component originally consisting of two pins welded to a base terminal. The redesigned component was made from a single piece of metal with no welding required. Read more here.
See how we developed custom packaging trays that organize completed parts while preventing them from becoming tangled. This solution keeps the assembly process moving smoothly without the need to stop and separate parts. Read more here.
At CEP we bring decades of progressive stamping and engineering experience to customers around the world. From the earliest stages of part design, through prototyping and production, to finishing and packaging, our team is here to meet your requirements for quality and part performance.
Please contact us if you have questions about any of the topics in this metal stamping guide or are ready to request a quote.
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