Custom Metal Fabrication

Custom metal stamping is a process of cutting and shaping metal alloys to form a specific component used for large machinery, structures, telecommunications, appliances and almost anything that uses metal components. The most common alloys that are used in custom metal stamping are steel, zinc, nickel, aluminum and titanium. Custom metal stamping is a very efficient way to produce many kinds of metal components and products cost effectively on a large volume scale.
In custom metal stamping, metal sheets are placed into a die or press tool that is a uniquely designed cavity that gives shape to the metal sheet. The top part of the die or press tool is connected to the press slide while the bottom part of the die or press tool is connected to the press bed. A component called a punch pushes the sheet metal through the die or press tool, which in turn performs the actual shaping operation. After pressing the component it is then plated with a rust preventative finish to complete the process.
Another feature of plating besides as a rust prohibitive is to increase the life and solderable nature of the component. Sometimes the sheet metal can be pre-plated before the stamping process and if this is the case the component after it is stamped will be cleaned to remove any excess metal stamping oils from the stamping process. Usually then the component is then heat treated to make it stronger since it is still in a pliable state after stamping. The component is then deburred which means that all of the sharp edges and corners are removed. The deburring process can be done through either chemicals or the use of abrasives. Metal stamping can also involve other metal forming processes like piercing, blanking, forming and drawing on the same machines.
Custom metal stamping has specific force, speed and precision for giving a specific shape to the metal. There are 2 types of metal stamping presses: mechanical and hydraulic. These presses are available in a number of ranges of capacities, sizes, stroke lengths and operating speeds.
It is believe that custom metal stamping will slowly replace other metal forming processes like die casting, forging, fabricating and machining. One reason for this is because of the low cost of producing customer metal stampings and a lower cost for obtaining the dies or press tools. Also, the metals used in customer metal stamping can be harder than those used in other metal processing which makes the component stronger. The cost of secondary processes like plating and heat treating are also less money.
There are many metal components that have to be produced using this method and there are no other options. Some examples are: base weights, brackets, balance clamps, brake flanges, conveyor flights, bushing seats, engine bases, flywheel shrouds, and friction plates. There are many forms of custom metal stamping such as deep drawn stamping, electronic stamping, fourslide stamping, medical stamping, progressive die stamping and short run stamping. Probably the most common custom metal stamping method is the progressive die stamping where a metal sheet is drawn through a series of dies or press tools and stamping is done by all of the dies or press tools simultaneously, which reduces the time considerably.
We hope you are helped by this information and if you have questions or have a project that requires custom metal stamping why not contact us. You can either contact us through the website or you can give us a call.