Metal Stamping Ultimate Guide
Table of Content
Metal Stamping Overview
What is Metal Stamping?
History of Metal Stamping
Types of Metal Stamping
Metal Stamping Process: Step-by-Step Procedure?
Custom Metal Stamping
Finishing Operations in Metal Stamping
Materials for Metal Stamping
Benefits Metal Stamping
How to Choose the Best Metal Stamping Companies
What is the Cost of the Metal Stamping Project?
Applications of Metal Stamping
Metal Stamping Overview
Do you need metal in your production process? If yes, then the metal sheet should be in a desired shape and design. This is where the aspect of metal stamping comes in.
Metal stamping service will ensure that you get the desired shapes of your metal. What if I do not have the capacity to shape the metals? Well, you don’t need to worry. Contact the best metal stamping companies, and they will do the job on your behalf.
However, even if you choose to outsource the service, you should at least have some knowledge about it. This is why in this guide, we are going to answer everything that you should know about metal stamping. Read on.
What is Metal Stamping?
Metal stamping is a type of manufacturing process that entails converting the flat sheets of metals into different shapes.
This is a cold-forming process that utilizes the stamping presses and the dies to ensure that the metal sheets conform to a particular shape. Some of the metals that are commonly used in this process include aluminum, zinc, titanium, and nickel.
The whole metal stamping process encompasses a number of techniques which include punching piercing, bending among others.
Metal stamping is applicable to a broad range of industries. Some of these applications include the automotive, aerospace, food industry, chemical among many others.
There are different companies that provide metal stamping services in China. So, in case you want to use metals for whichever applications, You simply need to choose the right company.
History of Metal Stamping
Ever since the discovery of metals, there have been numerous attempts to try to improve their usability. This is why during the ancient days, metalsmithing was highly respected.
Metal stamping traces its history to the use of coins as a form of currency. Striking the coins was considered as a method of metal stamping. With time, it evolved from coins to other metallic products.
During those days, metal stamping was more of a mechanical process. A metal sheet will be placed on a die and struck repeatedly using a heavy hammer. From there, it will be molded into a required shape.
The process was slow and cumbersome. The result of the traditional process lacked high levels of accuracy and consistency.
These among many cons paved the way for modern metal stamping.
The age of the industrial revolution is one of the things that turbo-boosted the invention of modern high-tech metal stamping machines. Manufacturers needed to produce large volumes of products to meet market demand. Forging and metal-die casting couldn’t be relied on fully to do the job.
In the late 1800s, metal stamping started gaining traction in the automobile industry. Soon, it spread to other industries. Metal stamping was highly preferred to other metal processing methods such as die casting.
Apart from the cost, metal stamping enabled manufacturers to meet their market demands. Precision metal stamping improved the accuracy of the process. This, in the long run, improved the quality of the metallic parts.
From the humble beginnings, metal stamping is still used in the modern-day. The difference is that advanced metal stamping machines and equipment are used. The modern metal stamping process is even automated and requires minimum human supervision.
Types of Metal Stamping Process
There are different types of metal stamping that you should know. These are progressive metal, transfer die stamping, deep draw metal stamping, and fourslide metal stamping.
What are they and what’s the difference between these types? Well, let’s have a brief look at each type of metal stamping.
- Progressive die stamping
His is a type of where the stamping process is executed in sequence. It features several stations and each stage is assigned a function.
There are stages for cutting, bending and punching. Once the metal sheet has passed through all the stages it will have achieved the desired shape and size.
At the first stage, a metal strip or coil is fed into the stamping press. It is steadily unrolled from its form into a die press. The die and the press are designed to be in constant movement.
When the press moves downwards, the die will close towards the stamp and this forms the part of the metal. In the next stage, the press will move upwards allowing the metal sheet to move to the next stage.
The final stage of the process entails stripping out the newly stamped o fabricated part from the rest of the metal strip. The movements of the metal strip on the stamping machine must be accurate s that the targetted parts are well-stamped.
The good thing about progressive stamping is it ensures long dies without causing physical or structural damage on the metal. It is also a fast metal stamping method.
- Transfer Die Stamping
This method of metal stamping has some similarities with the progressive die progressive. It also features different stages of the process.
The main difference is the parts of the stamping are separated from the rest of the metal sheet at the early stage of the process. The method is ideal for large metal parts.
- Fourslide stamping
Fourslide stamping method is also known as the multi-slide method because it is characterized by the horizontal alignment of different metal sheets. This alignment ensures that all the four sides of the metal sheet are worked on at the same time.
The method is ideal for developing complex shapes out of the metal sheet.
Video of four-slide stamping method https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVU9MepdUlQ&feature=emb_title
- Fine-blanking
This method of metal stamping is known for its high levels o accuracy. It is used for those applications that require smooth edges
In this method, the process is carried out on a hydraulic press though a mechanical press can also be used. Once the metal sheet is planked onto an ideal position, the blanking process commences.
- Deep draw stamping
A deep draw stamping method entails stringing a sheet of metal into a die through the punch. By doing this, the metal will form a shape.
It is known as ‘deep drawing’ because the part which is drawn is longer than the diameter of the metal.
The method is best suited for applications that have different diameter lengths.
- Short-run stamping
This method of metal stamping is designed for small projects and prototypes It does not require many complex tools. Also, the expenses for running the machine are quite minimal.
Once the blank of the stamping has been created, a couple of the tooling components will be used for punching, drilling and bending the metal sheet. It is possible to achieve a faster turnaround time even though it is limited in terms of production capacity.
Metal Stamping Process: Step-by-Step Procedure?
IMAGE source researchgate.net
Probably you wondering about metal stamping how to. The fact remains that metal stamping can be quite a complex procedure. His is why the process should be handled by experts.
As an experienced metal stamping expert, I won’t hesitate to give you a glimpse of what takes place during the metal stamping process.
-Blanking: This process involves cutting out a rough design of the shape of the product that you intend to get at the end of the whole metal stamping process.
Some of the points of focus during the blanking process include hole diameter, length, geometry, spacing among others.
Apart from giving you a visual aspect of what to expect, blanking helps to minimize the level of wastage that can occur at the later stages.
It also eliminates the issue of time wastage.
-Bending: When stamping a metal, you will need to bend it at different angles to create the desired shape.
There should be enough material to allow the metal sheet to be bend.
The bending process also takes care of issues such as the thickness of the wall. The bending process should minimize sharp corners and irregular cutouts.
-Coining: This is a process in which the edges of the metal sheet are flattened. This helps to eliminate the burrs. The goal of coining is to create smooth edges.
Coining also helps to increase the strength in the strategic sections of the metal sheet. It eliminates the need for secondary metal processing methods such as grinding.
-Drawing: This process entails stretching the surface area of the metal sheet into the desired shape. It is done through a controlled material flow.
-Stretching; Here, we increase the surface area of the metal sheet. To achieve this, we increase the tension while at the same time minimize the inward movement of the edges. The process also helps to smoothen the metal parts.
-Ironing: The metal sheet is then squeezed to minimize its thickness. This is vital in applications where it will be used for making cans for beverages.
-Necking/reducing: The machine is designed to reduce the diameter of the tube
-Hemming: The edges of the metal sheet are folded to make them thick. In doing so, they increase the strength and stability of the shape.
This video summarizes the metal stamping process
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CuJjSk4U38
Custom Metal Stamping
Although the metal stamping process is usually expected to follow specific procedures, there are some instances where things may be done differently. Some changes may be introduced, or the metal stamping tools may be changed.
This is what we call custom metal stamping. It entails producing parts and products that met the specific needs of customers.
Custom metal stamping is applicable in many modern industries. This is motivated by the fact that each industry has its unique needs. Also, the desire to stand out from the rest of the competitors has accelerated the need for custom metal stamping.
Unlike the regular metal stamping supplies, custom stamping will require you to elaborate your needs explicitly. The metal stamping company will work using the information that you have availed.
In case you are planning to have a custom metal stamping project, strive to maintain seamless communication with the company.
The best metal stampers will always update you with anything you need to know about the process, including the progress that they are making.
Finishing Operations in Metal Stamping
In most cases, the end product of the metal stamping process may not be ready for use. Some finishing operations may be needed to make it perfect.
The most common post-stamping operations include tapping, reaming, and deburring. Apart from improving the looks of the product, these finishing operations make it compatible with other machines.
Deburring entails removing the shreds of the metallic material that have remained after the stamping process. It removes the sharp burrs ensuring that every part of the metal is smooth. Grinding may also be done to
Materials for Metal Stamping
Before you make any decision regarding metal stamping, one of the things that you should consider is the material to be stamped. Although almost all metals are assumed to be ideal for stamping, there are some essential characteristics of metal stamping materials.
Some of the metal materials that can be processed by stamping include;
-Precious metals which include diamond, silver, gold
Ferrous metals such as stainless steel
Non-ferrous metals which include copper, bronze brass
-Alloys: brass and other metal alloys
-Non-alloys such as nickel and beryllium
Each category of the above metals has unique features or properties. This means that even when they are in the stamping process, we still have to pay attention to every element.
Even after you have chosen the metal stamping material, there are other structural factors that you should consider. They include;
-The size of the metal top be processed
-The finishing/ post-stamping procedures that will be done on the metal
-The area of application for the metal/ intended use
-Geometry parts that are required for the metal stamping
Benefits of Metal Stamping
Still not convinced about metal stamping? As a manufacturer or producer, here are the top advantages of metal stamping services:
-Encourages mass production: As long as you hire metal stamping suppliers that are well equipped, expect the process to meet your production needs.
Metal stamping can help to reproduce large volumes of products and parts.
-Accurate: Modern metal stamping equipment are designed to operate at high levels of precision. Whether it is cutting or bending the metal sheet, the method will work within the right measurements.
-Consistency and uniformity: If you want to produce large volumes of products of the same type, metal stamping can help you achieve this goal. Once you get the right 3D design of the product, the metal stamping machines will reproduce several of them.
-Saves time; But outsourcing the metal stamping process, you will save many working hours. You will channel that time and effort into other critical production processes.
All these benefits lead to one thing-high-quality products. You will end up dominating the metal stamping market.
How to Choose the Best Metal Stamping Companies
As we have seen, there are many benefits that you can gain from a well-done metal stamping process. However, there are precautions that you should take to enjoy the benefits.
One of the precautions is choosing the metalworking suppliers in China. This is because not all the companies are the same.
As the rule of nature, dictates, always strive at choosing the best air metal stamp companies.
But how can you do so?
Here are the tips for choosing the best metal stamping companies in China.
- Look at the metal stamping reviews
The most efficient method of secluding the best metal stampers from the crowd is by looking at their reputation. What do other product manufacturers say about the company?
Choose metal stamping companies that have many positive reviews. This is a clear sign that they are capable of delivering quality work. You can easily find reviews on the internet.
You can also make an effort to look at the reputation and the credibility of the company. Ind out if they have any certifications such as ISO. Such credentials sow that the company can be fully trusted.
- Metal stamping experience
Does the company have adequate experience in providing metal stamping service? The delicate and complicated nature of this service requires some high level of experience.
The metal stamping manufacturer that you choose should prove that they are well-experienced in this industry. Do they have former clients whom they can claim to receive their services?
- The capacity of the metal stamping service company
Let’s say you would like to process a large volume of metals. Will the manufacturer be able to deliver the processed products on time? This is where the capacity of the metal stumping company matters.
One way of assessing the production capacity of the company is to see if they are well-equipped in terms of the machines. They should have adequate modern metal stamping kits.
Another way of assessing the capacity of the manufacturer is by finding out about their workforce. Do they have metal stumping experts to do the job? Their level of customer service should also be excellent
What is the Cost of Metal Stamping Project?
Before you even proceed with your metal stamping project, there is one important issue that will always arise. That is the cost of metal stamping.
Is metal stamping an expensive project to undertake?
Not really. In fact, this is one of the cheapest methods for processing metals. It is also possible to get affordable metal stamping services.
The price of metal stamping services is determined by several factors. One of them is the volume of the products or parts to be stamped.
If you intend to stamp a high volume of metal products, then you should expect to pay a high price for them. However, dealing with the low volume of metal parts can be more expensive than higher volumes. The good thing with bulk production is it encourages economies of scale.
What if you want some extra modifications on the metal sheet? Let’s say the case of custom metal stamping. You may pay more so as to have the unique features added to the project.
Are there any post-metal stamping services that to be done on your products? This will also make up to the cost of the service.
The good news is there are ways of cutting down the total cost of metal stamping service. One of them is doing bulk metal stamping. It will cost you less when you choose to have more metal products.
Your choice of metal stamping company will also help to cut down the overall cost. Focus on choosing an affordable metal stamping company. In doing so, do not neglect the reputation of the manufacturer among many other pertinent issues.
Applications of Metal Stamping
Metal stamping has quite a wide range of modern industrial applications. It is commonly used in applications that require 3D designs.
The stamping is a standard feature on most electric appliances where it is used as a casing. Other application areas include automotive, aerospace, jewelry, medical equipment, telecommunication products, among many others.
This metal processing method applies to both the small scale and large scale. Research done on metal stamping revealed that the automotive industry takes the most significant percentage of metal stamping service.
Roche Industry- Reliable
From this guide, it is crystal clear that the benefits of metal stamping service are quite immense. If you are a manufacturer and shaping the metals is part of your production process, then you should get the metal stamping service in China.
At Roche Industry, we specialize in providing accurate and reliable metal stamping services in China. We have the latest metal stamping machines and tools. Coupled up with qualified metal stamping experts are capable of handling tasks of any magnitude.
Feel free to contact us, and we will send a free comprehensive metal stumping quotation.