ABOUT Stamping Services
Stamping Services are metal forming operations which use dies to shape generally thin sheet metals into various tubular, flat, etc. shapes with single or multiple press operations. Stamping services are characterized by high volume production requirements due to the need to manufacture die sets, making small lot stampings prohibitively expensive. General stamping includes one-shot processes where the part is manufactured in a single press cycle; transfer press operations, where the part is made using multiple press operations and dies; and, progressive die stamping, where a single complex part is produced in a single, multistage die and the part progresses through a number of stampings all in a single press before reaching its final form. General stamping usually has a limit on the ratio of product depth to diameter/material width. For deeper parts, deep drawn stamping is employed, which can produce deeper cups, etc. than ordinary stamping can. Deep drawing is similar to progressive die stamping in that the part is produced in a number of stages in the same press before its final shape is realized.
Stamping is a cold working process and so produces parts with high surface hardness, a desirable property for many stamped products such as cases. Cold working sometimes leads to brittleness, and therefore parts sometimes require intermediate or final annealing to improve ductility, etc.
Stamping is an alternative to other metal forming techniques such as casting, roll forming, and machining, and, in the case of deep drawn stamping, an option to screw machining. It is characterized by low scrap rates, high production rates, tight parts tolerance, and excellent surface finishes. Secondary finishing of edges is often required to knock off burrs left by the tooling. Where this is objectionable, another metal forming process called "fineblanking" can be considered.
Stamping is generally limited to long runs with many, many parts. The costs of dies and their critical setup requirements lends this metal forming technique best suited to batch production. Alternative short-run stamping services are available, however. These typically use stock tools and multiple stamping stations to duplicate the results of progressive die stamping, albeit at higher per piece costs. The high initial die design and manufacturing costs are greatly reduced, however.
Deep Drawn Stamping is used for sheet metal forming of long tubular products whose lengths are greater than their diameters.
General Stamping is used to produce large and small, simple and complex parts from sheet metal; includes single-shot stamping, transfer die stamping, and progressive die stamping.